Union Station

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Just minutes from the Capital, Union Station contains over 125 stores, an immense food court and a nine-screen movie complex. The restored beaux-arts structure still serves as Washington’s main train station.

Minutes away from the Capital, the Postal Museum and the Capital Children’s Museum, Union Station is a popular stop on the monument trail. Since it also serves as Washington’s main train station, Union Station is constantly bustling with commuters and tourists.

The construction of Union Station in 1908 was one of the first improvements made to the District of Colombia by the McMillan Commission, a committee charged with cleaning up and redesigning Washington. Modeled after the Roman Baths of Diocletian, Union Station has a 96-ft-high gilded ceiling and forty-six statues of Roman soldiers (one for each state when the station was built) both inside and outside the station.

Initially a great success, the eventual decline in train travel during the ‘60’s left the station in a state of disrepair until it was completely refurbished in 1988. The new Union Station contains 133 shops, five restaurants, a 46-vendor food court and a nine-screen movie complex.

Union Station is the ideal place for a visitor to have lunch. The food court will satisfy any appetite, while the beautifully restored main waiting room offers plenty of places to sit and plan your afternoon. Some of Washington’s more popular sightseeing tours like Tourmobile and Red Trolley Tours originate in front of Union Station.