Depot Inn and Suites

Depot Inn & Suites
La Plata, Missouri
Info From TrainWeb
TrainWeb.com/depotinn/home.html

An Amtrak Rail Travel Destination !

Click Here for Train Watching Lookout Point Photos & Info!

TrainWeb often receives e-mails asking us to suggest Amtrak train journeys. Often these e-mails are from people who are planning to take their very first train ride on Amtrak. Sometimes these emails are from people that have taken Amtrak before, but are just looking for some ideas of interesting places to go by train.

Here is a different idea for an Amtrak travel destination that we are sure that everyone that loves trains will really enjoy: The Depot Inn & Suites in La Plata, Missouri ! We know what we are talking about as La Plata, Missouri, is the new home town of TrainWeb.com ! You can see our new building from the platform at the La Plata Amtrak Station:

Since you are probably more excited about your anticipated Amtrak train journey than any particular destination, let me go into a bit more detail about that first. These details will vary depending on where you will be starting your Amtrak journey. Please click on one of the following links before returning to read the rest of this page.

Where will you start your Amtrak journey?

From Chicago or East of Chicago
From Kansas City or Southwest of Kansas City
From The West
From The South
From Canada
From Somewhere Else

AT THE HOTEL:

Many of the photos on this page were provided courtesy of Chris Guenzler & Jonathon Ortiz.

Unlike most other Amtrak destinations, you are in for a real treat during your stay in La Plata, Missouri! The Depot Inn & Suites is themed after an 1800s railroad depot and is located on the historic Wabash Line property. If you enjoy historical railroad artifacts, you will find the Depot Inn & Suites to be a small railroad museum in and of itself! Some train enthusiasts spend hours examining the extensive collection on display inside the hotel. Outside, the hotel is landscaped with many railroad-related antiques including a handcar, a motor car, and authentic luggage carts.

Whether you reserve a railroad themed suite or a regular room, you will be staying in a quality accommodation, especially for the economical room rates. All rooms feature a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron & ironing board, luxurious linens and free local calls (including Kirksville). All rooms also feature high-speed wireless internet access and a desk or workspace. Standard rooms feature rocker recliners and 27" flat-screen televisions. All themed suites include a fireplace, a 2-person whirlpool tub, a 47" flat-screen television with DVD player, a king size bed with memory foam mattress and a leather queen size sleeper sofa. Plus, just turn to Channel 43 in any room and watch 24/7 live video and sound of trains on the BNSF mainline from a camera mounted at the Rail Lookout Point! The camera is infrared so you can even watch the trains in the middle of the night from the comfort of your room!

In addition to your own in-room coffee maker, fresh brewed coffee is also available in the hotel lobby around the clock. The Depot Inn & Suites features a 16' x 40' heated indoor pool with a "steam engine" water feature! There is also a large patio complete with BBQ grills, tables, chairs and umbrellas, a secured fenced play area for small children, jungle gym and play train, bicycles, putting green and basketball net. A pool table and game tables are provided free in the large hotel lounge. The hotel has a 24 hour Gift Shop & General Store that includes a variety of pre-packaged refrigerated items as well as personal goods and souvenirs. There are also soft drink vending machines, a guest laundry, and convenient in-house movie rentals. Arrangements can also be made to pick-up and drop-off rental cars at the hotel. Free shuttle service is provided to the La Plata Amtrak Station and the nearby Kirksville Regional Airport.

Nearby recreational facilities include an excellent 18-Hole Golf Course plus fishing and water sports at La Plata City Lake, Santa Fe Lake, Long Branch Lake, and 1000 Hills State Park. Seasonal Hunting is available at the Hidden Hollow Conservation Area. Dining is available next door within walking distance at the Red Rooster Restaurant serving 6 AM to 9 PM every day.

BEYOND THE HOTEL:

Within a short distance of the hotel is an excellent lookout for watching trains, the "Chris Guenzler Millionth Mile Lookout Point." The hotel provides free Golf Carts for you to transport yourself to the lookout. The walk from the hotel to the lookout is not too far for those of you that would rather walk.

The lookout is atop an old bridge abutment where the historic Wabash Line used to cross over the BNSF mainline. In addition to the two Amtrak trains, more than 70 freight trains roar below the lookout every day! Click here for more information about the train watching lookout point.

Click on any of the below photos for larger images:

Photos of the Train Watching Lookout with a BNSF train passing below.

The Amtrak Southwest Chief passes to the right of the Train Watching Lookout
(above to the left in the photo).

Escorted van tours are available of nearby attractions on some weekends. Dates will soon be posted on this page or contact the hotel to have your e-mail address added to their mailing list for upcoming events. These will include a tour of (1) the many historic railroad artifacts throughout the inside and outside of the hotel itself, (2) a walk through the "Exhibition of Amtrak History", (3) a visit to the restored historic La Plata Santa Fe (Amtrak) Depot, (4) a brief drive through Downtown La Plata and a view of the historic Victorian homes: the McLorn House and the Doneghy Home, (5) a drive through Amish farmland with a stop at the Amish Country Store, (6) a extended stop at the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline housed in the restored Santa Fe Depot including a look at the original Santa Fe 2546 Steam Locomotive in E.P. Ripley Park, (7) a stroll down Main Street Marceline, the inspiration for Disney's Main Street USA and (8) dinner at the Pear Tree Restaurant (food & beverages not included). Information about escorted van tours to other nearby attractions will be posted to this page at a later date.

Depot Inn & Suites 22 Passenger Shuttle & Tour Van

You can also tour most of the above attractions in your own rented car. Contact the Depot Inn & Suites to arrange to pick up and drop off a rental car at the hotel. In addition to the above, there are many points of interest less than an hour drive from the hotel. Information about these other attractions is available in the hotel lobby.

SILVER RAILS EVENT CENTER:

Silver Rails Event Center

THE FUTURE:

Coming Later:
- The ultimate goal is to expand the Depot Inn & Suites into the Silver Rails Resort, a paradise oasis catering to every type of train enthusiast! More than 160 acres of land have been acquired adjacent to the Depot Inn and all along the BNSF mainline to accommodate this project. This land stretches from the Amtrak Station and TrainWeb building as the southern corners to a 120 acre parcel of land across the road but on the same side of the highway as the Depot Inn & Suites. The Silver Rails Resort also now includes the Silver Rails Event Center developed on a parcel of land right in Downtown La Plata connected to the rest of the complex by the old Wabash Right Of Way owned by the City of La Plata.
- Features are planned for the Silver Rails Resort to make it the ideal vacation and event location for anyone that has an enthusiasm for trains or the history of railroading. The Depot Inn itself will be expanded to at least 100 rooms which will include extensive event and conference facilities with the railroad theme carried throughout.
- Eventually, the Exhibition of Amtrak History will be relocated to another area of the property and expanded to cover more of the history of passenger rail in North American while continuing its focus on Amtrak history. The current conceptual plan calls for an 80,000 square foot museum of passenger rail. An existing spur is proposed to be extended from the Amtrak Station onto the resort property where various Amtrak and other historic locomotives, passenger cars, and other equipment will be on public display.
- Additional proposed features of The Silver Rails Resort inlcude: (1) A two-story climate controlled train observation tower at the lookout location described above. (2) A narrow gauge railroad for both entertainment and for providing transportation throughout the facility, including shuttle service between the Amtrak Station, the hotel, the railroad history exhibition, and the lookout tower. (3) A railroad themed indoor waterpark. (4) A railroad themed miniature golf course. (5) A large indoor model railroad and an outdoor garden railroad. (6) A caboose lodging facility or the option to spend your stay in a retired private executive railroad car. (7) An RV camping facility with hookups. (8) Chapel facilities for weddings at the Silver Rails Resort, or have your marriage in the open ended cab of a historic steam locomotive! Banquet, catering and lodging facilities of the expanded Depot Inn at the Silver Rails Resort will accommodate significant size wedding receptions. Click here if you would like to read the April 2, 2007 Press Release about the planning for the future Silver Rails Resort.
  
  These are just a few of the proposed features of the future Silver Rails Resort. To stay on top of the latest developments, and even offer your own suggestions, please join the Silver Rails Resort Google Group by subscribing for free below:
  
  Subscribe to RailResort
  
  Email:
  
  Visit this group

READY TO BOOK YOUR AMTRAK JOURNEY?

Click here for information to help you research your trip, find the best fare, book your tickets and get the most out of your Amtrak experience. Click here when you are ready to book your room at the Depot Inn & Suites online or call 1-888-814-3669 toll-free.

MORE INFORMATION FOR:

Travel Agents
Private Railcar Owners / Charter Operators
Travel Writers (Under Construction)
Rail Magazine Owners / Publishers (Under Construction)
TrainWeb.org Webmasters (Under Construction)
Event & Conference Planners (Under Construction)
Other Members of the Press (Under Construction)

RELATED LINKS:

Depot Inn & Suite Song

DEPOT INN & SUITES / SILVER RAILS RESORT / LA PLATA, MISSOURI
More Photos: Exterior / Interior / Rooms / Train Watching / Amtrak Exhibition / Event Center
For Travel Arrangements & Info e-mail: travel@SilverRails.net or call: 877-459-5900 (toll-free).

THINGS TO SEE IN & NEAR LA PLATA, MISSOURI: