People know about Al Capone’s imprisonment at Alcatraz and Eastern State Penitentiary and his time in Chicago. But there are a number of hotels across the region where the famous gangster had his own suites, always on the run or overseeing gambling and bootlegging operations. There were also restaurants and bars where he’d enjoy his time off in the Southern sunshine.
This post contains affiliate links.
Americus, Georgia
The Windsor Hotel, built in 1892, is the primary site for Capone’s Americus legend. Capone reportedly stayed and kept an armed guard at the stairs, using it as a stopover on trips from Chicago to Florida, with rumors of tunnels and local connections to bootlegging. The hotel still offers an “Al Capone Suite” in the turret, also known as the bridal suite. His legend may be mixed with that of John Dillinger.
Atlanta, Georgia
In 1932, Capone arrived at Atlanta Penitentiary by train, having already made a name for himself in the preceding decade in Chicago. He’d most recently served time in Eastern State Penitentiary. His time in Atlanta would ultimately be brief, only two years, as he was transferred to Alcatraz in August 1934.
There are several stories about Capone’s time in Atlanta, but few of them are true. He didn’t rent out an entire floor of a hotel, but you can stay where the celebrities of the day did, the Georgian Terrace, which is still in operation.
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Opened in 1872, the Read House Hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, had seen its share of activity, functioning as a Civil War hospital. It gained in popularity as a place to stay when the rail lines passed through the city, attracting Jazz Age celebrities and politicians…