INVERNESS, Fla. — An old train station in downtown Inverness is using its historic structure to create a brand-new business inside.

What You Need To Know

  • The Train Station in Inverness is using a historic train depot to create a new restaurant, bar and duckpin bowling alley

  • It was part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, but Jenkins says the building had been vacant for three years before they renovated the structure
  • The original building was constructed in the 1800s

What was once a place for passengers to wait for a train in the 1800s is now a bar, restaurant and bowling alley.

Even on a slow day, there’s not a lot of downtime for Caroline Jenkins, the co-owner of a new restaurant called the Train Station.

Jenkins grew up in Wales but moved to Citrus County in 1990 after her parents bought a historic hotel.

“I’ve been here 33 years, so now I’m almost a native,” Jenkins said.

For years, she’s had a passion for hospitality. She’s also worked in physical therapy — but there’s always been this desire to do something special.

A few years ago, she and her friend, Vickie Humphrey, decided they were going to do something unexpected with a piece of Inverness history.

“It was just so unique, and it sat empty, and we just felt like somebody had to do something with the building,” Jenkins said.

They began leasing out this old train station that was built in the 1800s and converted the inside into a café, a bar and a duckpin bowling alley.

“We loved everything about it, and we just knew we wanted to do something in here,” Jenkins said.

It’s a special place for Jenkins’ family because her husband’s grandfather was a station master here, way before it became a place for games and food.

“He worked in this building for 40 years,” Jenkins said.

And now, she’s working here.

The business, aptly named the Train Station, opened its doors to the public Labor Day weekend of 2022 and just passed their one-year anniversary with resounding affection from the town.

“We really couldn’t have asked for a better first year,” Jenkins said.

Their only issues were supply chain challenges when they started renovating the train station.

It took them almost a year to get the main money maker — their pizza oven.

“This was the first thing we ordered, and we ordered it in January, and it came in November,” Humphrey said.

Now that it’s here, the folks around town visit often, whether for a pizza or a simple cup of coffee.

In just a year’s time, Jenkins and Humphrey have pulled into the Train Station and have used this piece of history to create something special on the inside.

The original train station was built in Inverness in 1892.

It was part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, but Jenkins says the building had been vacant for three years before they renovated the structure.