Hotel Metropolitan

This place is a powerful piece of history—more than just a building, it’s a living archive of the Black experience in Paducah. It tells the stories of trailblazing Black musicians, athletes from the Negro Leagues, and other influential African Americans who stayed here during the era of segregation in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. Since the early 1900s, it served as a place of refuge and dignity when options were few. I didn’t get the chance to go inside, but I highly recommend calling ahead to schedule a tour. Just a heads-up: reach out at least a few days in advance—ideally a week—so you don’t miss the chance to experience it up close.

Four of us went to their fish dinner celebrating the 8th of August. We called in advance & left our info to make reservations on their phone voice mail. We asked for call backs & never got any. We arrived at 12 noon & seated our selves. We took the last seats available. Their dining area is very small. Only about 4 to 5 tables are in the dining room. We stood in line & placed our orders for our dinners at 12:10 pm. We were given our food & drinks at 1:40 pm. We were the very last people to receive our food. By the time any of us in the dining room received our food they were completely out of white beans, slaw, hush puppies. We each received 2 pieces of fish & a cold hard piece of cornbread with water or tea. We paid $15 dollars for our dinner. I realize this is a fund raiser which is why we went. We left very disappointed & frustrated. No apologies or partial refunds were offered. Where did all the time & food go to? We saw a continuous line of to go dinners through out this entire time we were there. My opinion is you serve the people who actually came in person to eat first. It was very frustrating to see all those dinners be picked up for over an hour while we were sitting there without any drinks. I gave a lot of thought to giving my opinion regarding this dinner, because I didn’t want to be critical.

My most amazing experience in Paducah so far. So many legendary icons have passed through this historic hotel and the fact that a black woman built and started this hotel in 1904 is remarkable. The tour leader did am outstanding job dramatizing the experience as well.

Now, this is #history 🙏🏽🙌🥰 How often do you get to stay at a historical African American Museum/Hotel? Well, now I can officially say that I did!! Our ancestral history is long and strong. They comforted and watched over me last night. There was a feeling of peace, home, and comfort at the Museum/Hotel, and I thank God for it. Thank you, #God, for introducing me over the phone to Ms. Betty Dobson, who shared her over 20+ years of the hotel knowledge with me. This is #Paducah #Kentucky 's "Eighth of August #Emancipation Celebration," others call it #Juneteenth I will never forget what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do for me in my life. I am a child of God! 💕🙏🏽🙌🥰😄

When you visit the Hotel Metropolitan you are in for a treat! Ms Dobson is an absolute delight. And if you ask nicely, you might even get to stay overnight! The rates are reasonable too. This is one of Paducah's gems. I shudder at the thought we almost lost this building. They have some good catfish as well.

Beautiful and touching! I highly recommend this experience. I love this! When Miss Betty sang the Spiritual “Wade in the Water” I had tears in my eyes. This is an amazing and inspirational story of a black woman, aged 24 in 1909, who convinced the local powerful business man to build a hotel for her. She signed her dead husband’s name because women could not enter contracts in 1909, and she owned and operated this fabulous hotel for “colored” people to find safety when traveling from New Orleans to Chicago. Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Ike and Tina Turner, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, the list goes on and on - and Miss Betty, aka Miss Maddie, tells the story in a way that brings tears to your eyes and joy to your heart. Can I give this 6 stars? I wish I could!

An Experiential Museum! It's not about the artifacts; it's about "Ms. Maggie's" teleporting performance! She's amazing! This is a visceral experience that gives you a tiny taste of what travel/life was like for African Americans not too long ago. An important piece of America history comes alive.

This was an absolutely fantastic experience, and I would reccomend it to anyone who can arrange a visit. I believe visits are by appointment only. The amount of history here is incredible. The amount of love and effort put into restoring this and maintaining it is amazing. Out host was wonderful, colorful, knowlegable, and made the experience authentic. For those who have wheels, there are some stairs involved, which is somewhat unavoidable, so be prepared.