Chattanooga
Chattanooga is one of my favorite cities. It's a great outdoors city with lots of family-friendly activities. I also love that a lot of the big tourist attractions have been around for almost a hundred years (the Incline Railroad is over a hundred years old). There's such a rich history to the area.
There are a variety of places to stay. You can stay downtown in a hotel or bed and breakfast, you can stay on Lookout Mountain in one of their bed and breakfasts, or there are cabins and campgrounds at a few of the parks in the area. One of the most unique places to stay is at the Chattanooga ChooChoo where you can stay in a railroad car. It's run by Holiday Inn and is pretty historic in itself. But personally I would probably only stay there if you have a child who loves trains and would be excited to stay there. I think the hotel needs some renovations to keep it up to date.
The biggest, historical attractions in Chattanooga are:
Rock City: one of my favorites. They also have the best Christmas attraction, in my opinion. They also have a fall corn maze at the foot of Lookout Mountain. http://www.seerockcity.com/
Ruby Falls: another famous attraction Great to see if you like caves and waterfalls. I wouldn't recommend it if you're claustrophobic. Lookout Mountain is full of caverns. I know some people who like to go caving/spelunking in the area as well. http://www.rubyfalls.com/
Incline Railroad: another favorite of mine. Many people probably don't get that excited about this one but it's the oldest (I think) attraction and would be fun with kids. I know a lady who grew up on Lookout Mountain and they would use the Incline Railroad to get to school during the war to conserve gasoline. So much history there. http://www.ridetheincline.com/
Other popular attractions in Chattanooga:
The Tennessee Aquarium: a great aquarium located on the Tennessee river that you could probably spend hours touring. http://www.tnaqua.org/Home.aspx
Chickamauga Battlefield: great for those who love Civil War history and a great park to go bike riding through. They also have a good visitors center. http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm
Downtown: There is a large park downtown on the river called Coolidge Park. It's great for picnics and socializing. There is also a water fountain to play in on hot days and a carousel. There's a large, old walking bridge that connects both sides of the city. And a smaller glass walking bridge that takes you to the art district.
Bluff View Art District: one of my favorite places to visit when in Chattanooga. There's a couple restaurants, a great coffee shop (Rembrandt's) and the art museum. There are also a couple of art shops in the area as well. You can also stay at the inn and be within walking distance of downtown. http://www.bluffviewartdistrict.com/
If you're looking for a good place to get some good walking or running in, there's a great river front park that has a great riverfront sidewalk. I can't find info online but I believe it connects downtown to the Chickamauga Dam.
Lookout Mountain/Covenant College: on top of Lookout Mountain there are some great views. There's Point Park which is another Civil War point of interest. Not far from there, there is a small parking area for an overlook. You need to walk down a short pathway but it's a great view. You can travel down Scenic Highway and follow the signs on Lookout Mountain to Covenant College. This school used to be a hotel in the 1920s and has great views over the valley and Chattanooga. You can continue down Scenic Highway to an overlook where people start their hang gliding adventures. Further down is the Cloudland Canyon State Park which is a great place for some hiking and viewing waterfalls. http://gastateparks.org/CloudlandCanyon
Restaurants
Some favorites of mine or ones I want to check out:
Tony's Italian: http://www.bluffviewartdistrict.com/subpage.php?pageId=141
Blue Plate: American Diner, daily specials, also brunch http://www.theblueplate.info/site/
Sticky Fingers: my favorite BBQ place. Go to the one downtown if possible. http://www.stickyfingers.com/default.aspx
Terminal Brewhouse: brewery, pub food, haven't been here but it looks good. http://terminalbrewhouse.com/
English Rose Tearoom: tea, lunch, breakfast. A unique place in Chattanooga. http://www.englishrosetearoom.net/
Tupelo Honey Cafe - they're opening a location in Chattnooga in Warehouse Row. I believe they should open Fall of 2013. https://tupelohoneycafe.com/
If you're on Lookout Mountain and looking for a place to eat, check out Cafe on the Corner. This place has recently changed owners and it's a great location to sit outside and have a bite to eat. http://www.cafeonthecornerlookoutmountain.com/
Ok well there's some for now. I may come back and update/change some info on here as I remember more. Hope you enjoy Chattanooga as much as I do!
There are a variety of places to stay. You can stay downtown in a hotel or bed and breakfast, you can stay on Lookout Mountain in one of their bed and breakfasts, or there are cabins and campgrounds at a few of the parks in the area. One of the most unique places to stay is at the Chattanooga ChooChoo where you can stay in a railroad car. It's run by Holiday Inn and is pretty historic in itself. But personally I would probably only stay there if you have a child who loves trains and would be excited to stay there. I think the hotel needs some renovations to keep it up to date.
The biggest, historical attractions in Chattanooga are:
Rock City: one of my favorites. They also have the best Christmas attraction, in my opinion. They also have a fall corn maze at the foot of Lookout Mountain. http://www.seerockcity.com/
Ruby Falls: another famous attraction Great to see if you like caves and waterfalls. I wouldn't recommend it if you're claustrophobic. Lookout Mountain is full of caverns. I know some people who like to go caving/spelunking in the area as well. http://www.rubyfalls.com/
Incline Railroad: another favorite of mine. Many people probably don't get that excited about this one but it's the oldest (I think) attraction and would be fun with kids. I know a lady who grew up on Lookout Mountain and they would use the Incline Railroad to get to school during the war to conserve gasoline. So much history there. http://www.ridetheincline.com/
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| Chattanooga, Tennessee walking bridge |
Other popular attractions in Chattanooga:
The Tennessee Aquarium: a great aquarium located on the Tennessee river that you could probably spend hours touring. http://www.tnaqua.org/Home.aspx
Chickamauga Battlefield: great for those who love Civil War history and a great park to go bike riding through. They also have a good visitors center. http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm
Downtown: There is a large park downtown on the river called Coolidge Park. It's great for picnics and socializing. There is also a water fountain to play in on hot days and a carousel. There's a large, old walking bridge that connects both sides of the city. And a smaller glass walking bridge that takes you to the art district.
Bluff View Art District: one of my favorite places to visit when in Chattanooga. There's a couple restaurants, a great coffee shop (Rembrandt's) and the art museum. There are also a couple of art shops in the area as well. You can also stay at the inn and be within walking distance of downtown. http://www.bluffviewartdistrict.com/
If you're looking for a good place to get some good walking or running in, there's a great river front park that has a great riverfront sidewalk. I can't find info online but I believe it connects downtown to the Chickamauga Dam.
Lookout Mountain/Covenant College: on top of Lookout Mountain there are some great views. There's Point Park which is another Civil War point of interest. Not far from there, there is a small parking area for an overlook. You need to walk down a short pathway but it's a great view. You can travel down Scenic Highway and follow the signs on Lookout Mountain to Covenant College. This school used to be a hotel in the 1920s and has great views over the valley and Chattanooga. You can continue down Scenic Highway to an overlook where people start their hang gliding adventures. Further down is the Cloudland Canyon State Park which is a great place for some hiking and viewing waterfalls. http://gastateparks.org/CloudlandCanyon
Restaurants
Some favorites of mine or ones I want to check out:
Tony's Italian: http://www.bluffviewartdistrict.com/subpage.php?pageId=141
Blue Plate: American Diner, daily specials, also brunch http://www.theblueplate.info/site/
Sticky Fingers: my favorite BBQ place. Go to the one downtown if possible. http://www.stickyfingers.com/default.aspx
Terminal Brewhouse: brewery, pub food, haven't been here but it looks good. http://terminalbrewhouse.com/
English Rose Tearoom: tea, lunch, breakfast. A unique place in Chattanooga. http://www.englishrosetearoom.net/
Tupelo Honey Cafe - they're opening a location in Chattnooga in Warehouse Row. I believe they should open Fall of 2013. https://tupelohoneycafe.com/
If you're on Lookout Mountain and looking for a place to eat, check out Cafe on the Corner. This place has recently changed owners and it's a great location to sit outside and have a bite to eat. http://www.cafeonthecornerlookoutmountain.com/
Ok well there's some for now. I may come back and update/change some info on here as I remember more. Hope you enjoy Chattanooga as much as I do!
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