A City on the Move
Written: Nov 22 '04 (Updated Oct 19 '05)
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Pros: Numerous attractions, revitalized downtown
Cons: Lots of traffic, not too many mountains around
The Bottom Line: Don't miss out on Chattanooga--it's a great place for families and couples.
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| rrogersweather's Full Review: Chattanooga |
Chattanooga, Tennessee, is truly a city on the move--it's a city with a vision--and it's located just about in the center of the southeastern United States. My family and I visited Chattanooga during one weekend in October 2004. We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton on the east side of the city.
DAY ONE
When we first arrived in Chattanooga from the south on Interstate 75, we were surprised at the amount of traffic! It had been many years since we had been on I-75 north of Atlanta, and the interstate remained three lanes on each side from metro Atlanta all the way through Chattanooga! I guess I had forgotten that two other interstates (I-59 and I-24) also connect Chattanooga to other cities like Birmingham and Nashville. Chattanooga was definitely larger in area and in population than we had anticipated.
The first stop we made as we came in during rush hour was at our hotel, the Homewood Suites, which was located near Hamilton Place Mall. We checked into our hotel, and afterwards we headed downtown to try to learn the ropes of the city before nightfall. Once we arrived downtown, we began looking for a place to eat dinner. We were very impressed with the cleanliness of the downtown area. Many of the buildings looked relatively new or recently renovated. We tried to visit the Chattanooga Visitors Center, but it closed at 5:30, so we missed out on that the first day we were in Chattanooga. The visitors center is located adjacent to the Tennessee Aquarium.
Parking was a bit confusing. There are numerous unattended parking lots in downtown Chattanooga that require you to pay cash or credit in a machine that is in each lot. These machines were a bit confusing for us and others who were paying to park. If you don't pay, you risk having your car towed, as each parking space has a number, and when you pay, you have to punch your number into the machine. Finally, after carefully reading the instructions, we figured out the machine! Then, we walked around trying to decide where to eat. We finally settled on Mellow Mushroom, which opened in the spring of 2004 in an old Coca-Cola bottling facility. We did not have to wait to eat, but the restaurant was busy, as were others in the area. The food and service were both good. In case you don't know, Mellow Mushroom is a chain of pizza restaurants in the southeastern U.S. that often converts old or abandoned downtown buildings into nice trendy restaurants.
After eating, we decided to head back to the east side of town to explore near our hotel. We ended up at the Hamilton Place Mall (www.hamiltonplace.com). The mall includes Dillard's, J.C. Penney, Parisian, and Sears, among others. The mall appeared to be about 10 years old. From the outside, it looks like it needs some cosmetic work, but the inside of the mall was very nice. The floors even had carpeting on them. Around the mall are numerous other retail establishments, restaurants, and hotels. To get to the mall, take I-75 to exit 5.
DAY TWO
After eating breakfast at our hotel, we headed out to see the main attractions that Chattanooga has to offer. Our first stop was Ruby Falls (www.rubyfalls.com). Ruby Falls is one of the big three attractions on Lookout Mountain. The others are the Incline Railway and Rock City. Rock City is on the Georgia side of Lookout Mountain. When we got to Ruby Falls, not only could you purchase tickets for the falls, but also for other Chattanooga area attractions, including Rock City, the Tennessee Aquarium, and the Incline Railway. We purchased the combo tickets for the Aquarium, Rock City, and Ruby Falls for a family of three. By purchasing the combo tickets, instead of purchasing individual tickets for each attraction, we saved a total of $9.00. That doesn't sound like much, but if you have a larger family, it adds up pretty quick. The tickets we purchased allowed us to visit the Aquarium one time up to a year after the tickets were purchased.
Ruby Falls is an underground cavern that you walk through to see an underground waterfall. First, you have to get on an elevator that takes you way down into the mountain. We did enjoy Ruby Falls, but there were a few negative aspects of this attraction. The first was that the ceilings in the cave are low. It is easy to bump your head if you don't watch where you are going. If you have claustrophobia, this is not the attraction for you! A tour guide leads you, along with many other people in a single file line, through the cave, and shows you the unusual formations on the way to the falls. Another potentially negative part was the length of the tour. It took us about an hour and a half to complete the tour. There is only one way in and one way out, so you have to back track to get out. In doing so, you pass other groups of people and you have to squeeze by them in some cases.
In case you were wondering, Ruby Falls does not get its name from the color of the falls. It was named after the wife of the man who discovered the falls back in the 1920s. The good things about Ruby Falls are that once you get to the waterfall it is very interesting to see. It is not a waterfall with a lot of volume of water, but it is a tall waterfall. When you arrive at the falls, they shine different colored lights on it so that you can take pictures, but most of mine did not come out good. You can also walk around and under the falls. The lights stay on for no more than 5 minutes, and then you turn around and walk back.
After you get back on the elevator and go back into the building, you can stop in the gift shop or go onto the lookout tower, which allows you to get a good view of the city of Chattanooga below. There is no extra charge for this. Overall, I would recommend Ruby Falls to most people, but is the kind of attraction you'll only want to do once.
After Ruby Falls, we decided to go to Rock City. On the way to Rock City, you go through the town of Lookout Mountain. This town is very quaint and unique. There are lots of nice homes. Since the leaves were changing colors when we were there, that added to the beauty of the area. When we arrived at Rock City, the first thing we saw was parking areas and a restaurant with some shops near the entrance. We ate lunch first, and then we proceeded to enter Rock City. We did not have to wait in line to buy tickets since we had already purchased them at Ruby Falls.
Rock City (www.seerockcity.com) was our most favorite thing we did while in Chattanooga. Rock City is just like the name suggests--nothing but huge rocks everywhere. The official name is Rock City Gardens, because they have a variety of plants and trees along the path that you walk on. Sometimes the path is real high up, and other times, you are far below other rock formations. There are areas that are narrow to walk through. It is just very interesting to walk through all of this. There is a swinging bridge there, too, but if you would rather cross a more stable structure, they have a stone bridge, too. Lover's Leap is the main attraction at Rock City where you can see seven states on a clear day. There is also a waterfall at Lover's Leap, which is on the edge of a cliff. Also, near Lover's Leap are several gift shops and places where you can order drinks and food. Watch out for the yellow jackets, though. I'm sure they are not a problem year-round, but if you go in the fall, they are everywhere near the food areas. After you proceed past the Lover's Leap area, there are more rock formations to see and walk through, including a cave that has windows that you look in and see nursery rhyme dioramas. These were very interesting to look at. The stories included Snow White, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Jack and the Beanstalk. As we left Rock City, we stopped at their candy shop and bought some fudge, of course!
At Christmastime, Rock City is decorated for the holidays. While I haven't seen their Christmas decorations, I can imagine it would be something to see after walking through Rock City in the fall.
After visiting Rock City, we made a stop at the top of the Incline Railway. This ride takes you from downtown Chattanooga to about halfway up Lookout Mountain, via a steep slope. We watched the train come up the mountainside, but decided it did not look entertaining enough to pay to ride. You can find out more about all of these attractions, and purchase tickets at http://www.lookoutmtnattractions.com.
Our last stop on Day Two was at the Chattanooga Choo Choo(www.choochoo.com). It is actually a former train station that has been converted into a Holiday Inn with restaurants, some small shops, and a garden. The Chattanooga Choo Choo is located in downtown Chattanooga, but it's on the edge of the slums. We were not overly impressed with the Chattanooga Choo Choo, although it is a good place to take pictures in the garden (they have a gazebo), and the lobby of the hotel, which is part of the original train station, is very interesting to see. The domed roof was very large and is a rare sight in modern architecture. It feels as if you have stepped back in time. Also, some train cars on the premesis have been converted into actual hotel rooms. They also have an actual train parked in the garden area that has been repainted that children may like to see. Parking is free.
DAY THREE
On our last day, we decided that we were going to visit the much anticipated Tennessee Aquarium (www.tennis.org). It is located in the heart of downtown. We arrived in the late morning and it took us a little more than an hour to see the whole aquarium. If you have young children, it may take longer, as they like to stare at the fish and other animals longer than the adults do. The aquarium is very nice and well worth the $14 or $15 admission price (for adults). However, we were not as impressed as we thought we would be. We had always heard from a lot of people that if you're ever in Chattanooga, be sure to see the aquarium. As I said, it was nice, but not as large as we thought. The Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is at least as nice (but more expensive to enter). The good news is that an expansion is being built and should open in spring 2005. I feel that this addition is needed, and will help the Tennessee Aquarium to once again become one of the best aquariums in the United States. One area I really liked in the aquarium was a man-made forest that had all sorts of animals in it. Not only were there fish, but also alligators, birds, snakes, etc. There was also a waterfall and a pond. The pond had a glass wall so you could walk by the pond and see into the side of it. This allowed great viewing of the fish.
After we left the aquarium, we stopped by the Chattanooga Visitors Center again, and this time it was open. It is a rather large facility with souvenirs, brochures, etc. I highly recommend a stop here, especially if you're first arriving in town. We then walked to Chili's restaurant for lunch.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The downtown area is very clean, and it seems very safe. If you can afford to stay in one of the hotels downtown, I would recommend it, as you can walk to the aquarium and other places, and it's a closer drive to the Lookout Mountain attractions. However, we saw a Hampton Inn not too far from downtown--I don't think I would stay there, as it is in the slummy area. The internet won't show that, but it is. Hotels that are in the nice part of downtown include the Marriott, Clarion, Courtyard, and Residence Inn.
Another good thing I noticed was that it was very easy to find all of the attractions because signs were everywhere. Even in Lookout Mountain, there were signs at every intersection telling you which way to go.
One place we did not have time to visit that I wish we had gotten to was Coolidge Park. You can walk across a pedestrian bridge that used to be a bridge for automobiles. At one time, they were going to tear it down, but decided it would be a great way to tie together both sides of the Tennessee River. Once you cross the bridge from downtown Chattanooga, there is a large park with a carousel, shops, and restaurants. This will top the list the next time I go to Chattanooga.
If you like mountains, Chattanooga may not be the best place to visit. There are not many mountains around, and the ones that do exist are fairly small. However, once you get into the Lookout Mountain area, you will feel like you're definitely in the mountains then.
Overall, I was very impressed with the cleanliness of Chattanooga, although there were some areas, especially between downtown and Lookout Mountain that need sprucing up. But there are areas like that in all cities. I would definitely recommend a visit to Chattanooga for families, and even couples without children. There is a lot to do, but most of it can be accomplished in about three days or so. I look forward to going back to Chattanooga.
OTHER TRAVEL REVIEWS
1. Williamsburg, Virginia: http://www.epinions.com/content_125826535044
2. Daytona Beach, Florida: http://www.epinions.com/content_109442797188
3. Gatlinburg, Tennessee: http://www.epinions.com/content_139471851140
4. Homewood Suites (Chattanooga, Tenn.): http://www.epinions.com/content_159617748612
5. Comfort Inn Manhattan: http://www.epinions.com/content_208809725572
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
rrogersweather
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Location: Georgia, USA
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
I like to write reviews about travel and electronics!
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