Top things we did while in Chattanooga:
As part of our first full time adventure, we decided to do a small tour of certain southeast states. Mostly we wanted to explore new places but stay relatively close to our seasonal sites in north Georgia. Our first stop on the 6 week inaugural trip was Chattanooga, Tennessee
Even being from Atlanta, I can’t say that I’ve spent much time in Chattanooga. I’ve visited a handful of times throughout my life. Steve hadn’t spent much time there at all – only a quick drive up and back about 25 years prior.
Chattanooga boasts scenic views from every angle, being nestled in the Appalachian Mountains and along the Tennessee River. There are so many things to do to get a feel for all the city has to offer, but you’re also surrounded by so much nature. The city planners of Chattanooga have done an incredible job keeping the dichotomy of concrete and nature at a balance.
We stayed in Chattanooga for a couple weeks. This was definitely on purpose as I am still working full time. Our tourist days are limited to any days I take vacation and the weekends. Since we were working with limited time available to explore, we decided to focus on big tourist items for this first stop.
Both Ruby Falls and Rock City are fantastic examples of how Chattanooga has married nature with tourism. Thousands of visitors flock to these attractions annually to see the stone formations and inside falls of Ruby Falls. At Rock City, they see if they can indeed fit through “Fat Man’s Squeeze” or enjoy the outcropping and overlook. While I had been to both of these places, it was probably 25 years ago the last time I was there. My mother always loved coming up to Rock City Gardens to stroll through and see the changes throughout the year.
Ruby Falls is a guided tour of the underground rock formations, culminating in the grand finale of the falls. Our tour guide was pretty funny and a genuinely nice guy. He gave us the history of the rock formations – stalactites and stalagmites – and pointed out various interesting formations along the way. The falls are beautiful. They are lit from below and run a multitude of colors as part of the show.
Rock City Gardens was definitely better as an adult than it was as a kid! Some of the whimsical allure (especially the gnomes) that I remember from visits when I was a kid are no longer as big a part of the gardens, but there are remnants of whimsy all over the place. The doors to different parts of the gardens are a variety of shapes and materials. They help show the beautiful artistry that went into the development of the gardens.
We rode our eBikes from Chickamauga Dam to Walnut Street Bridge, ate a sandwich from Rembrandt’s and rode back. This ended up being about 14 miles! Sandwiches were delicious and I should have tried the coffee too – it smelled wonderful! Great ride!
From Chattanooga we made our way north to Knoxville for our second stop on our inaugural six week trip.
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