About three years ago, we took a two-day trip to downtown Chattanooga. We stayed across the street from the Tennessee Aquarium, and walking distance to the Creative Discovery Museum, and had a wonderful time. I dare say Nathan talked more about that trip than he ever did any beach trip.
So faced with similar time and monetary constraints, and realizing that Aaron is now old enough to remember the trip, we went again.
I really like Chattanooga. Its citizens have taken a sustained interest in making it a place that people want to spend time, which is (of course) great for the local revenue stream.
On this trip we did the Creative Discovery Museum the afternoon we arrived. Nathan ran into Jake, a buddy of his from church and school, and they had a great time together:
We spent all day yesterday at the Tennessee Aquarium, which is one of my favorite destinations. I got a bit braver about fiddling with my camera settings and improved to about one in five keeper shots, up from about one in eight (click for the Flickr album):
This morning we got up early and went to Rock City before heading home (click for the Flickr album):
It’s difficult to commit a more touristy act than going to Rock City, but it really is beautiful, and if you can relax your cynicism enough to get lost in the experience, you’ll have a good time. (I’ll add that this was the first time I’ve tried Fat Man Squeeze as an unambiguous fat man, and I made it just fine. Had to hold my camera in front of me, though.)
Speaking of, Chattanooga is a decent beer town, as well, with places like The Mellow Mushroom and Big River Brewing Company floating around. My favorite new-to-me beer this time was Sweetwater 420, a robust Atlanta pale ale. Had that one twice.
(Actually Nathan ran into a different buddy named Jake at the IMAX theater, and we ended up eating dinner last night at Big River with his family and having a blast.)
We still have plenty to do on future trips. We’ve not yet involved ourselves whatsoever with the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, and we’ve not been to the zoo. We can also head back to Lookout Mountain and do the Incline Railway. And AZn8tive has a couple of off-the-beaten-path dining recommendations.
It was another great time. Thanks, Chattanooga. See you next time.
You might also like:
- Visiting the new Cook Museum
Numerous circumstances conspired against us having a traditional fall break this year, so we kept i… - Nathan is 8!
Nathan turned 8 today. Wow. Mommy hooked us up a killer party at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. W… - Downtown with the Rocket City Bloggers Thursday night!
The first great Rocket City Bloggers event of the year approaches. Want to talk and strategize about… - Downtown with the Rocket City Bloggers, indeed
Downtown with the RCB: An Evening with the Rocket City Bloggers was a marvelous time! Here we are in… - Blue Angels in Tuscaloosa
Here are a few shots of the Blue Angels in Tuscaloosa last weekend (click for larger). Was pleased t…
Did you go to the carousel? Did you ride the train to the turn-about-table? Did you See Rock City?
We LOVE Chattanooga – went this past weekend.
You have to go to Aretha Frankenstein’s in the Northshore district for breakfast and/or lunch. And you have to try Zarzour’s (on the Southside) for lunch. They’re only open M-F 11-2p.
The Incline Railway is a must, especially for the kids.
Have Fun!!!
‘seester: No, no, yes. 🙂
azn8tive: We were there Sunday afternoon through Tuesday noon. Did we overlap?
Thanks for the recs. We’ll put them in our pocket, definitely.
Unfortunately – no, we didn’t overlap. We were there this past Friday for an overnight trip. Too bad though – we could’ve met up at Big River Grille for dinner. 🙂
I went to the aquarium and liked it. Not enough time for further exploration (but for Rock City/Lookout Mountain).
So I thought Rock City was going to be VERY touristy and cheesy the first time I said to Paul – hey lets go – and then we were really pleasantly surprised! And we really thought – wow – this is pretty cool! Since then we’ve suggested it to a few folks.
azn8tive: You still need to have lunch with Saintseester and me. We have a vague “next week” on the books right now. How is that for you?
Gerry: It’s a beautiful facility. I’ve not yet been to the Georgia Aquarium, but we may make that effort next year. I’d love to see the whale shark and beluga whale they have.
Brina: It’s great, isn’t it? It’s a beautiful walk. I have a bit of a sentimental attachment to it, because it was the first trip my dad took my sister and me on after my parents divorced. He was still sad, but it was a good time.
One of the first trips my dad took my brother and me on after his divorce was to Ruby falls. What is it about that place that attracts dads? Not to mention ancient and modern gods in a new world showdown.
‘Vague “next week”‘ works for me, let me know. Sounds like fun!
I have a picture of dad in the “fat man squeeze” do you remember when we went? Good looking Bama boys! Lea needs a Roll Tide shirt!
I have a Bama shirt – two or three, actually. I just didn’t know the boys were going to be coordinating with their dad. On trips to crowded places with lots of kids I like to put the boys in bright colored matching shirts so I can spot them quickly. I had planned for the boys to wear the Alabama shirts to the aquarium the day before but when I was putting their clothes out, Bo asked me to swap it so they were wearing their Bama shirts the same day he was planning to wear his. Probably more information then you really cared about… I do have Alabama shirts, though!