Many American cities have undergone rebirths of their downtowns, but none have equaled Chattanooga in attracting the attention of so many urban renewal experts and mainstream press. With a strong sense of civic mindedness and a whole lot of effort, this southeastern Tennessean town went from horribly polluted to charmingly pristine in less than three decades--from dirty to purdy, you might say.
Situated in the southeast corner of Tennessee, Chattanooga was a critically important rail center during the 19th century, fatefully allowing it to play an unwanted--but decisive--role in the Civil War. Later, its railways were made even more famous by the hard-to-get-out-of-your-head "Chattanooga Choo Choo," written back in 1943, and still played or broadcast somewhere around the country at least once daily, supporters claim.
Now the city is relying on its fame as a perfect place to bring the family, with its abundance of outdoor activities, museums, kids' museums, real choo-choo trains, battlefields, waterfalls, caves and more. But you'll have to judge for yourself. Myself, I'm a true believer now.
Cranes, Trains and Locomobiles
The easiest way to get around downtown Chattanooga is on the Downtown Shuttle, a series of clean and quite electric buses that you can ride free of charge. It runs daily, more or less from the Choo Choo Holiday Inn on the south to the Imax Theater and Aquarium on the north, from 6 AM to 9:30 PM on weekdays, 9 AM to 9:30 PM on Saturdays, 9 AM to 8:30 PM on Sundays. There are no buses running on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Students of history won't want to miss the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, the nation's oldest and largest, where you can look at an audio-video presentation on the battle of Chickamauga. You can take a self-guided tour of the park or join a group led by a park ranger. Open daily until sunset. Admission is free to the park and museum, though the audio-visual presentation costs $3 for adults, half price for seniors and children 6 to 16. Highway 27, Ft. Oglethorpe GA, phone 706/866-9241, online information at www.nps.gov/chch.
One of the unique spots in Chattanooga is the International Towing & Recovery Museum (the only one of its kind in the world), which is all about tow trucks (wreckers to you). There's a group of antique tow trucks, one, Locomobile, ting back to 1913, another used during World War II in Europe. There's also a Towing Hall of Fame (eight people are inducted each year), and contributions from 21 countries around the world. (Many of America's tow trucks were built in Chattanooga in years past.) Opened in 1995, maybe soon to move to bigger quarters. Daily except closed midweek December through early March. Admission is $4, $3 for seniors and children. 401 Broad Street, phone 423/267-3132, Web site www.towtimes.com/museum.page.html.
Kids will love the Creative Discovery Museum (and so did all the adults I visited with, including me), for it's hands-on everywhere, from beating drums to taking your own picture, painting your face, or just taking stuff apart. Don't miss the Barsamian Sculpture not far from the entrance. Open daily, except Wednesdays from September through February and major holidays when it is closed. Adults $7.95, kids 2 to 12 $4.95, free under age 2. 321 Chestnut Street, phone 423/756-2738, Web site www.cdmfun.org.
On May 1, the ten-year-old Tennessee Aquarium opened its new Seahorse Hall, making the place even more spectacular than it is. Until now, most of the exhibits are devoted to freshwater fish (this, the world's largest freshwater aquarium, is to be expected since Tennessee is so far inland), but there are displays from other parts of the world's rivers, not just local specimens. Among the areas represented are Zaire, "Rivers of the World," and the Mississippi Delta, as well as Asia. There's a pond where children can touch sturgeon--fun for the kids, who knows what the fish feel? Admission is $12.95 for adults, $6.95 for children 3 to 12. Find them at One Broad Street, phone 800/262-0695, Web site www.tnaqua.org.
If you like caves, you will probably love Ruby Falls, where you can see a towering, thundering waterfall of some 145 feet deep inside Lookout Mountain. (Yes, it's named for the discoverer's wife.) The 80-minute trip in and back costs $11.50 for adults, $5.50 for kids 3 to 12. Open daily except Christmas. Lookout Mountain, phone 423/821-2544, Web site www.rubyfalls.com.
Nearby, also on the famous mountain, is The Incline, a cog railway that claims to have the steepest incline in the world, at an angle of 72.7% near the top. It's best during the fall foliage season or in spring (when robins abound). Three or four trips per hour, except in winter, when it runs less frequently. The cost of boarding this National Historic Site train is $9 roundtrip, $8 one-way. The Incline is located at 827 East Brow Road, Lookout Mountain, phone 423/821-4224, Web site www.lookoutmtnattractions.com or www.carta-bus.org.
For family fun, take the kids to Rock City, where the smallest tikes may enjoy the breathtakingly retro "Fairyland Caverns." (It's so dark in there, they should have a year's worth of scariness just for starters.) Adults will prefer the fascinating rock-hemmed trail that meanders through the 14-acre property, with some colorful foliage and gardens in season. And for those plus-size folks, beware the Fat Man's Squeeze and the Needle's Eye, which are really very narrow defiles in the rock. Good view of seven (at best) states in fine weather from the top. The place is all lit up for the holidays from November 17 through December 30. Open daily except Christmas. Admission $11.95 for adults, $6.95 for kids 3 to 12. Find them across the Georgia state line on Lookout Mountain, phone 706/820-2531, Web site www.seerockcity.com.
Railroad buffs will like the Tennessee Valley Railroad, calling itself the South's largest operating historic steam railroad, which runs daily from March 30 through October, weekends only in November, weekdays only the rest of the year. You chug along on a steam train (unless they are all being repaired, which happened when I visited), or a diesel-powered string of coaches, on a 55-minute roundtrip ride over four bridges and through pre-Civil War Missionary Ridge Tunnel. At the far end, you can visit the shops where engines are repaired, taking about an hour. Fare for this is $11 adults, half that for children 3 to 12. In June and July, there's a Downtown Arrow train to and from the Choo Choo Hotel to Grand Junction Station, a run of eight miles each way, taking three hours. This trip costs $16 for adults, $10.50 for kids 3 to 12. There are special trips from time to time, including dining excursions. Contact them at 423/894-8028 ext. 11, fax 423/894-8029, e-mail sfreer@tvrail.com, Web site www.tvrail.com.
Well worth the time is a visit to the African-American Museum, where there's a splendid exhibit and a short film about Africa and its past, including the Diaspora and enslavement of its people in the New World. Be sure to look for the Benin bronzes, my favorite. (I was surprised to learn that there are African-American museums in 80 U.S. cities, with 25 more apparently entering the field.) Here is also the Bessie Smith Performance Hall, in honor of the Empress of the Blues, who lived on this street as a child. Admission $5 adults, $3 students and seniors, $2 children 6 to 12. 200 East Martin Luther King Blvd., phone 423/266-8658, Web site www.caamhistory.com.
Quite predictable is the Hunter Museum of American Art, a fine collection in an old brick mansion on a hill overlooking the river and in an adjacent modern annex. Among its treasures are works by Hassan, Calder and Fraser. Closed Mondays, admission $5, less for seniors and students. Free on first Friday of each month. 10 Bluff View, phone 423/267-0968, www.huntermuseum.org.
Participatory sports lovers should contact Outdoor Chattanooga, a new (2001) Internet-based outdoor adventure consortium, aimed at adventure seekers and tourists in the area and the surrounding five states. They offer information on everything from kayaking and whitewater rafting to mountain biking, hang gliding, camping, bird watching, skydiving and trail hiking, just to mention a few activities. Contact them at 544-9890, fax 756-0371 or at their Web site, www.outdoorchattanooga.com.
Take a Chattanooga Snooze Snooze
The most unusual place to stay is at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Holiday Inn, where you should try to book a railway sleeping car room. These take up half a car and contain a big queen-sized bed, a trundle bed, TV, phone, computer desk, and a huge full bathroom among other amenities. Going rate: $150 per night. The hotel lobby and restaurants, as well as some shops, are in the restored old (1909) Terminal Station, a delightfully Victorian structure. In addition to the railway sleeping cars, there are rooms in several annexes--out of these, Building 1 is the better choice since Building 2 is in need of some interior repairs. The Model Railway Museum is on the hotel grounds and claims to be one of the largest of its kind in the world. You can take a short ride on an authentic New Orleans trolley--free to guests of the hotel, otherwise it's $2 for adults and $1 for admission and the ride. Rates for rooms outside the cars run from $119 up, though you can get less if you ask (AARP or AAA members pay $103.50, for instance, and corporate rates are just $57.50). 1400 Market Street, phone 423/266-5000 or 800/TRACK 29, fax 265-4635, Web site www.choochoo.com.
The Bluff View Inn's three houses offer elegant B&B lodgings and put you right in the Bluff Arts District, with river views from some rooms. Rates run from $100 to $250, some suites higher than that. The Maclellan House is Tudor style, the Martin House Colonial Revival, the Thomson House Victorian. All date from the early part of the 20th century. Rates include a full "gourmet" breakfast. No smoking, no pets. 412 East Second Street, phone 423/265-5033, online information can be seen at www.virtualcities.com/tn/bluffview.htm.
The Chattanoogan is a big elegant hotel located in a fine spot just opposite the Choo Choo. Although it's nothing to write home about from the outside, this barely-a-year-old Benchmark property is something once inside, boasting at least two dozen pieces of original contemporary American art. Standard king room runs from $119 to $199, depending on the season. Suites start from just $169. If you're in town on Sunday, you must have their fantastic brunch (dozens of entrees, including made-to-order omelets, waffles and chef-carved meats), just $14.95 for adults, $6.95 for kids 12 and under. 1201 South Broad Street, phone 423/756-3400 or 877/756-1684, fax 756-3404, Web site www.chattanooganhotel.com.
For budget travelers, there are innumerable reliable chains including Best Value Inn and Suites (tel. 423-821-8599) from $29 per room, the 130-room Knights Inn (tel. 423-265-0551) from $33 and the Baymont Inn and Suites (tel. 423-821-1090) from $55. Near the Choo Choo, is the recently renovated Days Inn where rooms run from just $45 and featuring standard rooms with free continental breakfast, free parking, cable and color TV. The Days Inn is located at the corner of E. 20th Street and Market, phone 423/267-9761.
Good Eats
I like Tony's, located in the Bluff View Art District, for its modest prices, friendly service and good Italian cooking in cozy surroundings. Lunch sandwiches go from $6.95 (classic sub, meatball, chicken or vegetarian), with a side of pasta salad. At dinner, manicotti is just $8.50, pasta and your choice of sauce $7.95. 212 High Street, phone 423/265-5033, ext. 6.
More formal is the Back Inn Cafe, also in the art district, where you can bite into a lean but tasty bison burger for lunch at $9 or sample the shrimp or sea bass from $13. At dinner, you can order free-range chicken from just $15, though most entrees run higher than that. Located on 412 East Second St., phone 423/265-5033, ext. 1.
Downtown, a fun sports bar is Taco Mac, which specializes in big TV screens, buffalo wings, and draught beer. (There's a non-smoking area in the back.) Wings from $6.25, nachos from $4.50, quesadillas from $5.25. 423 Market Street, phone 423/267-8226.
For a quick and quiet soup and sandwich, try Panera's Bakery-Cafe, where a hot panini sandwich (sandwiches pressed on a hot grill) of chicken, mushrooms or pork/ham goes for $5.95. Regular sandwiches start at $4.45 for a veggie combo, soups from $2.95 per bowl. 417 Market Street, phone 423/266-2253. There are five more branches around town.
Mystic Java is one weird name for what promises to be a new chain of elegant coffee shops (this is the first, and only, at the moment). Just opened on March 3 of this year, it serves delicious main courses such as pasta primavera at $9.95 or chicken breast at $15.95, each served with fresh bread loaf and "bottomless" house salad. Nice location down on the riverfront at Coolidge Park, phone 423/267-JAVA.
You don't have to go boating to enjoy dinner, but I recommend you do if it's the Southern Belle. They serve a big buffet of standard fare (meatloaf, roast beef, shrimp with rice, etc.) and the price is right, because there's also after-dinner dancing. Dinner cruises cost from $24 to $34.94, depending on the day of the week and last about three hours. Kids pay $12.95 to $17.92, respectively. On Family Nite Dinner Cruises, one free child's dinner is offered with the purchase of each adult's dinner. If you're lucky, you'll be aboard when church groups, with all ages represented, are evident. The bar goes unused, but everyone has a good time. I hadn't seen a dozen or so white-haired grandmothers waving their arms to the tune of "YMCA" before, and probably never will again! Operates February through December. Contact the Chattanooga Riverboat Co., 201 Riverfront Parkway, Pier 2, phone 423/266-4488, Web site www.chattanoogariverboat.com, e-mail captain@chattanoogariverboat.com.
Nikki's is a local institution, famous for its hush puppies, jumbo shrimp and onion rings, and you'll definitely need a car to get there. Up near the tunnel entrance at 899 Cherokee Blvd., it's a retro 1950s diner, and there is a view of downtown, or sort of. Breakfast goes from $3.15, hamburgers from $2.50, a chicken plate from $6.40, 5 hush puppies for 80 cents, all prices including tax. Phone 423/265-9015.
Summary
If you're looking for airlines that fly into Chattanooga, you might want to try US Airways, which is one of the biggest operators here, 800/428 4322, www.usairways.com.
For more information, contact the Chattanooga Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2 Broad Street, Chattanooga TN 37402, phone 423/756-8687 or 800/322-3344, or view their Web site at www.chattanoogafun.com.
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