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Travel Guide To Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga is a city full of adventure, natural beauty, friendly locals and excellent restaurants. And if that’s not enough to convince you, this charming city has been consistently voted at the ‘Best Town Ever’ by the New York Times, Outside Magazine, Travel + Leisure and more. Chattanooga’s transformation is definitely getting up to speed right up there with the nation’s trendy cities with nitro cold brews, tech start ups and more.

To Do

Tennessee Aquarium

This aquarium is definitely a must-see when visiting Chattanooga. Set in the perfect location overlooking the river, the aquarium consists of two separate buildings, one of which happens to be the largest freshwater aquarium in the world! Additionally, the new Alligator Bayou includes more than one dozen American Alligators.

From the free-flying song birds in River Journey’s Cove Forest and Delta Country exhibits to the Undersea Cavern and Butterfly Garden in the Ocean Journey building, the Tennessee Aquarium combines both freshwater and saltwater habitats to give visitors an experience unlike any other.

Lookout Mountain: Rock City, Ruby Falls and Incline
For gorgeous photo ops and a day well spent in nature, visit Lookout Mountain which begins in Chattanooga and stretches 88 miles through Alabama and Georgia. Spend the day exploring Rock City, Ruby Falls hop on the incline for gorgeous views of the city. All of which are nearby one another. Tickets can be purchased online ahead of time are good for up to 1 year.

Ruby Falls
Ruby Falls at the base of the mountain which is home to America’s deepest commercial cave and tallest underground waterfall. Located 1,120 feet beneath the surface, after a brief walk, you’ll end the tour with a magnificent view of the a 145-foot waterfall discovered by Leo Lambert who named the waterfall after his wife, Ruby.


Rock City

Perched high on a mountain top, Rock City offers amazing views and peaceful gardens. Discover the beauty of the views from Lookout Mountain’s Lover’s Peak. On a clear day, you can see 7 states! Rock City is 1,700 feet above sea level, with a 100-foot waterfall that cascades down the mountain, and the famous Swing-A-Long bridge that spans nearly 200 feet.


Incline Railway

Next, drive over to the Incline Railway where you will find Clumpie’s Ice Cream, a good pit stop to make before ascending to the Incline which climbs historic Lookout Mountain. The breathtaking 72.7 percent grade of the track makes it one of the steepest passenger railways in the world.


Bluff View Art District

A charming area located on the south bluffs of the Tennessee River, one can easily spend an entire day here. You’ll find a lovely bed and breakfast, fine dining, bakery, coffee roasting studio, a chocolatier, museums, galleries, sculpture garden and café.

Perched on an 80-foot bluff on the edge of the Tennessee River, just three blocks from the Tennessee Aquarium, the Hunter Museum of American Art offers stunning views of the Tennessee River and downtown Chattanooga. Here is where you’ll find an incredibly diverse range of styles, periods and media all under one roof.


Northshore District and Pedestrian Bridge
The Riverwalk experience begins at Ross’s Landing Plaza to the north shore which is also home to Coolidge Park. The park features an antique carousel and is the first Riverwalk segment on the north shore of the river. The views are spectacular from one of the world’s largest pedestrian-only bridges.


Segway Tour

Take a segway tour around the city where you will experience museums, green spaces, entertainment, and tastes of Chattanooga.


Saints Peter and Paul Basilica

Visit this stunning Basilica with stained-glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, depicting significant events in the lives of the parish’s patron saints.

To Eat

Stir
Brand new to the city, STIR is located in the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel and is the perfect place for oysters and craft cocktails.

Julie Darling Donuts
Had possibly one of the best donuts I’ve ever had here, tasted like cake! Moist and perfect.

Milk & Honey
Loved this place so much, we visited twice! Home made gelato, milk & honey lattes and more.

Clumpie’s Ice Cream
Clumpie’s is a classic with funky flavors such as salted buttered popcorn and more.

Taco Mamacita
For a creative twist on Mexican food. Everything we tried was excellent, from the nachos, to the roasted chicken to the strawberry and coconut margarita.

Public House
Absolutely loved the light and fresh ambiance during lunch at this restaurant. From the comfort food to the perfect service, Public House left a lasting impression.


Where to Stay

The newly renovated StoneFort Inn now known as The Dwell Hotel, is hands down one of the most charming, retro boutique hotels I’ve stayed in. The 16-room property includes, luxury amenities, upscale restaurant and bar, incredibly friendly and helpful staff, retro furnishings and unique rooms equipped with free wifi and more. Incredibly impressed by the design of the trendy design of the hotel in the heart of Chattanooga.

Terra Mae, the hotel’s restaurant is simply beautiful.

To plan your visit to Chattanooga, visit Chattanooga Fun.

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.

I was hosted by Chattnooga Fun. As always, all opinions are my own.

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  • Jenn Lake June 19, 2016 at 12:10 pm

    Looks like an amazing trip! Definitely adding some of these to the list the next time I’m in the area!

  • Stephanie Be June 28, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    Love gems like this! Definitely a must-see 🙂

  • Carmen J Moore July 4, 2016 at 7:49 pm

    Looks like so much fun…wish we could win…would be nice to fly and not have to drive …

  • Beth July 18, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Excellent review!! Makes me wanna tour thru Chattanooga…. eating drinking, culturing & sleeping!! I’ve been with my kids but def need to go without next time and enjoy!!

  • Marcia Schultz July 25, 2016 at 12:31 pm

    Great article. Our daughter, son- in law and twin granddaughters live there. We visit so often it is like a second home. Your article captures the beauty. Well worth visiting. Thanks for the tour as we obviously missed a couple of sites.

  • Christopher July 27, 2016 at 11:14 am

    My wife and I stayed there over labor day weekend two years ago in the Stone Fort Inn before it was renovated. The visit was awesome and we got to visit most of the places mentioned here.

    I would add two places to eat at if still open both downtown. 1st is St. John’s Meeting Place. One of the best steaks I have ever had, my wife had the lamb, it was great also. 2nd, Community Pie, it is owned by the same people that own Milk and Honey so you can get the same gelato and ice cream, but the pizza and atmosphere is the best!

    I suggest everyone go, we are looking forward to going back soon!

  • Robert Farr July 28, 2016 at 1:04 pm

    I already fell in love with Chattanooga. Nastasia’s article is stirring thoughts that it’s time for a return visit😃.

  • Ja Da July 30, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    How about an email link for those who still shy away from Facebook, Twitter, etc.

  • H. Brown December 19, 2016 at 12:09 pm

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  • Kimberly Scannell January 20, 2017 at 10:34 pm

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  • Natalie Henson June 18, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    What a really great list of things to do and see in our beautiful city! I loved your pictures as well. We sell real estate here in Chattanooga and I can attest to the fact that people are starting to discover this little gem and are moving here all the time!
    Natalie – rootspropertyteam.com

  • Natalie Henson June 18, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    What a really great list of things to do and see in our beautiful city! I loved your pictures as well. We sell real estate here in Chattanooga and I can attest to the fact that people are starting to discover this little gem and are moving here all the time!

  • Kathy Brown August 9, 2018 at 9:22 pm

    No trip would be complete without a trip to Clumpies Ice Cream. Love that you have included them. This is a great list.

  • Amber August 4, 2019 at 11:55 pm

    Rock city looks amazing. I had no idea what fun things there are to do in Chattanooga. I will have to plan a trip to check it all out. Thank you so much for all the great ideas.

  • Isha October 2, 2021 at 5:44 am

    I love segway……. I wanna enjoy it…. Awesome information……

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