This summer we stopped in Chattanooga on our midwest road trip. We parked the RV in nearby Trenton, GA and one day I got away from the crew and set out for some urban exploring all by myself. I set the GPS for Warehouse Row and parked near the beautiful brick buildings. I then spent about 5 minutes there when I found it had a handful of the same old retail shops that you can find in other cities (Lululemon, Anthropologie, J.Crew).
I hopped back into my car and headed toward the, well reviewed, Milk & Honey restaurant known for their coffee and gelato. I was thinking of what to order in my head, as I walked from the perfect free parking at the Publix. However, when I arrived I saw a winding line and no seats and I decided to move on down Market St. I headed down Market and over to Frazier St. for local shops and restaurants that were more my speed. I grabbed a coffee at Revelator and, although the digs had some atmosphere, I was not impressed with the small menu and nothing new latte. I will drink day old coffee from a diner if that's all that is available so I survived and then hit some shops. I tried on clothes in a few great little local shops and even purchased a couple summer shirts on sale. I wandered around a quaint little gift shop with maps and puzzles luring me in from the window display and then I slipped behind the shops and restaurants on Frazier into Coolidge Park.
I popped into Coolidge Park, just past the back doors of Frazier St. businesses, and wandered through the north shore's waterfront beauty. The park has an indoor 100 yr. old restored carousel, an interactive water fountain that provides summer fun for the kids (was not running the day I visited) and many open spaces for picnicking. There is also a floating restaurant, canoe rentals and many concerts and events take place here. I walked on through and came to the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge, which I strolled across as I took in the park, the boats on the river, the small island with people jumping into the river to cool off and even took a moment to sit and people watch. It was a hot day so sitting was short lived and as I came to the other side of the bridge, I found so much more to take in.
On the other side of the bridge I found so many more sites and wished I had planned more time to take it all in. First I saw the Hunter Museum of American Art sitting high on a bluff in a stunning display of mixed architectural styles. I wandered up closer and pondered going in but I was early on a Sunday and decided just gazing at the surrounding landscape was enough for now. The museum is open every day and cost $15 per adult. The other spot that was just down the river was the Tennessee Aquarium and along the outside, The Passage (Water Steps). I did not check out the, well reviewed, aquarium all by myself but did wander barefoot through the water along the Passage. The Passage is steps with running water flowing down into a wading pool along the river. The steps are a memorial to the Trail of Tears that began in Chattanooga and along the way there are etched emblems that represent each of the 7 tribes of Cherokee Nation and words that help to tell some of their story. The passage is a well done memorial and a great little cooling off spot in downtown Chattanooga. There is so very much more that I couldn't get to, such as the river and the railroad. I did manage to squeeze a couple more food stops though!!
On the way back to my car I made a pitstop at Clumpies for a couple scoops of their classic sweet cream flavor ice cream. It was decadently delicious and I wouldn't have minded trying another flavor or 6, but instead I moved on. I drove to the other side of town and stopped in at the Chattanooga Market next. I grabbed some fresh produce, asked about pie for the husband but they were all sold out-I thought that was fitting for the south. The other southern thing my daughter had been craving was some fried chicken and that night we headed back into downtown to try out Champy's. The atmosphere was super fun rusty, southern style with bills on the wall and beers on tap. We ordered a big fried chicken meal with perfectly typical sides-baked beans, slaw and fries. Everything was just what we were craving-the sights, smells and taste.
This is all just one day in downtown. I didn't go in the museum or aquarium. I didn't take the kids to the rock climbing center that has rock walls on the outside of the building. We did not rent bikes or boats to explore the city and catching any music and so many more food stops. Chattanooga is making to more than one top travel spots of 2018 lists and I can see why.
If you are planning trip to Chattown or any other town, let us know at Stowaway and we will help you devise the best getaway and go :)