Family is planning on spending about 3-4 days in Chattanooga. Can anyone familiar enough with the area recommend places to stay, things to do, etc.?
Thanks
Thanks
OT: Chattanooga
- Thread starter BonzoGoesToCollege
- Start date
Been a while since I've been but as a young teen going with my family I loved the aquarium, moonpie factory, the tried and true see rock city / ruby falls. But probably favorite thing was a sightseeing/dinner cruise on a steamship paddlewheel on the TN River. If your family enjoys boats and being on the water I'd highly recommend. That said that was over 20 years ago but I assume it's still well done.
Stopped in Chattanooga during holiday travels and discovered this place: https://maplestreetbiscuits.com/
It was so good that we adjusted our trip to stop and eat there again on the way home.
It was so good that we adjusted our trip to stop and eat there again on the way home.
Other than what PineGroveBully said, there is a huge aquarium in downtown Chattanooga that you might want to visit. On certain dates, you can also take train rides that take you into the countryside that last anywhere from about two hours to most of the day. If you and/or your children are athletic, there is a place also downtown that has every type rock climbing wall imaginable, anywhere from beginner walls to extremely difficult ones.
Staying downtown is your best option. Park at the hotel and walk everywhere, including Northshore across the river. There are plenty of family restaurants and things to do. Depending on the age of the kids...Aquarium, pedestrian bridge, kayak/paddle board, duck boat tours, adventure science center, etc. Lookout Mountain has the known tourist stops...rock city, ruby falls, etc. It's about a 15-20 minute drive from downtown.
Southside is a growing neighborhood just about a mile from the downtown that has good restaurants as well.
Depending on when you're there, Nightfall Chattanooga is a free concert series downtown on Friday nights and the Chattanooga Market is on Sundays.
Southside is a growing neighborhood just about a mile from the downtown that has good restaurants as well.
Depending on when you're there, Nightfall Chattanooga is a free concert series downtown on Friday nights and the Chattanooga Market is on Sundays.
Chattanooga is a fantastic town. Stay at one of the Marriott’s downtown. There’s a Courtyard which I frequent right across from the aquarium and IMAX. There’s also one directly on the river, but it’s two blocks from anything. It’s nice as well, and still walkable. I suggest the Courtyard first. Anything else downtown will require you to walk many blocks.
Venture across the river to Northshore for sure. Tons of cool eateries. Plus a cool park. Venture down the miles of the Riverwalk on foot or bike.
Connected to the Courtyard is an indoor rockwall and regular theater. Obviously do the tourist staple of Rock City and Ruby Falls. Try out one of several trails on the mountain as well if the kids are older than 7.
Venture across the river to Northshore for sure. Tons of cool eateries. Plus a cool park. Venture down the miles of the Riverwalk on foot or bike.
Connected to the Courtyard is an indoor rockwall and regular theater. Obviously do the tourist staple of Rock City and Ruby Falls. Try out one of several trails on the mountain as well if the kids are older than 7.
This by far. Stay downtown. If you have young kids, the children's museum/aquarium/Imax all right there.
the aquarium is nice. one of the best in the country. about a 45 min drive in Benton, TN you can raft the Occoee River. lots of hiking trails in the area. but for the most part, Rock City, Aquarium, Lookout Mountain. Downtown has changed a whole lot over the last 15 years. i love it there, but not much of a tourist destination. unless your in to hiking. then its awesome
If you are downtown in the river area, watch where you park. I got towed because I parked at a drug store, went in and bought some stuff, then walked across the street to get ice cream. There were signs about customer parking only, but I thought I was o.k.
I raised hell and mentioned it to a hotel clerk and she gave me the number of some city councilman who was trying to do something about the “predatory towing” that goes on around there.
At the time, it was apparently a pretty big problem and tourists were the ones getting caught up in it and he was trying to get something done about it. This was about five years ago.
If society ever breaks down, I am headed straight to Chattanooga and paying a visit to that tow truck place.
I raised hell and mentioned it to a hotel clerk and she gave me the number of some city councilman who was trying to do something about the “predatory towing” that goes on around there.
At the time, it was apparently a pretty big problem and tourists were the ones getting caught up in it and he was trying to get something done about it. This was about five years ago.
If society ever breaks down, I am headed straight to Chattanooga and paying a visit to that tow truck place.
There is a lot of Civil War stuff in and around Chattanooga if you are interested in thAt sort of thing.
We did the dinner cruise a couple of years ago and it was still great. They served some very solid prime rib and the views were excellent.
Ruby falls is okay. Rock City has a couple of good lookouts and after that it gets a little weird. They have some spray painted nursery rhyme underground tunnel and it creeps me out. I enjoyed the rail car that goes up the mountain.
They have free electric shuttles and bike shares that help you get around.
We we stayed at the Choo Choo and it was a little overpriced and old feeling. Part of it was getting redone while we were there, so it might be better now.
+1 on maple street biscuits, aquarium, rock city, ruby falls, pedestrian bridge.
I didn't care for the duck boat tour. There wasn't much to it. We did some escape rooms, and the best one I have ever done was in Chattanooga.
I didn't care for the duck boat tour. There wasn't much to it. We did some escape rooms, and the best one I have ever done was in Chattanooga.
(1) Stay downtown. You'll be near 99% of the stuff every other poster on this thread has mentioned.
(2) Parking/Transport: Parking downtown can be a pain in the *** on the weekend, especially if there happens to be an event. (We're always hosting a race or festival of some kind.) The closer your hotel is to the river, the easier it'll be to walk to restaurants and attractions. There is a free electric shuttle that runs all day every day in a loop from the river on the north side of downtown to Main St. on the "Southside," a revitalized hipster haven with lots of great restaurants. (More on that later.) There are also bike rental stations dotted around downtown that y'all can use.
(2) Stuff for the family that's within walking distance from downtown hotels in the riverfront area:
(3) Places to eat downtown/North Shore/Southside
Our restaurant scene has exploded over the past decade and it's hard to keep up when you're relegated to eating wherever your 1 and 3 year old won't melt down. That said, here are some solid options:
There are lots more that I'm missing. If you have a specific type of food you're wondering about, PM me.
(4) Hiking - For me, this is the best part of Chattanooga. There are multiple trails within a 15 - 25 minute drive from downtown that'll let you see waterfalls and scenic overlooks in less than a mile of hiking. And if you're willing to invest half a day or more, you can see some amazing landscapes, mountain rivers, waterfalls, and gorges without driving much further abreast. Too many trails to list or describe. PM if you'd like more info.
There's tons of other crap to do if you're wanting to stray from downtown, like driving up and around some of the local mountains (Lookout and Signal, specifically) or visiting the Chickamauga National Military Park.
If you've got any questions, feel free to PM me.
(2) Parking/Transport: Parking downtown can be a pain in the *** on the weekend, especially if there happens to be an event. (We're always hosting a race or festival of some kind.) The closer your hotel is to the river, the easier it'll be to walk to restaurants and attractions. There is a free electric shuttle that runs all day every day in a loop from the river on the north side of downtown to Main St. on the "Southside," a revitalized hipster haven with lots of great restaurants. (More on that later.) There are also bike rental stations dotted around downtown that y'all can use.
(2) Stuff for the family that's within walking distance from downtown hotels in the riverfront area:
- The top two are the TN Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum, though the latter is geared more toward kids that are 8-ish and under. Both are as good as advertised.
- The Hunter Art Museum. Solid collection of classic American Art, along with a good smattering of modern stuff from the US and Europe. Worth the trip if that kind of thing is y'all's bag. Plus, the museum sits atop a big bluff overlooking the river (the spot is called the "Bluff View Art District"), so even if you don't visit the museum itself, it's a worthwhile place to wander around. Coffee shop, bakery, and nice Italian place in the area, too.
- Walnut Street Bridge. Spans the Tennessee River and connects downtown to the north side of the river (the "North Shore"). Nearly half a mile long and dates from the late 19th century, so it's got some character to it. Offers awesome views of the river and the big bluffs on which the Hunter museum sits.
- The North Shore. Solid restaurants and quaint/funky shops that greet you as soon as you cross the Walnut St. bridge.
- Coolidge Park. On the North Shore right next to the river. (You'll see it as you walk across the Walnut St. bridge.) Great family-oriented park that includes some fun water features for kids (during warmer months, of course) and a $1 per ride, old-school carousel. Great place to walk around. Plus, there's an nice walkway that connects to another park a to the west that is close to some more restaurants, a Whole Foods, and our local version of REI (Rock Creek Outfitters).
- The Riverwalk. Basically a long, spacious paved trail that allows people to walk or run all along the south side of the TN river all the way from the TN Aquarium to a dam that's 7 or 8 miles upstream. There are parks, piers, and boat ramps scattered along the path.
- River crap. Boat tours, kayak rentals, and stand-up paddle boarding on the TN River downtown. There are rental places near the Aquarium. If you go further up the Riverwalk north and east of downtown, you'll eventually hike another place to rent kayaks and SUP's that's run by Rock Creek.
- High Point Climbing. Rock climbing is huge in Chattanooga, so of course we've got to have a massive climbing gym smack in the middle of downtown. It's got a section dedicated to smaller kids (3-ish and up) along with a huge outside climbing wall that goes up three or four stories right outside the TN Aquarium.
(3) Places to eat downtown/North Shore/Southside
Our restaurant scene has exploded over the past decade and it's hard to keep up when you're relegated to eating wherever your 1 and 3 year old won't melt down. That said, here are some solid options:
- Champy's - Fried chicken and beer, started by some Mississippi ex-pats (I think). They do tamales and sometimes catfish, too. Straightforward and always good. Started in Chattanooga in '09 and there are already five or six other locations in TN, GA, and AL. Across the street UT-Chattanooga's off-campus dorms, but the clientele isn't just college kids.
- Puckett's - If you're familiar with the one in Nashville, it's the same deal here. Southern staples and right next to the Aquarium. Solid option, especially if you don't feel like going too far.
- Lupi's Pizza - Small but very good pizza joint. They use lots of local ingredients (even the flour for the crust comes from Georgia, I think), which is cool, but regardless, I think it's some of the best pizza in town.
- Community Pie - Another pizza place. A different style and vibe, but family friendly and good.
- Alleia - Italian place on the Southside. Perhaps a little on the hip/fancy side if you've got really small kids, but it's great. The pork shoulder is really, really good, and they use Benton's pork on their pizza. Yes.
- Main St. Meats - Best burger in town. This place is awesome. On the Southside. Doubles as a high-end butcher shop that specializes in local and artisan meat.
- Neidlov's Bakery - Amazing bakery next door to Main St. Meats. Great bread and sandwiches, but the real deal is the cinnamon rolls. So, so good.
- Hot Chocolatier - Across the street from the Chattanooga Choo Choo, this is an awesome chocolate shop that should be your destination for dessert at least once. The coconut macaroons, the cakes, the chocolates . . . it's just stupid good.
- Tony's - Really good and reasonably priced Italian in the Bluff View Art District. It's the kind of place that you don't go to much, but then when you do, you always ask aloud why you don't' go more often.
- 1885 Grill - This place is actually in the St. Elmo neighborhood, which is at the foot of Lookout Mountain on the southern edge of town. So you can't walk or ride the free shuttle there. But it's worth a look if you're in the mood for seafood. The blackened rainbow trout is solid stuff.
- The Flying Squirrel - Hipster bar started by people who run a rock-climber-focused hostel nextdoor. Maybe not for you if you've got small kids, but the food's good and the booze is solid (though expensive if not during a happy hour).
- Hutton and Smith - Ok, this is a microbrewery, not really a restaurant. But it's the best locally brewed beer -- and you'll see a lot to choose from at restaurants around town -- by a mile. It's near Champy's and UT-Chattanooga.
There are lots more that I'm missing. If you have a specific type of food you're wondering about, PM me.
(4) Hiking - For me, this is the best part of Chattanooga. There are multiple trails within a 15 - 25 minute drive from downtown that'll let you see waterfalls and scenic overlooks in less than a mile of hiking. And if you're willing to invest half a day or more, you can see some amazing landscapes, mountain rivers, waterfalls, and gorges without driving much further abreast. Too many trails to list or describe. PM if you'd like more info.
There's tons of other crap to do if you're wanting to stray from downtown, like driving up and around some of the local mountains (Lookout and Signal, specifically) or visiting the Chickamauga National Military Park.
If you've got any questions, feel free to PM me.
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I would add to the eatery list...
Public House, Tupelo Honey, River St Deli and The Boathouse. There is also 2-3 Hilton properties right downtown that makes for easy walking to most places.
If you're there this summer, check out a Lookouts minor league game. Neat stadium.
Public House, Tupelo Honey, River St Deli and The Boathouse. There is also 2-3 Hilton properties right downtown that makes for easy walking to most places.
If you're there this summer, check out a Lookouts minor league game. Neat stadium.
Take one day and drive just a little further east to do some white water rafting on the Ocoee River.
That's what they served when I did it in mid 90's. First chocolate eclair I ever ate. Been partial to them since.
I've been to Chattanooga a few times in the past several years - my daughter lived there a while. I second the thoughts on downtown and the aquarium. It's a very family-friendly area, so park and walk.
I would recommend going to the North Shore - some neat shops and restaurants. When you're over there, don't leave without getting some ice cream at Clumpies. It is always on our agenda when there.
If you are into books, dvd's, etc., check out McKay's Used Bookstore. You can sell or trade books. You won't get a good price for what you sell, but you can get a great price on what you buy. Some rare and unusual books are there. I highly recommend it.
If you're into military history, there is also a little known Medal of Honor museum located inside a mall in Chattanooga - dedicated to the winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. It has free entry, is small, but is very well worth the time.
As for hotels - I would stay downtown if the cost is not prohibitive. Otherwise, there are a couple of nice hotels on the southwest side of town near the Cracker Barrel. We've stayed there a couple of times - not a terrible drive, but then you have to deal with downtown parking and we usually get into a traffic jam either going in our out of town.
I would recommend going to the North Shore - some neat shops and restaurants. When you're over there, don't leave without getting some ice cream at Clumpies. It is always on our agenda when there.
If you are into books, dvd's, etc., check out McKay's Used Bookstore. You can sell or trade books. You won't get a good price for what you sell, but you can get a great price on what you buy. Some rare and unusual books are there. I highly recommend it.
If you're into military history, there is also a little known Medal of Honor museum located inside a mall in Chattanooga - dedicated to the winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. It has free entry, is small, but is very well worth the time.
As for hotels - I would stay downtown if the cost is not prohibitive. Otherwise, there are a couple of nice hotels on the southwest side of town near the Cracker Barrel. We've stayed there a couple of times - not a terrible drive, but then you have to deal with downtown parking and we usually get into a traffic jam either going in our out of town.
I've only been to Chattanooga as a tourist a couple of times, but definitely see the aquarium. Also, I don't think anybody mentioned it, but there's a relatively obscure car museum (https://www.cokertire.com/tours/) that's free. They have a bunch of old cars that have been restored, and it's free.
We did the riverboat cruise, and I didn't care for it at all. We enjoy the General Jackson in Nashville ... the food is better and they have live entertainment (none on the Chattanooga boat).
We did the riverboat cruise, and I didn't care for it at all. We enjoy the General Jackson in Nashville ... the food is better and they have live entertainment (none on the Chattanooga boat).
Anybody here live in Chattanooga? I'd love to meet some fellow alum.
Best friend chicken I've ever had: champys
Best burger I've ever had: Main Street meats. Tremont Tavern is a close second.
Best brunch place: Stir
Great pizza lunch buffet: crust
Good breweries: hutton & smith and Oddstory. Right across the street from each other and right next door to champys
Best dive: Picklebarrel
Best pasta I've even eaten in my life: Alleia
Best friend chicken I've ever had: champys
Best burger I've ever had: Main Street meats. Tremont Tavern is a close second.
Best brunch place: Stir
Great pizza lunch buffet: crust
Good breweries: hutton & smith and Oddstory. Right across the street from each other and right next door to champys
Best dive: Picklebarrel
Best pasta I've even eaten in my life: Alleia
Rock city has a brewery at the top that serves 7 states beer that they brew themselves.....right there at lookout mountain. There is a winery there too, but it wasn't open in November. Either way, rock city and ruby falls are always good. The aquarium downtown and the kids museum downtown are good as well. Fun town, but 4 days might be streching it.
You forgot Terminal Brewhouse which I thought was pretty good when I was in Chattanooga for Sturgill Simpson’s show at the Tivoli.
Flying Squirrel also had some good craft beer. I stopped by there after the show. It was pretty close to the AirBnB locale.
Niedlov’s also serves a great breakfast. I ate there the following morning.
Edit to add: If traveling to/from downtown/Southside, definitely take the shuttle. I walked from where I was staying to the Tivoli but took the shuttle back after the show.
Re-edit to add: Agreed on Hutton and Smith beer. I had their Vadose Zone and Rope Gun Rye at the Flying Squirrel.
Flying Squirrel also had some good craft beer. I stopped by there after the show. It was pretty close to the AirBnB locale.
Niedlov’s also serves a great breakfast. I ate there the following morning.
Edit to add: If traveling to/from downtown/Southside, definitely take the shuttle. I walked from where I was staying to the Tivoli but took the shuttle back after the show.
Re-edit to add: Agreed on Hutton and Smith beer. I had their Vadose Zone and Rope Gun Rye at the Flying Squirrel.
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Nice, very scenic town. Great downtown and the aquarium is very impressive. I think it's the neatest of the bigger towns in that state.
We did the General Jackson thing in Nashville at Christmas (paired with going to the Ryman to see Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson- which was incredible beyond belief). If the Chatt. version is worse than GJ then skip them both. I told my wife we could have saved a hundred bucks by going to Jackson Prep for lunch in the cafeteria then attending a show choir performance.
Food sucked. Beer sucked. Show just OK. Best word to describe the entire event is "cheesy".
I feel obligated to say that Ruby Falls is the single worst thing I've ever done on vacation. It's line after line after line in very tight spaces. If you have small children who don't plan their bathroom breaks very well, it can become even more of a disaster.
I think I hated it the most because I'm the most claustrophobic in the family, but no one I was with liked it.
I think I hated it the most because I'm the most claustrophobic in the family, but no one I was with liked it.
It’s pretty anticlimactic. I just marveled at the phsyco guy who squeezed through that tiny tunnel for hours to find the falls in the first place.
I started to mention the Terminal, which for a long time was one of my family's go-to restaurants on weekends. It's fine for families with kids, they've got a good (and locally sourced) bison burger, and some solid pizzas. But I think it's become inconsistent over the past year or two. Great location, and not a bad choice by any means. Just not on the top of my list if you've only got a few nights in town and time to plan.
And dude, that Sturgill show was great, wasn't it?
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Went 2 summers ago. We stayed on the North Shore which is across the river from downtown. It is super nice and its all locally owned businesses/restaurants. We rented a house (small house, 2 bedroom, 1 bath) that was not much more than a hotel.
North Shore restaurants: Taco Mamacita, Good Dog (Great Hot Dogs), Aretha Frankensteins (great breakfast), clumpies ice cream company, julie darling donuts
Things to do in Chatt: Rock City, Aquarium, Creative Discovery Museum (children), The Trail of Tears Rememberance water feature, There is a train depot and train ride out from Chattanooga that my 3 year old loved. You ride the train a couple of miles and it goes to the train shop where they are currently restoring old locamotives, you also get to watch the train turn around and take you back to the depot. Not much for the adults but it is fun for little kids.
The North Shore has a cool park down by the river that has a splash park for the kids and an indoor carousel. There is a big walking bridge that goes from the north shore to downtown chatt too over the river. Its really neat if you stay on either side, its just a short walk to the other.
North Shore restaurants: Taco Mamacita, Good Dog (Great Hot Dogs), Aretha Frankensteins (great breakfast), clumpies ice cream company, julie darling donuts
Things to do in Chatt: Rock City, Aquarium, Creative Discovery Museum (children), The Trail of Tears Rememberance water feature, There is a train depot and train ride out from Chattanooga that my 3 year old loved. You ride the train a couple of miles and it goes to the train shop where they are currently restoring old locamotives, you also get to watch the train turn around and take you back to the depot. Not much for the adults but it is fun for little kids.
The North Shore has a cool park down by the river that has a splash park for the kids and an indoor carousel. There is a big walking bridge that goes from the north shore to downtown chatt too over the river. Its really neat if you stay on either side, its just a short walk to the other.
I'm not going to bash one of my hometown's traditional tourist jewels. That said, if we've had some rain, you could see these waterfalls for free with minimal hiking involved in the same time (or less) than it would to drive up to, park at, and wait in line for Ruby Falls:
Falling Water Falls (Near Signal Mountain)
Strip Mine Falls (North Chickamauga Creek Gorge, Soddy Daisy - north of downtown)
Unnamed falls less than 50 yards from a trailhead in Soddy Daisy (bigger than it looks)
Pocket Creek Falls (Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management area, near LaFayette, GA, roughly 45 min south of town)
And, again, if you're cool with hiking a couple of miles or more, there are plenty more to choose from.
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He does, or at least did when I bought a couple from him a few years back. Good guy.
https://mycowbell.com/
Don't see the chrome anymore, but it looks like he does copper-plated ones now.
The train thing is fun for kids, especially when they clad the engines with these huge covers to look like Thomas the Train. They go nuts.
Good additions to the restaurant list. My wife loves Taco Mamacita, and it's a pretty safe bet for families.
Two other North Shore restaurants I forgot to mention in my earlier post:
Beast and Barrel - A place that specializes in smoked and house-cured meat. Great happy hour and a killer reuben.
Brewhaus - A "German-American gastro pub" that opened around the time we got the VW plant. I'm not sure how authentically German the food is, but I think it's great. And, as you can imagine, the beer selection is focused on German stuff.
Both places are an easy walk from the Walnut St. bridge.
I enjoy living here quite a bit. For a city it's size, Chattanooga has a lot going for it. A vibrant downtown with lots of stuff for families to do and see year round. Stellar and ever-growing restaurant/bar/microbrewery scene. An array of retail options ranging from every almost every national chain with any presence in the South to dozens of local specialty shops. Lots of sporting events to watch, from our minor league baseball team (which won it's conference this year) to our fourth-tier soccer team (Chattanooga Football Club) that regularly draws 2,000+ people and regularly advances to post-season play to UT-Chattanooga basketball and football (both of which have been nationally prominent recently; especially the ladies basketball team, which has won their conference 16 out of the past 18 years and is a mainstay in the NCAA tournament) to frequent marathons, Iron Mans, bike races, and boat races. A solid (though still growing) music scene that brings interesting bands to town regularly. Close proximity (~2 hours) to Nashville, Atlanta, and Birmingham, which gives you easy access to big-city concerts, museums, sports, shopping, etc. without having to spend an entire day on the road. And then there's the world's fastest internet offered by our public power utility, which has is so, so, so much more pleasant to deal with than Comcast and has contributed to a surprisingly large tech-focused start-up scene here.
And, of course, the outdoors scene is amazing. World-class kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, and fishing abounds in every direction. Seriously, you can drive out of the city for 15 - 60 minutes on any road going any direction and find a stellar hike, paddle, climb, or trout stream. I went to a school in Virginia for a few years that was almost smack in the middle of the Blue Ridge mountains, and I don't think I had as many outdoors options there as I do here. Likewise, when I go on a yearly trip to a cabin in the middle of the Cohutta Wilderness in the North Georgia mountains, I have to drive much farther and look much harder to find waterfalls or scenic hikes than I do when I'm at home. Don't get me wrong -- you're not going to go mountaineering up 14,000-ers or catch a trophy rainbow trout like you'd find in a Montana river. But the diversity and quality of the outdoor options here is pretty special.
There is also a variety of housing options that's pretty cool. For better or worse, we've now got a crap-ton of condos, townhouses, and apartments right in the middle of downtown. So if you want to be in the middle of the action with no yard or commute, you can. We've got a bunch of new housing on the Southside (where all those awesome restaurants are) and right on the river, so if you want an urban standalone house in the downtown area but also near parks and shops, you can get one. If you want (and have the means) to live a stone's throw from the North Shore scene and an 8 minute drive to your downtown office, but in an old, sprawling, hilly residential area full of turn-of-the-century houses of all shapes and sizes instead of a townhouse or apartment, you can. If you want to live in more of a typical suburb, we've got tons in every direction from 15 to 35 minutes away. If you want to get some acreage and seclusion, there are plenty of places in the county north and east of the city (and south in GA and west in the next county over) that offer that. If you want to live on the TN river or the big *** lake we have just north of the city and spend your free time on the water, you can. Or, if you want to live on a nearby mountain and cut the summer heat by 5 - 10 degrees, you can do that too, either in a fancy old neighborhood, a standard middle class suburban neighborhood, or on acreage out past the small towns on the mountains, and still be a 15 - 30 minute drive from downtown.
It's not all rainbows and candy canes, of course. We've actually got a pretty high violent crime rate. It is almost entirely from and confined to 2 or 3 rough parts of town, but still unfortunate. The education system here is funky -- lots (and I mean lots) of private schools and hit-or-miss public schools. (I guess that's not just a Chattanooga problem, but it still needs to be fixed.) Some of the suburban areas (especially to the east of the city) are fairly sprawling and have become traffic nightmares. And the explosion of new start-ups and influx of people from bigger cities have jacked up home prices (and created a horde of $12 cocktail bars), so that's pretty lame if you're in the market for a new house.
But yeah, overall, I think it's a good place to live. (Oh, and there's no income tax in TN. So that's cool too.)
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Sturgill is awesome-- Chattanooga was a most excellent side trip for me from Mississippi on my way to CochiseCowbell's stomping grounds in Augusta for my nephew's graduation.
Before the show in the Tivoli, I bought an autographed event poster-- so freaking great-- especially since I got it framed. I had been hoping to get a similar poster from his New Orleans show in September 2016 but they weren't autographed. The posters at his show in Cary last year weren't either...
But Chattanooga... Man... That was outstanding.
Before the show in the Tivoli, I bought an autographed event poster-- so freaking great-- especially since I got it framed. I had been hoping to get a similar poster from his New Orleans show in September 2016 but they weren't autographed. The posters at his show in Cary last year weren't either...
But Chattanooga... Man... That was outstanding.