Scenic City Inspiration
People say to me all the time, “With your talent, it would seem you would have moved to a larger city.” I have considered it, however, Chattanooga is stunningly beautiful and as our city grows so does its beauty. I was born in Chattanooga and even with the little traveling, I’ve done it always feels great to be back home. The river, lakes, mountains, tree and just the vibrant feel of our small, but growing downtown is the backdrop for most of my design and artistic creativity. How can any artist live in all this beauty and feel uninspired?
If Chattanooga homely feel is not eventful enough, the location is convenient enough. It is just a short drive to Nashville, Atlanta, or Knoxville. There are always things going on in town for those that like to get out. Chattanooga is filled with my family activities from the Tennessee Aquarium, Imax Theatre, Chattanooga Zoo, Tennessee River Gorge Explorer and all the wonders on Lookout Mountain.
Chattanooga, Tennessee has been named by Lonely Planet as the “Best in the U.S.” and “10 U.S. destinations you need to see in 2018.”
In fact, the New York Times named Chattanooga one of the “Top 45 Places to go” in the World. And it’s no wonder. Tucked between the mountains of Southeast Tennessee, along the beautiful Tennessee River, Chattanooga is one of America’s most breathtaking cities. There’s a world of outdoor adventure, amazing restaurants, live events, art and world-class attractions waiting for you here.
Check out: www.chattanoogafun.com
Chattanooga is rich in history, from the nation’s first and largest military park, the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park; Ross’s Landing on the riverfront, a Cherokee removal site now memorialized by The Passage; the electronic map displaying the battle of Lookout Mountain at Battles for Chattanooga; the Chattanooga Choo Choo Terminal Train Station Complex built in 1909 to museums like the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, Bessie Smith Cultural Center and the International Towing & Recovery Museum and Hall of Fame.
How did Chattanooga get its name?
The name “Chattanooga” comes from the Creek Indian word for “rock coming to a point.” This refers to Lookout Mountain which begins in Chattanooga and stretches 88 miles through Alabama and Georgia. The city itself started out with two different names: Ross’s Landing and Lookout City. In 1838, the city officially took the name of “Chattanooga.”
Civil War History
Because of Chattanooga’s strategic location, river, and rail systems, some of the hardest fought and most complex battles happened during the fall of 1863 on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Because of Chattanooga’s strategic location, river and rail systems, Chattanooga was considered the gateway to the Deep South and an important location for both the Union and the Confederate armies.
Learn more: www.chattanoogafun.com
15 Fun Facts You Might Not Know About Chattanooga
You may have lived in Chattanooga your whole life, but do you know everything about your city? Here are a few Chattanooga facts that most visitors, and maybe even some locals, might not know:
1. Chattanooga was home to first patented miniature golf course, Tom Thumb Golf on Lookout Mountain. It was created in 1927 by Rock City Gardens founder Garnet Carter to attract traffic to the creator’s hotel.
2. The Lookout Mountain Flight Park and Training School is world renowned for training hang gliding pilot hopefuls. People from all over the world come to learn there, and the school graduates more pilots than any other school in the world.
3. The city is home to Tennessee’s largest mall—Hamilton Place Mall.
4. The Glen Miller Orchestra won the first gold record awarded by the music industry for a song about Chattanooga. “The Chattanooga Choo Choo” became the #1 song across the United States on December 7, 1941 and remained as #1 for nine weeks on the Billboard Best Sellers charts. The record sold more than one million copies.
5. The world’s first franchised Coca-Cola bottling plant was built in Chattanooga by two local attorneys who bought the franchise bottling rights for $1 each.
6. The Chattanooga Choo Choo/Holiday Inn’s lobby, a former railroad terminal, contains the largest freestanding brick dome in the world. The interior height of the dome is 85 feet.
7. Chattanooga Bakery was founded in the early 1900s and in 1917, the famous MoonPie was created.
8. The Walnut Street Bridge, erected in 1891, is one of the world’s longest pedestrian bridges at 2,376 feet in length.
9. The first tow trucks were created in Chattanooga in 1913. You can learn more about that at The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum, Inc. on Broad Street.
10. Ruby Falls, located on Lookout Mountain, is the deepest commercial caverns in the United States at more than 1,000 feet underground.
11. The city is home to some famous people, such as R&B singer Usher, actor Samuel L. Jackson, blues singer Bessie Smith, actor Leslie Jordan (most recently recognized for his role in American Horror Story) and NFL players Terrell Owens and Peyton Manning.
12. The Hunter Museum of Art holds one of the nation’s largest collections of American art.
13. Chattanooga is home to the first and largest National Military Park, Chattanooga, and Chickamauga Military Park.
14. For climbers, Chattanooga is a mecca. There is more rock within a 25-mile radius of the Scenic City than Boulder, Colorado.
15. The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is one of the world’s steepest passenger railway lines at a 72.7% grade.
There are lots of great restaurants, activities, and events. If you think the images are stunningly beautiful, you should see it in person.
