Chattanooga
Introduction
Chattanooga sits in Hamilton County, Tennessee, where it serves as the county seat, and it spreads along the Tennessee River with Georgia just across the southern border. It is one of the two principal cities of East Tennessee, alongside Knoxville, and it anchors a metropolitan area that reaches into southeastern Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, and northeastern Alabama.
As the fourth-most populous city in Tennessee, Chattanooga gives you a riverfront city with a tri-state draw — a place where the surrounding region of three states converges.
Before you go
Chattanooga's identity was forged in the American Civil War, when it served as a major railroad hub and one of the Confederacy's most industrialized centres, and battlefield parks in and around the city remain among its main attractions. The railroad that later made it famous through the song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" declined, but the city has since reinvented itself: its post-industrial downtown and riverfront have been redeveloped, and the restored Walnut Street Bridge is now the world's longest pedestrian bridge. The city is also the corporate home of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Tennessee, Krystal, Unum, the Chattanooga Bakery (maker of the Moon Pie), and Miller Industries, and it is the birthplace of the tow truck. Before you set out, note a few local rules. The Chattanooga Police Department's Traffic Division uses patrol cars without emergency lights on the roof; instead, blue lights are mounted in the front grill and rear window, so watch for them. The nearby City of Red Bank, close to the North Shore district, uses photo-enforced traffic lights, and a rolling right turn on red will very likely earn you a citation.Getting there
< p>By car, Chattanooga sits at the intersection of I-75, running north-south, and I-24, running east-west. I-75 gives easy access from Atlanta and Knoxville, while I-24 brings you in from Murfreesboro, Nashville and Kentucky. I-59 connects to I-24 just southwest of the city, opening up access from Birmingham, southeastern Mississippi and the New Orleans area. If you approach from the south on I-75, the Cohutta Chattahoochee Scenic Byway is a Georgia-designated detour with mountain views and historic sites along the way.Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport lies east of downtown, with transportation available from the airport to local hotels. Nonstop service reaches the city from Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Washington, D.C. Greyhound buses stop near the airport; from there you can walk a couple of blocks to Van Ness Rd & Lee Hwy and catch the inbound CARTA route 4 bus downtown, which ends at Market St. & W 4th Ave. Megabus stops on Market Street at West 14th Street, next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo, with service from Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Chicago. If you arrive by personal watercraft, you can tie up along the Tennessee River at Ross's Landing downtown, which has mooring posts with electrical and water hookups, or at marinas including Chickamauga Marina, Gold Point Yacht Harbor, Shady Grove Harbor and Island Cove Marina and Resort.
Getting around
Downtown Chattanooga is the most walkable part of the city, and the free electric shuttle stitches together the riverside attractions, the Choo Choo area, and the North Shore, so you can combine walking with short shuttle hops rather than committing to long treks. If you base yourself downtown, you can plan a day around the Tennessee Aquarium, the riverfront, and the North Shore shops and Coolidge Park without needing a car. Outside the center, distances stretch out and the terrain rises into the surrounding ridges and valleys, so switch to wheels for anything further afield.
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, known as CARTA, runs the local bus network alongside that free electric shuttle, which operates between the Holiday Inn Choo-Choo and the Tennessee Aquarium and also serves the North Shore shops and Coolidge Park. For the rest of the city, CARTA runs conventional buses with tiered fares for adults, seniors, persons with disabilities, and students, while children 5 and under ride free with a paying passenger; special reduced fares require a photo ID issued at the CARTA bus depot, so sort that out before you board. Printed schedules are widely available around town at banks, shopping malls, social service agencies, hospitals, colleges and universities, the downtown post office, and libraries. Bike-sharing services also operate in Chattanooga, which pairs well with the flat, compact riverfront and downtown area.
Chattanooga is built for cars, and driving is the most flexible way to reach the surrounding mountains, ridges, and valleys. Rental agencies operate at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport and around the city, including National, Avis, Enterprise, Thrifty, Hertz, Access Car Rental, and Donna's Rent A Car on South Moore Road; picking up at the airport is the simplest option if you're flying in. One local quirk worth knowing: when a speed limit is not posted, assume it is 35 mph, especially downtown or in residential areas. Chattanooga has no metro or commuter rail network for visitors to use, so plan your trip without expecting to ride a train around town.
Where to stay
For budget stays, the Southside is home to Chattanooga's only hostel, The Crash Pad, which offers dorms and privates along with free parking, wifi, and breakfast. Several chain hotels cluster in the Hamilton Place area and along Shallowford Road, while Hotel Bo sits centrally between the Aquarium and the Convention Center.
Mid-range options include the Doubletree and Hilton Garden Inn downtown, the latter on the free electric shuttle route, and the Residence Inn, an all-suite property a block from the Tennessee Aquarium. For a splurge, the Bluff View Inn spreads sixteen rooms across three historic homes in the Bluff View Art District, and the Chattanooga Choo Choo offers rooms in restored train cars alongside conventional accommodations. The Read House, open since 1872, and The Chattanoogan provide upscale downtown stays, while the Chanticleer Inn sits atop Lookout Mountain with rooms and cottages.
Food & drink
Chattanooga's budget dining leans heavily on home-style Southern cooking. Bea's Restaurant, a little off the beaten path, seats you at any table, occupied or not, and lets you grab what you like from the lazy susan in the center. Zarzour's Restaurant, a "meat and 3" off Main Street, has been a Chattanooga establishment since 1918, with a menu that changes daily and a burger that has drawn attention from Gourmet magazine and the book "Road Food." Marsha's Backstreet Cafe on Brainerd Road serves a different set of main courses every day, from turnip greens to fried okra and meatloaf. For something quicker, Clumpie's is an ice cream shop on Frazier Avenue in the heart of the Northshore, and Lee's Armandos, with locations around town, is a mom-and-pop spot known for burgers. Downtown and the Northshore cover most mid-range tastes. Sushi Nabe of Kyoto sits inside Coolidge Park, serving traditional sushi alongside simpler fare like chicken teriyaki, with rolls at six pieces and nigiri at two. River Street Deli, also in Coolidge Park, turns out New York-style deli sandwiches and hosts themed dinners on some Friday nights. Sluggo's North is a vegan restaurant in the North Shore district that frequently hosts live music and serves beer. Hair of the Dog, an English-style pub on Market Street, pours from a full bar with an assortment of beers and delivers food and drinks to its second level by hand-operated dumb-waiter, where you'll find dart boards, pool tables and a jukebox. For pizza, Lupi's Pizza Pies on Broad Street is known for its tomato sauce and football-sized calzones, and Mellow Mushroom, next to the Bijou Movie Theater, offers outdoor seating. Wally's Restaurant on McCallie Avenue has served classic meat-and-three for over 70 years, and the Pickle Barrel occupies a triangular Victorian building on Market Street with pub food and some outdoor seating. In St. Elmo, the Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe serves homestyle barbeque and a "dirt pie" for dessert. Further out, you'll find Greek fare at Acropolis and hibachi and sushi at Hana Steak & Sushi around Hamilton Place, Thai at Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine on Brainerd Road, and Mexican at Amigo's in the Hixson area. For a splurge, the Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar sits on Riverside Drive on the site of the old Sand Bar Restaurant, featuring oysters on the half shell and Gulf Coast fare like catfish and shrimp. St. John's Restaurant on Market Street has a more relaxed neighbor, St. John's Meeting Place, with an à la carte menu and bar or floor seating. The Bluff View Art District holds several restaurants, art museums and galleries, including Tony's Pasta Shop and Trattoria, set in the carriage house of Bluff View Inn's Thompson House, with house-made pastas, sauces and breads and outdoor deck views of the Tennessee River. To drink, Bud's Sports Bar on Lee Highway is a lively spot for a beer and a game, with wings. The Chattanooga Billiards Club downtown has a classic pool hall environment with plenty of tables, and a second location near Hamilton Place Mall offers more billiards, live music and cigars. Riverside Wine and Spirits, a few blocks from Frazier Avenue, stocks wines and spirits from around the world plus beer and kegs. For coffee, Velo Coffee Roasters on East Main Street roasts single-origin coffees on site and has a garden patio; Goodman Coffee Roasters in the Warehouse Row shopping center is known for light to medium single-origin roasts along with tea, pastries and eggs; Sleepyhead Coffee on Broad Street is a bright multi-roaster with plenty of plants and vegan pastries; Mean Mug Coffeehouse is a Main Street standby for food, coffee and tea; and Mad Priest Coffee Roasters on McCallie Avenue runs a small tasting room and supports refugee communities in Chattanooga. Rembrandt's Coffee House in the Bluff View Art District serves fine coffees, handmade chocolates, pastries and sandwiches, and the Stone Cup Roasting Company in the Northshore serves freshly roasted coffee.What to see and do
Lookout Mountain anchors most of the city's signature sights. At Rock City you follow a long walking trail past a tall waterfall, cross a suspension bridge, and stand at Lover's Leap, where the view is said to take in seven states; from mid-November through the end of the year the gardens are lit for the Enchanted Garden of Lights, with local school and church groups performing. Ruby Falls takes you inside the mountain by elevator to a thundering underground waterfall, and the tour runs year-round and is weatherproof, though the elevator ride and cave paths may trouble anyone uneasy in tight spaces. The Incline Railway climbs the mountain on a steep grade in trolley-style cars, and from the upper station a short walk brings you to Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park for views over Moccasin Bend and the Tennessee River. Combination tickets covering Rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Incline are sold at all three.
Downtown, the Tennessee Aquarium splits into two buildings: River Journey traces freshwater environments from mountains and forests to swamps and lakes, with seahorses and otters, while Ocean Journey lets you touch stingrays, walk a butterfly garden, and see sharks. Nearby, the Creative Discovery Museum packs in hands-on exhibits and rotating displays aimed at children, and the Hunter Museum of American Art sits on a bluff above the Tennessee River with river and mountain views to match its American art collection. In the Bluff View Art District, the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts occupies a Victorian house filled with antique glass, ceramics, furniture, and music boxes. Elsewhere, the Chattanooga Choo Choo Historic Hotel preserves the old Terminal Station, its cast-iron dome, private rail-car rooms, and a large model railroad of the Chattanooga Valley. The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park and the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum, with its antique tow trucks, round out the options, and Coolidge Park offers a restored carousel, a pavilion, a play fountain, and open green space.
When to go
Chattanooga has four distinct seasons, so your timing shapes the kind of trip you get. Summers are hot and thundery: temperatures climb into the low 100s, and scattered thundershowers appear and vanish quickly, sometimes dropping almost an inch of rain in half an hour or less. Winters are mild, and the valley floor rarely sees snow or ice — though Lookout and Signal Mountains get it fairly often, and even a little snow or ice down in the valley can bring the city to a standstill. Expect a number of days below freezing.
Spring and autumn are the gentler stretches, mild transitions easing out of winter and back down from the heat of summer. If you want comfortable temperatures for exploring, aim for those two seasons — and if you're set on summer, plan around the fast-moving afternoon storms.
Three days in Chattanooga
Day one: Start downtown, where the Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Walnut Street Bridge anchor the city's historic core. Walk the bridge across the Tennessee River to the North Shore, then loop back through the centre. Chattanooga sits in Hamilton County in East Tennessee, close to the Georgia and Alabama lines, so the river and the surrounding hills shape the day's rhythm.
Day two: Use the city as a base for the wider region. The Cohutta Chattahoochee Scenic Byway runs through the nearby mountains, and the drive south toward Atlanta or west toward Birmingham and New Orleans follows routes that have long connected Chattanooga to the rest of the South. Back in town, look for a Moon Pie, made by the Chattanooga Bakery, and note the downtown presence of employers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Unum and Miller Industries.
Day three: Take in the Civil War story - Chattanooga's position made it a prize for the Confederacy and the Union alike - then head out to Red Bank or along the river for a slower finish. If you are flying out, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport handles nonstop service to a range of cities, with Knoxville, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Kentucky and Mississippi all within reach by road.