The hidden city of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, the hidden city of America
Friday, 01, May 2009 12:00
Ever heard of Chattanooga? If you have you are either a Glen Miller fan or your parents (or more likely your grandparents) listened to him when you were younger and the first thing you think of when someone mentions the place is the song Chattanooga Choo Choo.
That, or your geography just happens to be pretty superb!
For the uninitiated Chattanooga sits just inside the state line of Tennessee, with Georgia less than a half hour drive away, on the banks of the Tennessee River in a valley floor surrounded on all sides by Mountains. It is the fourth largest city in the state and has the rather dubious honour of having once been among one of the dirtiest cities in the US.
Fortunately for visitors today the city has cleaned up its act in true American style. Having once been one of the dirtiest cities in the country it is now probably among the cleanest - undergoing substantial regeneration in the process. And having once been a predominately industrial city it has now embraced its environment in almost every way possible.
Eco-tripping
The city has for some time boasted its own electric bus service, for example, which locals are rather proud of - particularly because they sold the same concept to San Francisco's city fathers, which is apparent proof of their green credentials.
Realistically though such credentials are better illustrated by the Bluff View Art District and Gardens, which has its own typically southern style with a beautifully restored 18th century mansion complete with stucco terrace. The area that is now the art district was left to fall into disrepair during the 20th century with the gardens eventually being used as a city dump. But it was restored to its former glory during the 1990s and now is home to sculptures, an art gallery hosting the work of local artists and its own bakery as well as bed and breakfast accommodation and panoramic views of the Tennessee River.
In terms of maintaining some of the original architecture of the city those responsible for creating the art district have done themselves proud and it is a great place to stop for lunch and then a lazy afternoon walk.
That walk will eventually take you directly to the edge of the art district and to the Hunter Museum of American Art, which includes not only a modern 20th century art gallery building but also the mansion of George Hunter, for whom the gallery is named, who inherited the Tennessee based Coca-Cola bottling empire from his uncle Benjamin Thomas in the 1920s. There is even a story that the bottles themselves were made to fit the grip of Hunter's right hand - just one among a number of interesting finds in the Museum.
The rise of Chattanooga
Chattanooga's story could genuinely be described as one of destruction or neglect followed by restoration. First inhabited by native Americans, the area around what is now Chattanooga was largely unspoilt and untouched until the mid 1700s when the Cherokee, having been forced to move on from their native lands, arrived there. Standing at the top of Lookout Mountain and gazing out over the valley floor it's both possible to see the city as it is today and also imagine what the valley must once have looked like only a few hundred years ago.
Chattanooga is a town that is quite aware of its history, hardly surprising given it arguably played one of the most important roles in the history of the United State, its unique position making it an important trade route first, and then a vital transportation hub for the Confederate army during the American Civil War of the 19th century. In fact, defeat for the Confederate army at Chattanooga meant the Yankees were able to split the Confederate forces in two - ultimately leading to the assault on Atlanta in next door Georgia and the defeat of the whole Confederate army.
It's impossible to go to Lookout Mountain and not spend some time in Point Park or the Battles for Chattanooga Museum, both of which are easily reached from the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. One word of caution however, if you suffer from vertigo it might be best to drive to the top of the Mountain. Lookout Mountain's incline railway is a mile long and the steepest in the world at an incline of 72 degrees. The train itself helps to make travellers aware of this - with seats arranged in such a way that you are pulled up the mountain while looking at the ground disappear from beneath you through a glass window, a strange sensation even if you don't have a problem with heights.
It's probably advisable to make a day out of visiting Lookout Mountain and take in Ruby Falls as well, particularly if you have children. Ruby Falls are named after the wife of a local caving enthusiast, Leo Lambert, who discovered the underground waterfall while exploring the area in the 1920s. Lambert had originally planned to find the natural opening to Lookout Mountain cave, which had been blocked for 15 years, to make way for a railway line. His intention was to turn the cave into a tourist attraction but he stopped when he discovered Ruby Falls and focused his attention there instead - and it's easy to see why when you reach them. Tours to the falls run regularly with tour guides pointing out areas of interest along the way and giving details of the history of the caves and the exploration of the inside of the mountain.
One final stop on Lookout Mountain has to be Rock City. Officially just over the border in Georgia, Rock City came about as its creator Garnet Carter wanted to build a residential community and golf course. But having realised a full size golf course would be too big and take too long to build, he designed the world's first ever miniature golf course instead, eventually selling the concept around the world. Rock City meanwhile was Carter's wife's concept and is essentially a giant rock garden. Originally intended for private use, the rock garden incorporated images of fairies imported from Germany and a trail that ended at Lovers Leap. Again it's a great place for kids to go and explore and you can easily loose a couple of hours in the rock gardens. Plus the view from High Falls is astonishing and while it's difficult to tell where the state lines actually are, the current owners of Rock City assure visitors that from above High Falls it is possible to see the seven American states of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.
Family Friendly Holidays
Other family friendly attractions include the City's relatively new aquarium, opened in 2005 and home to over 12,000, birds, fish, reptiles and penguins. The Tennessee Aquarium's River Gorge Explorer, the City's high-speed catamaran will also take you 25 miles into the Tennessee River Gorge while the Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park is worth a visit if for no other reason than the Zoo's red pandas.
If you're after a little more in the way of activity or adventure, the city offers a number of options. It is known among US rock climbers as offering a wide choice of crags, and there's even the Walnut Wall, a 50-foot-high climbing wall located underneath the City's Walnut Street Bridge in Coolidge Park, which offers 30 different climbing routes if you want, or need, to get some practice in first. Meanwhile, outdoor activities company, Outdoor Chattanooga, offer kayaking trips on the Tennessee River as well as mountain biking and hand-gliding.
One problem with visiting this somewhat undiscovered part of Tennessee is that there are no direct flights to Chattanooga, while the railway stopped services to the city in 1970. Fortunately the railway station, which helped to inspire Glen Miller's big band song, still stands having been saved by a consortium of city fathers in much the same way as the Bluff View Art District was. It now makes for the impressive Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, in which old railway carriages converted into hotel rooms are a feature piece of the hotel complex.
A word of warning though, these fill up quickly so you'll need to plan ahead if you want to stay in one.
Despite the electric bus service, which provides an easy shuttle service around downtown Chattanooga, a holiday here fits quite clearly into the fly drive category -particularly if you have any intention of venturing out of the city limits, something you would have to do to visit several of the tourist attractions. I might also recommend a pit stop in Atlanta - which incidentally has possibly the largest airport in the world - as a two hour road trip to Chattanooga after a nine hour flight might be somewhat exhausting.
Visiting Chattanooga, or for that matter anywhere in the deep south it's always best to go in early spring or autumn before the heat and humidity kick in. Going in late October afforded me the opportunity to see both the Head of the Hooch Chattanooga rowing regatta, the second largest in the US. I also got to visit Rock City's own Halloween inspired Forest of Fear, which includes live actors (usually volunteers) and was easily as good as anything similar that can be found in Florida's Disney World at the same time of year.
Chattanooga really is one of America's best kept secrets. If you want to get to know what the south is really like a town like Chattanooga would be a good place to try as while the tourist industry here is growing it's still mostly US citizens or Japanese or Chinese tourists who visit. That said, you might be hard pressed to spend more than a week here before feeling as if you had exhausted the city. If visiting from the UK it might be more practical to make a visit to Chattanooga that also included time spent in Atlanta or if you're an Elvis fan, as part of your pilgrimage to Graceland. One thing that Chattanooga can't be denied is the simple beauty of the area. This is an outdoorsy kind of city where people get out onto the mountain or on the river whenever they get the chance. Its hard to imagine that this city was once deemed too dirty to live in it seems to clean and green for that.
More Information
For those looking to venture to Chattanooga, America As You Like It offers a five night package to Chattanooga; including return flights on US Airways from Gatwick via Charlotte to Chattanooga, five days fully inclusive economy car hire and five nights room only accommodation at the Holiday Inn Choo Choo from £685 per person.
For a free information pack on the city, head over to Chattanooga Fun.
Matthew West