Chattanooga Offers Family Funby Margaret DornausIt�s been rated one of America�s Top Ten family vacation spots, and with good reason: Chattanooga proposes something old and something new for families itching to shake off� end of summer�s dust and fly from the nest for a bird�s eye view of the outside world--or, at least, of the spectacular Tennessee River Valley.
Another prime spot for simultaneously contemplating Mother Nature�s beauty and the events of history is nearby Point Park, a site operated by the National Park Service as part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. At this, the nation�s oldest military park, you can literally walk in the footsteps of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant by standing on the bluff where he stood to command his troops� victory over Confederate forces in the 1863 encounter dubbed �The Battle Above the Clouds.�
Ruby Falls is still another of Chattanooga�s classic �Over The Rainbow� sights, although the treasures you�ll see here are underground--1,120 feet underground to be exact. That�s how far down you�ll have to travel (via specially-engineered elevators carved out of Lookout Mountain�s layered sandstone and limestone) in order to see phenomenal stalagmite and stalagtite formations. Along the narrow and often slippery slope which leads to the cavern�s eponymous centerpiece, you�ll be treated to extraordinary natural creations--lighted and labeled with such fanciful names as �Cactus and Candle,� �Steak & Potatoes,� and �Frozen Niagara.� The tour�s highlight, however, is the 145-foot waterfall (accented by a show of laser lights and Wagnerian music) you�ll encounter halfway through your circular underground journey. Even man�s best efforts fail to detract from the stunning beauty of this natural phenomenon. For a look at how man�s efforts have enhanced our appreciation of nature, head to Chattanooga�s Tennessee Aquarium--an eight-year-old prodigy that has helped spawn a renaissance along this once floundering mountain town�s riverfront district. The brainchild of a group of concerned citizens, the $750 million riverfront complex has helped navigate the town�s fortunes away from the bleak effects of its former reliance on heavy industry.� Instead, the town�s future today seems as bright as the colorful freshwater inhabitants on display at their incredible riverside residence. Here, yellow anacondas lurk at the bottom of tanks shared with six-foot arapaimas surfacing for air every 10 to 20 minutes;� giant catfish coexist with alligator snapping turtles; and Gulf of Mexico natives called Spanish hogfish regally command lesser porkfish (yellow pork chop-shaped creatures) to purge them of parasites. Included in the aquarium complex is IMAX, a state-of-the-art, six-story 3D theater featuring hourly showings of nature films that pop out into your lap from the screen. And, as if that weren�t enough, the nearby Creative Discovery Museum gives adults and kids alike the chance to view science and nature in a hands-on, up-close-and-personal way by experiencing a dinosaur dig--or assuming Inspector Gadget�s identity at the �discovery� table of mechanical inventions--or studying volume and pressure at �Archimedes Screw.� Afterwards, stroll through a riverside Sculpture Garden or take in even more culture at the Hunter Museum of American Art, a 1904 mansion that houses more than 1,500 permanent works as well as special exhibits in the Bluff Arts District overlooking the Tennessee River.� Still looking for more antidotes for the summertime blues? There�s always the Choo Choo. Or how about that Southern Belle riverboat cruise? Or the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum. Or Bessie Smith Hall.� Or . . . For more information, contact the Chattanooga Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-322-3344. Or visit its website: www.Chattanoogafun.com �copyright 2000 Margaret Dornaus. Reproduction of this article and/or images, in whole or in part, including reproduction in electronic media, without the express permission of the author, is prohibited. For reprint information, contact mdornaus@earthlink.net Photographs courtesy of the Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau. -Updated 8-21-00- |
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Cradled in a hollow graced by the Tennessee River�s fluid ribbon and ringed by spectacular Smoky Mountain scenery, Chattanooga has long viewed its topography as both a bane and a blessing. More than a century ago, for example, Northern forces turned the tables on native troops by employing Chatanooga�s terrain to their advantage. The area�s niched hillsides and mountain overlooks would, much to the Confederacy�s chagrin, become prominent Union allies in three pivotal Civil War battles: Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain; and Missionary Ridge. Learn the history of those crucial encounters through the eyes of both a Union and a Confederate narrator at The Battles for Chattanooga Museum, where a stunningly effective three-dimensional video dramatically reenacts those war-torn days. Then, head out to tour the sites of the surrounding battlefields.
A climb aboard the Incline Railroad--a more than 60-year-old attraction--offers a thrilling mile-long ride to the top of� Lookout Mountain on the world�s steepest passenger train. After navigating the ride�s heart-stopping 72.7 percent grade, passengers will likely find the observation deck�s breathtaking vista a gently soothing relief.. On a clear day, views from the top span 200 miles of the verdant river valley�s color-saturated landscape.
Keep heading up the mountain road to another of the city�s historic family-centered attractions: Rock City, a 14-acre pocket of gardens tucked into unique sandstone formations with names like Needle�s Eye, Mushroom Rock, and Fat Man�s Squeeze. The 1932 creation of gardening enthusiast Frieda Carter, Rock City soon gained regional and� national attention thanks to the inventor of Tom Thumb miniature golf--Garnet Carter, Frieda�s enterprising husband. It was Garnet�s idea to advertise the craggy mountaintop showplace by painting pitched-roof barns in 19 states with Burma Shave-like slogans.� Designed to lure motorists to Rock City�s mountainside retreat, the sloping �barnboards� cropped up in fields strewn along the �Snowbird�s Route to Florida� that ran� from the Great Lakes region to the Gulf of Mexico. Although most of those signposts of America�s past have long since vanished from the roadside, Rock City rocks on for those willing to make the effort to locate it.. Once you do, be sure to visit Lover�s Leap for the spectacularly panoramic view of seven contiguous states from Rock City�s mountain overlook.