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During a visit to Southeast Tennessee and
Hamilton
County
,
Chattanooga
makes a logical
base.
Chattanooga
's history underscores its strategic position as the 'Gateway to the
Deep South
.' Originally the site of a Cherokee trading post, the city's location on the
Tennessee River
, as it passed through the precipitous gorge, made it a formidable natural obstacle and thus a focal point for opposing armies in the Civil War. The 17 regional sites of
Chickamauga-Chattanooga
National
Military
Park
are a legacy of that era, and rate as a 'must see' for serious history buffs.
Today, the capital of
Hamilton
County
is a bustling and progressive mid-sized city with a
renovated downtown and riverfront. The internationally-acclaimed Tennessee Aquarium offers the largest display of freshwater life in the world and serves as the anchor for the riverfront. Across the street is the Tennessee Aquarium's IMAX Theater, with a screen 6-stories high and state-of-the-art six channel IMAX digital sound. Next door, get detailed information about the region from the
Chattanooga
Visitors
Center
. This area is a hotbed of local activity and has many great restaurants, shops and activities. Take a stroll along the Tennessee Riverwalk to the
Bluff
View
Art
District. While on the waterfront, book a dinner cruise on the Southern Belle Riverboat.
Historic
Lookout
Mountain
is home to several world-famous attractions like
Rock
City
(in
Georgia
),
Ruby
Falls, the Incline Railway and
Point
Park
. Next to Point Park, you'll find the Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map & Museum which depicts the battles in the Campaign for
Chattanooga
. Around the base of the mountain is the
Chattanooga
Nature
Center
and Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Garden with interpretive exhibits and drive-thru preserve. Lookout Mountain Flight Park gives visitors the chance hang glide over the top of the mountain, soaring over the incredible scenery of the Chattanooga Valley. Lookout Mountain is also a great place to rock climb, rappel, explore caves.
There's a broad range of outdoor activities available, from boating and fishing on
Chickamauga
Lake
, to camping and relaxing in the numerous facilities in the area. Nearby Raccoon Mountain Caverns & Campground offers a variety of things to do from go-cart rides to panning for gemstones to taking a tour of the Crystal Caverns.
Take a wild ride down the roaring whitewater rapids of the Ocoee River. Or if the thundering roar of the rapids isn't your style, try a more relaxing and leisurely ride down a stream in a canoe.
We have some of the top golf courses in the nation as well as a number of fishing holes, marinas, and lake resorts.
Downtown Chattanooga offers the world's longest pedestrian bridge, the Walnut Street Bridge a linear park that connects Downtown Chattanooga with 12-acre Coolidge Park.
The Chickamauga Battlefield is also a wonderful escape for outdoor lovers with hiking trails, horse trails, and bike lanes throughout the park. Signal Point and Prentice Cooper State Park atop Signal Mountain offer hiking trails, overlooks, and waterfalls.
The Chattanooga Zoo recently acquired five new chimpanzees. In order to accommodate these new residents, the zoo expanded by building the Gombe Forest. In another recent phase, they also built the African Aviary which features some exotic creatures.
Chattanooga is full of tempting things to do, from soaring over the moutains on currents of air to escaping into the wooded forests of Lookout Mountain for a strenuous and breathtaking hike.
There are plenty of activities to do inside too, such as visit the
Creative
Discovery
Museum
,
Chattanooga
Regional
History
Museum
, the Chattanooga African-American Museum & Bessie Smith Hall, the Hunter Museum of American Art and the Houston Museum of Decorative Art. For some of our train history, visit the
Tennessee
Valley
Railroad
Museum
and the Chattanooga Choo Choo's
Model
Railroad
Museum
. And don't forget the world's only town truck museum, the
International
Towing & Recovery
Museum
.
Year round,
Chattanooga
hosts a unique variety of events including the Riverbend Music Festival and
Miller
Plaza
's Nightfall Concerts. For country fairs,
Chattanooga
offers Prater's Mill, Ketner's Mill, Bethel Country Fair, and the Hamilton County Fair. Fall foliage excursions, both by water and by rail, are offered by the Tennessee Valley Railroad and the Southern Belle Riverboat. Ride the rails on an Autumn Leaf Excursion or set sail on a Fall Leaf Color Cruise.
And
Chattanooga
lights up for the holiday season with the Enchanted Garden of Lights, the Nightlight Float Parade in Downtown Chattanooga.
Hamilton County Chamber of Commerce
http://www.chattanooga-chamber.com/
Enjoy your stay in the Scenic City...
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