Chattanooga Travel Guide, Tennessee

There’s a city in Tennessee with a picturesque landscape like no other, the ideal vacation spot. Its original name was Ross's Landing, but now people know it as Chattanooga meaning "rock rising to a point". The rock that inspired the city’s name can be seen six miles from downtown- it is the Lookout Mountain.

This scenic city attracts many visitors that appreciate its mix of fascinating history, culture, outdoor adventure and romantic escapes. It is a town for all ages as it boosts a variety of activities and exciting attractions that can satisfy every tourist.

The breathtaking mountains, thick forests, underground waterfalls and enchanting rivers make up a heaven for outdoor lovers that can choose from such activities as white river rafting, spelunking, exploring the area caves and a 145' tall underground waterfall, camping or having fun at one of the amusement parks. No matter what you choose there are a variety of options to see them all of them offering a different perspective: on foot, by rail car or by river boat, this last one being the most romantic one.

The 2215ft Lookout Mountain can be reached quickly and easily from downtown and if you want to reach the top, catch the world's steepest Incline Railway in the world with panoramic views of the city which slices through a narrow gash in the lush forest. Don’t miss the northern part of the mountain called Point Lookout as you will also miss a marvelous view of the city and of Tennessee River. Here is where you can marvel at the 145-foot waterfall called Ruby Falls, the cave and one of the mountain’s attraction: Rock City Gardens with a view as if taken from fairy tales.

For indoor entertainment you have a few museums to choose from. One is at the entrance to Point Park - The Battles for Chattanooga Museum - that displays a three-dimensional electronic battle map facilitating the presentation of the major battles in Chattanooga's Civil War history.

Coming down from the mountain you will find a beautiful riverfront whose centerpiece is Ross's Landing a park that hosts the world's largest freshwater aquarium: the Tennessee Aquarium that traces the aquatic life from the Tennessee River's source to the Mississippi Delta with about 9,000 critters to look at and you can also choose to watch a film at the giant IMAX movies. And you can go on looking at interactive exhibits as the Artist's and Musician's Studios and the Inventor's Workshop at the Creative Discovery Museum.

The riverfront was always a romantic place and people in Chattanooga have thought about the most romantic day in a couple’s life, saying their vows. It can all happen on a riverboat in a hand-peeled pine log church. Even if you are not among the romantic couples you can still choose one of the cruises on the Southern Belle riverboat or take a ride with the authentic steam trains of the Tennessee Valley Railroad that crossing the river and among the stops is the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel restored from a 1909 Beaux Arts-style Southern Railroad Terminal with the waiting room transformed into a huge lobby and carriages into hotel suites.

Culture lover’s ideal destination is the Bluff View Art District, the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts with an important glass collection and the Hunter Museum of American Art displaying paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and contemporary studio glass.

With the state's largest shopping mall located in the city, the large aquarium, amusement parks and zoos, mountain and river, Chattanooga is sure to please everybody parents and kids, adventurers and fun seekers, history lovers and romantic couples.