Traveling thru Tenn. Need advice please

[mommaU4]

We are driving to WDW from MI and will be staying in the Chatanooga area in Tennessee and wondered if any one has stayed there before and has any advice regarding hotels, rest stops, etc?

 

[Poohs Pal]

I havn't stayed in chattanooga but have stayed at the Wingate in Dalton, Ga. Dalton was nice. Make sure you stop at the rest stop nearest your stay and pick up a booklet of the hotel discounts for the area you choose to stay at. Susan

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I used to live in northwest GA, less than an hour south of Chattanooga.

The Hamilton Place mall area has a LOT of hotel and dining options. It's off I-75 at exit 5, IIRC. Exit 1 in Tennessee also has some hotels and dining, but the Hamilton Place area is nicer, IMO.

If you go past Chattanooga into GA, Dalton is about 20 minutes south and Calhoun (my old home town ) is about 20 minutes past that. The Walnut Avenue exit for Dalton (they changed the exit numbers, but it's the first exit past Dalton College, which you'll pass on your right) and the Highway 53 exit for Calhoun are probably the best bets for hotels and dining.

There's also a rest stop in GA right over the state line and another between Dalton and Calhoun.

Depending on the time of day you're entering GA and how tired you may or may not be, I'd almost recommend getting past Atlanta if you want to stop for the night. 45 miles south of Calhoun is Kennesaw/Marietta, and you're definitely in the Atlanta suburbs then. If you stop north of Atlanta on a weekday, keep in mind you'll have Atlanta traffic to contend with in the morning.

If you decide to brave the Atlanta traffic in the morning, well .. godspeed and make sure you take the HOV lane through downtown because the Perimeter I-285 can be as bad as downtown at times.

 

[SB in KY]

We are not crazy about the interstate accessible places to stop in Chattanooga....I would reccommend going just a little farther south to Dalton Ga as the others have suggested...nicer and cheaper over nights there (we liked the Wingate too) and lots of dining options.

I also agree with the previous poster about AM traffic in Atlanta unless you will be travelling on a weekend (Sats are not bad and Sundays are fine in the AM's)

 

[Disney_1derland]

I vote for Dalton as well, we don't like the areas of Chattanooga right off the interstate.

 

[manning]

I havn't stayed in chattanooga but have stayed at the Wingate in Dalton, Ga. Dalton was nice. Make sure you stop at the rest stop nearest your stay and pick up a booklet of the hotel discounts for the area you choose to stay at. Susan

Hit the first rest stop for each state you enter. These are usually the welcome centers and have loads of info, including the motel/hotel discount booklets.

 

[Poohs Pal]

Manning that's true. We have also found these at most rest stops so we usually just crab one when we get close to stopping. If you aren't sure where you want to stay the welcome center is the best place to pick one up. Also if the welcome center is still open they will call and make your reservaton for your hotel of choice. Susan

 

[Mom+4]

If you need to stop before Chatanooga, Murfreesboro, TN is a good place. There is a Holiday Inn there which is pretty reasonable. We are stopping there in December when we drive from St. Louis (after I get out of work). We could possibly go further but want to avoid the mountain/fog/ice/etc. around Monteagle, TN at night. Good luck and drive safely.

 

[mommaU4]

I vote for Dalton as well, we don't like the areas of Chattanooga right off the interstate.

Why? Are they bad or unsafe? Now I'm nervous.
We are driving from Traverse City MI and will be pushing it to make it to Chattanooga the first night. Don't think I could go much further especially with four kids.

 

[wdisneelvr]

Go to tripadvisor.com and put your information in for Chattanooga hotels. You will find all the answers you need to locate a hotel. The site is great for hotel reviews as well as good and bad areas that the hotel may be located in.

I usually stay at the LaQuinta off of I-75, but that is because I take my pet with me.

Happy trails!

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Priceline!!