Visiting Chattanooga?

[Claire&TheBoys]

We're trying to build a quick vacation to Chattanooga into a trip to see family in a few weeks. I've done some research and know we want to go to the aquarium and do the Lookout Mtn touristy stuff (incline railway, See Rock City, Ruby Falls). I've heard there's a good children's museum there - what ages is that geared for? Is it like a hands-on science museum? My kids are 6 and 10.

Also, has anyone stayed in a nice hotel in the Downtown area? I'd like to take advantage of the free shuttle when we can. I was looking at a Staybridge Suites until I mapped it out and it appears to be right next to the Interstate, and I'm afraid it would be noisy. My husband is military, so we usually get the military rate if available. We like suite-type hotels with free breakfast.

Thanks for any info you can pass along!

 

[si-am]

We stayed in the Staybridge Suites a few years ago and really liked it. We did not notice noise from the interstate at all, though you could see it from the window. The room was nice, though; we enjoyed our stay.

The only downside is that it wasn't really walkable to the heart of downtown. (With the aquarium, shopping, dining, etc.) We had to drive.

 

[loricdietzel]

I would say the children's museum really varies as far as ages go. I would say maybe ages 5-12 would get the most out of it. I think older than that would be bored but younger would enjoy it, just not get the educational aspects (My then 3 1/2 and 12 mo old LOVED it!) It encompasses a lot of areas including music, archeology, art, and such. Not really a science museum in my opinion. We were only there a few hours a year ago so I am sure someone else could give you better input!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We stayed in the Staybridge Suites a few years ago and really liked it. We did not notice noise from the interstate at all, though you could see it from the window. The room was nice, though; we enjoyed our stay.

The only downside is that it wasn't really walkable to the heart of downtown. (With the aquarium, shopping, dining, etc.) We had to drive.

That's good to know! Thanks!

I thought the shuttle picked up just a block or two away from the hotel - was it not easily walkable?

 

[si-am]

That's good to know! Thanks!

I thought the shuttle picked up just a block or two away from the hotel - was it not easily walkable?

We didn't look into the shuttle, so I can't really help you there. The hotel really wasn't that far from stuff. Just not super close enough to walk to any of it. It didn't seem to be in an unsafe area, though.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Chattanooga is one our family's favorite places - LOVE IT!

We most recently went last September, to celebrate my husband's successful cancer surgery. I got a cheap, cheap rate through Priceline at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. It is an older property, and YMMV but we loved it for our purpose. It is on one end of town and the river & aquarium are on the other. The free shuttle begins right next to the Choo Choo. Be forewarned, you will meet some "interesting" folks on the shuttle, as it is free and Chattanooga does have I guess what you would consider street people. Nevertheless, my husband requested that we plan a getaway for October and he verified that yes, he does want to stay at the Choo Choo again and considered the shuttle to be its own attraction.

The children's museum is like a hands-on museum. My kids LOVED it when they were younger.

There is a Groupon today for Chattanooga, for a one or two man 3-hour kayak rental for $29 but it is only through August 30, so that won't work for us.

We did the sunset River Gorge boat cruise (through the Aquarium) last year and really enjoyed it; although I thought it was a bit crowded (full capacity). There are other cruise companies, also.

We are not fans of Ruby Falls (and we also discovered we both had more than a little claustrophobia - who knew?) but we totally, thoroughly enjoyed Rock City. And the Incline scared us both half to death. That is one STEEP incline. Glad we did it, don't want to do it again, little other entertainment value there other than being terrified.

There is a fantastic donut shop across the river called Julie Darling donuts. I still dream about the pancakes & bacon donut from there. It's not to be missed!!! There is also a cute pet bakery near Julie Darling. In fact, there are several neat spots across the river. We love using the pedestrian bridge to get there.

You will need to drive to the Rock City/Incline Railway/Ruby Falls. They are not directly near downtown.

Go to the Chattanooga visitor's center website and you can get coupons for lots of activities/restaurants.

OH. One more thing. You HAVE to eat at the City Diner. It is attached to the Days Inn; do not let this deter you. Eat there early in your trip, and I guarantee you will eat there again at least once before you go home. I think it's open 24 hours. Just looking at the cakes display is amazing!

I'll try to think of more and reply again. We looooooove Chattanooga.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Chattanooga is one our family's favorite places - LOVE IT!

We most recently went last September, to celebrate my husband's successful cancer surgery. I got a cheap, cheap rate through Priceline at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. It is an older property, and YMMV but we loved it for our purpose. It is on one end of town and the river & aquarium are on the other. The free shuttle begins right next to the Choo Choo. Be forewarned, you will meet some "interesting" folks on the shuttle, as it is free and Chattanooga does have I guess what you would consider street people. Nevertheless, my husband requested that we plan a getaway for October and he verified that yes, he does want to stay at the Choo Choo again and considered the shuttle to be its own attraction.

The children's museum is like a hands-on museum. My kids LOVED it when they were younger.

There is a Groupon today for Chattanooga, for a one or two man 3-hour kayak rental for $29 but it is only through August 30, so that won't work for us.

We did the sunset River Gorge boat cruise (through the Aquarium) last year and really enjoyed it; although I thought it was a bit crowded (full capacity). There are other cruise companies, also.

We are not fans of Ruby Falls (and we also discovered we both had more than a little claustrophobia - who knew?) but we totally, thoroughly enjoyed Rock City. And the Incline scared us both half to death. That is one STEEP incline. Glad we did it, don't want to do it again, little other entertainment value there other than being terrified.

There is a fantastic donut shop across the river called Julie Darling donuts. I still dream about the pancakes & bacon donut from there. It's not to be missed!!! There is also a cute pet bakery near Julie Darling. In fact, there are several neat spots across the river. We love using the pedestrian bridge to get there.

You will need to drive to the Rock City/Incline Railway/Ruby Falls. They are not directly near downtown.

Go to the Chattanooga visitor's center website and you can get coupons for lots of activities/restaurants.

OH. One more thing. You HAVE to eat at the City Diner. It is attached to the Days Inn; do not let this deter you. Eat there early in your trip, and I guarantee you will eat there again at least once before you go home. I think it's open 24 hours. Just looking at the cakes display is amazing!

I'll try to think of more and reply again. We looooooove Chattanooga.

Thank you so much for all the terrific information!

A few follow-up questions, if you don't mind..

-You said your children loved the museum when they were "younger" - like how young? My kids are 6 and 10.

-What is a "pet bakery"? or is that a typo? My kids will LOVE a bakery with pancake and bacon donuts -- I'll save that for a surprise.

-Thanks for the tip on the City Diner, also!

My best friend also recommended the Choo-Choo hotel, but she stayed in one of the renovated train car rooms, which are pretty expensive from what I saw and I didn't think staying in a regular room would be anything special. Plus, breakfast is not included and I like to save a buck.

Please come back with any more information you think of!

 

[zoemariesmamma]

There is an adorable amusement park there called Lake Winnie. We stopped on our way to Disney once. It was a great little park and pretty cheap too.

 

[TheRatPack]

Yes, there is a Pet Bakery called Bone Appetit They have pet treats and really great specialized items for your furry friends

Across the river there is a park, Coolidge Park, that has a carousel and water jet play area. There is a Sweet CiCi's Yogurt...etc. Downtown of course there is the Fresh water Aquarium, Salt Water Aquarium, the Passage (another water play area near the Aquarium). The Creative Discovery Museum is nice....I think your 6 and 10 year old would have plenty of fun there. And near the Museum is the IMAX theater and the Lookouts Baseball Field.

There are many many different restaurants to choose from including Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Applebees, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings, TGIFridays, Chilis....all within 2-3 blocks of the hotels on Chestnut St. Staybridge is a little further down, more toward the business side of town.

The Courtyard Marriott is centrally located (Chestnut St) and so is the Residence Inn.

 

[ilovebassets]

We stayed in the Residence Inn downtown. Great location, could walk everywhere.

Besides the usual tourist stuff, I recommend crossing the river on the pedestrian bridge. There's a beautiful park with a nice indoor carousel on the other side and a street with lots of boutique, hipster type shops and places to eat (for lack of a better description). There's also a quite a nice art museum right by the river. We were hesitant to go with our toddler but we actually had a great time. Rock City is fantastic. Ruby Falls was okay. I would do it again some time, but Rock City I would do again in a heartbeat.

 

[My2Angels]

We travel to Chattanooga often, since it is a short 2 hour drive away. Our favorite place to go is the Bluff View Art District. Here is a link: http://bluffviewbakery.com/ . They have a fabulous Italian restaurant named Tony's, and a quaint little coffee house named Rembrandt's. There is also an art gallery there that is really nice. You can even get a room there in the Bed and breakfast.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Yes, there is a Pet Bakery called Bone Appetit They have pet treats and really great specialized items for your furry friends

Across the river there is a park, Coolidge Park, that has a carousel and water jet play area. There is a Sweet CiCi's Yogurt...etc. Downtown of course there is the Fresh water Aquarium, Salt Water Aquarium, the Passage (another water play area near the Aquarium). The Creative Discovery Museum is nice....I think your 6 and 10 year old would have plenty of fun there. And near the Museum is the IMAX theater and the Lookouts Baseball Field.

There are many many different restaurants to choose from including Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Applebees, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings, TGIFridays, Chilis....all within 2-3 blocks of the hotels on Chestnut St. Staybridge is a little further down, more toward the business side of town.

The Courtyard Marriott is centrally located (Chestnut St) and so is the Residence Inn.

Ah, I get it now, a bakery for pet treats. We can skip that; we have cats but we don't bring them treats. I knew about the baseball team, but unfortunately they're not playing home games the week we're planning to be there. My co-worker stayed in that Courtyard and liked it, but it's about $200/night plus parking fees and no breakfast.

We stayed in the Residence Inn downtown. Great location, could walk everywhere.

Besides the usual tourist stuff, I recommend crossing the river on the pedestrian bridge. There's a beautiful park with a nice indoor carousel on the other side and a street with lots of boutique, hipster type shops and places to eat (for lack of a better description). There's also a quite a nice art museum right by the river. We were hesitant to go with our toddler but we actually had a great time. Rock City is fantastic. Ruby Falls was okay. I would do it again some time, but Rock City I would do again in a heartbeat.

Thank you for the tips! I'll check on the Residence Inn.

We travel to Chattanooga often, since it is a short 2 hour drive away. Our favorite place to go is the Bluff View Art District. Here is a link: http://bluffviewbakery.com/ . They have a fabulous Italian restaurant named Tony's, and a quaint little coffee house named Rembrandt's. There is also an art gallery there that is really nice. You can even get a room there in the Bed and breakfast.

Yum, Italian! Thanks for the link!

I'm so happy to get these suggestions. I've been lots of places, but somehow have always missed Chattanooga. I am so glad I asked my fellow DIS-ers!

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Thank you so much for all the terrific information!

A few follow-up questions, if you don't mind..

-You said your children loved the museum when they were "younger" - like how young? My kids are 6 and 10.

-What is a "pet bakery"? or is that a typo? My kids will LOVE a bakery with pancake and bacon donuts -- I'll save that for a surprise.

-Thanks for the tip on the City Diner, also!

My best friend also recommended the Choo-Choo hotel, but she stayed in one of the renovated train car rooms, which are pretty expensive from what I saw and I didn't think staying in a regular room would be anything special. Plus, breakfast is not included and I like to save a buck.

Please come back with any more information you think of!

You're welcome!

I think your kids are the perfect age for the Creative Discovery Museum. Your older son is probably at the top end of age range, but if memory serves there will be plenty he would find interesting. We went the first time when my kids were 1+, 7, and 11 and they all had a blast then, as well as in subsequent years. There is a giant water feature as you enter the building and it is hard to move past that; it's a lot of fun. And unless things have changed, there are also exhibits on the roof! I saw a $1 off per ticket coupon on their website, fyi.

Oh, I need to correct myself - the actual name is the City Cafe Diner. Great food, huge portions, honest prices!

Re: the Choo Choo, with boys you may want to tour the grounds whether you stay there or not. There is a good restaurant called the Terminal Brewhouse http://terminalbrewhouse.com/ next to the hotel. Very good hamburgers! We don't drink so I can't vouch for the beer, but it was busy when we were there. If you go at twilight, seeing the Choo Choo sign all lit up is cool. And they still light what appears to be the original gas lights in the evening along the tracks. And there's a rose garden . . . it's a neat place to walk through, and free.

On one of my trips with just the kids we stayed at the Choo Choo in a train car. It was a neat experience, but the old cars are just not set up to be easily converted to a modern hotel room. The only way I can describe it is "awkward". We ordered room service so they could have the experience and they were suitably impressed. I'm glad the kids & I did it, but I don't feel the need to do it again.

A PP mentioned the Passage. I had no idea that is where the Trail of Tears begins. I've always enjoyed that area, but knowing that's what it is makes it more meaningful (and me completely ashamed for what America did).

Chattanooga is home to the Moon Pie and there is a store downtown. It's also home to Little Debbie; not aware of a store for them. Unfortunately, neither offer tours.

I'll throw this in, too - it's just my opinion, but if you had to choose, the saltwater side of the Aquarium does not hold a candle to the freshwater side. The freshwater side is so awesomely done, and the saltwater side, not so much. It just doesn't have the cohesiveness the freshwater side does.

Have a great time! If I remember anything else, I'll let you know.

 

[Lilliputian]

We've also stayed in the Residence Inn and loved it. It was so close to everything (well, not Ruby Falls and all that stuff that's not downtown, of course). We did take the shuttle when we went to the Choo Choo hotel, but I was glad we didn't have to take it all the time. Walking to the aquarium, children's museum, and Imax was wonderful.

I also agree that you should go over the river to the park with the carousel. The fountains there are fun, and it's just really pretty.

 

[rachael95]

If you're interested in Civil War stuff and you think you'd enjoy a rather frightening ride up the Incline, you should do it. But if you're not that into the Civil War, I felt like the price for the Incline Railway was a bit much for what you got. I was disappointed in that there wasn't more to do at the top (not to mention, there's a perfectly good road you can drive to get to the top and look out and you can go to the Civil War museum if you drive). But the top of the railway literally deposits you into a subdivision with some houses and you have to walk over and pay more to get into the Civil War stuff. Though there is a free place to sit and listen to a recording about a painting.

Ruby Falls is GREAT. I've done that several times and love it every time. Rock City is kitchy and a little weird but can be fun, especially if you have kids.

The Aquarium is wonderful. There is also an IMAX theater where you can see nature movies and things like that. It's really neat.

The trolleys in downtown are free and electric. Try them out.

Sticky Fingers restaurant that is out by Hamilton Place is better than the one downtown.

If you like music, there are a lot of independent artists who live in Chattanooga. One of them I like is Jennifer Daniels so might be a neat thing to check out. There are several places to listen to live music.

 

[2boysnme]

Hi- I live about 2 hours away from Chattanooga. We have hit most of the touristy spots at some point along the way. Ruby Falls, Rock City, Incline, Aquarium, Art District, Creative Discovery Museum, Choo Choo...

I second Tony's for italian but it was slow so only go if you have patient kids.
We also ride the trolley to the choo choo and walk around. They have a pizza place in a train car so we ate there once. I wouldn't stay there though since it is run down a little.
We like to walk over to the park across the river, and then go get an ice cream.
The children's museum is a member of the ACM so if you are a member of your local one you can get in free with reciprocity.
Also I am not a fan of the aquarium. Fresh water fish just aren't as pretty as salt water and it is expensive and kind of boring. IMO. My kids didn't like it either,

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

OK, I'm back with another question or two!

In looking at the operating hours for the various attractions, it looks like they all close by 5:30 or 6:00. What is there to do in the evenings in Chattanooga, like after dinner? We typically eat fairly early, 5:30-ish, and if we go directly back to the hotel by 7:00, it makes for a long evening in the room for my husband and me, with the kids watching Disney Channel and us playing on phones and laptops. I'm sure there are lots of malls, and we will visit one at least one night, but what about other entertainment? Anything besides mini-golf and bowling? We do that at home a lot. On our typical Disney vacation, we close the parks down most nights, our kids are used to go-go-go-ing on vacation.

Thanks!

 

[crazelion]

OK, I'm back with another question or two!

In looking at the operating hours for the various attractions, it looks like they all close by 5:30 or 6:00. What is there to do in the evenings in Chattanooga, like after dinner? We typically eat fairly early, 5:30-ish, and if we go directly back to the hotel by 7:00, it makes for a long evening in the room for my husband and me, with the kids watching Disney Channel and us playing on phones and laptops. I'm sure there are lots of malls, and we will visit one at least one night, but what about other entertainment? Anything besides mini-golf and bowling? We do that at home a lot. On our typical Disney vacation, we close the parks down most nights, our kids are used to go-go-go-ing on vacation.

Thanks!

I can answer that question easily. Check out a Chattanooga Lookouts game at ATT Field. We usually play at night except on Sundays and Wednesday day games. We have trolley to take people back to there cars too. We is a minor league baseball park with the affiliate with the LA Dodgers. Also We have the Free Nightfall concert on Friday nights at Miller Park. Riverfront nights which free concert starts in August that will be on Saturday night which at Ross Landings behind the TN Aquarium.

The ATT Field is right behind the IMAX theater too. There is three hotels that really close. The Residence Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard by Marriott.

I would not stay at the one connect to the trade center by Marriott because it right front of the Westside Projects aka hood.

You can ride the free shuttle to everything I all the attractions. Just with a slight walk.

If came in June could have went to music Riverbend Festival which is nine nights its not free but for 40 dollars for the whole nine nights.

I can there is whole months festival coming in the fall but I can't remember what it's call at the moment.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Unfortunately, the Lookouts are out of town the week we plan to be there (end of July/first few days of August). Otherwise, that was definitely on our list!

 

[Leajess99]

We're trying to build a quick vacation to Chattanooga into a trip to see family in a few weeks. I've done some research and know we want to go to the aquarium and do the Lookout Mtn touristy stuff (incline railway, See Rock City, Ruby Falls). I've heard there's a good children's museum there - what ages is that geared for? Is it like a hands-on science museum? My kids are 6 and 10.

Also, has anyone stayed in a nice hotel in the Downtown area? I'd like to take advantage of the free shuttle when we can. I was looking at a Staybridge Suites until I mapped it out and it appears to be right next to the Interstate, and I'm afraid it would be noisy. My husband is military, so we usually get the military rate if available. We like suite-type hotels with free breakfast.

Thanks for any info you can pass along!

We stayed at the Staybridge Suites and had no issues with noise. When we stayed the washers and dryers were free for use which was nice too. We also used the military rate and thought we got a great deal.

My kids loved the Children's museum, Aquarium, and Rock City. I hated Ruby Falls but my youngest was quite little when we went there so it may be better now that she is older.