Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, the 4th largest city in the state, is located in Southeast Tennessee near the border of Georgia at the junction of four interstate highways. The city has received national recognition for the renaissance of its beautiful downtown and redevelopment of its riverfront.  Chattanooga was one of the first US cities to effectively use a citizen visioning process to set specific long-range goals to enrich the lives of residents and visitors.  In Chattanooga, citizens like to get involved, and they like to show off their accomplishments. 

The Chattanooga Convention and Trade Center is a state-of-the-art facility that has recently been expanded. Public entities and private citizens worked together in recent years to build the 20,000 seat Max Finley Stadium. In keeping with the beauty of the area, the city has developed an extensive greenway system which includes 5 miles of constructed river walk beginning downtown and meandering through the historic art district and several parks. What better way to experience the feel of the city than to take time to enjoy the downtown sights, shops and restaurants:  all of them within walking distance. The city supports a downtown shuttle fleet of zero-emission electric buses - manufactured in Chattanooga - for visitors wishing to park-and-ride.  In this city, you don't have to drive your car unless you want.

There are many attractions to experience in this traditional southern town.  The best known are probably the Tennessee Aquarium, Lookout Mountain, the African American Museum, and the Appalachian Trail, but Chattanooga is also the site of many Civil War battlefields that are historically significant. The Creative Discovery Museum for children is outstanding and will entertain every member of the family.   Among annual events of interest are the Riverbend Festival, the Bessie Smith Strut, the Fall Color Cruise, and the Southern Writers Conference. Chattanooga is the home of NCAA Division I-AA national football championships and hosts the national softball championships every year as well. 

The climate is moderate, so the outdoors can be experienced year round.  Whether your interest is hiking, biking, walking, sky diving, rafting, or just strolling through a local park, Chattanooga serves well either as a destination in itself or as a base for unique adventures throughout the region.  Some of these are hang-gliding, bass fishing, mountain climbing and caving expeditions.  A little known fact about Chattanooga is that the Smoky Mountains and Tennessee River valley are known to support the greatest variety of flora of any area in the United States.

With its scenic beauty, moderate climate, proximity to a host of attractions and sites, and proximity to major Interstate highways, Chattanooga is a city that should be on every traveler's itinerary.