When I was younger, downtown Chattanooga wasn’t someplace you wanted to go hang out, especially at night. It was dark and dirty and the river was more for manufacturing than recreation. All that changed in the mid-90s with the Chattanooga Renaissance, a concentrated effort led by the local government and a strong volunteer force to make downtown cleaner and more appealing to local families and tourists. A focus was placed on the arts, especially sculptural arts, and several installations began cropping up around town.
It started with the building of a world-class aquarium on the river, and the incredibly interesting park they framed around it. About that time, they turned Coolidge Park from a field to the playground it is today. Then everything came to a head with the opening of the 21st Century Waterfront–an attraction in its own right.
Now, downtown Chattanooga is amazing! There are tons of great restaurants, attractions, and a huge rise in downtown living. It’s nothing like when I was a kid and everyone just worked in the city and lived in the suburbs.
We’ve discussed all the things that Chattanooga has had going for it for the 100 years or so. Let’s now take a look at what the Chattanooga Renaissance brought to the city for the 21st century.
TENNESSEE AQUARIUM
Oh, we native Chattanoogans are SO PROUD of our Tennessee Aquarium! We love it so much that it is almost entirely volunteer-run. Those divers you see cleaning the tanks and feeding fish? That nice lady educating you about the fish? Who does all the cleaning and watering and pruning of the plants inside? All volunteers.
RIVER JOURNEY (FRESH WATER)
First came the River Journey in 1992, which felt appropriate as we feel keenly our attachment to the Tennessee River. You ride a long escalator up to the top of the building, then circle your way down through the Appalachian forest, the Mississippi Delta, and river environments of the world. My favorite part of this building is the dark spiraling center in which you emerge after each section. It’s so peaceful! It reminds me a little of the line for Space Mountain at Disney World.
OCEAN JOURNEY (SALT WATER)
Ocean Journey opened in 2005 and invited all our colorful saltwater friends to the party. In River Journey, the middle is open while you experience variously-sized tanks along your path. In the Ocean Journey, there is mostly one massive tank in the middle that you circle to experience different levels of the coral reef. My favorite here is the Undersea Cavern. It feels like you’re underwater and there are lots of little cubbies to explore. Across both buildings, you’ll experience otters, alligators, lemurs, butterflies, penguins, sharks, and jellyfish. You can even touch sturgeon and stingrays.
PLAZA
Don’t forget to walk around outside! You can hardly help it–there’s a play river running through the paving stones that you can wade around in (though sometimes the water is off.) Inscribed in the concrete are historical dates, fossils, artifacts, even the lyrics to the Chattanooga Choo Choo song. And there are elevated walkways to give you a great view of the unique aquarium buildings and downtown. If you follow the pretend river from the side facing the real river towards downtown, the pavement will trace the history of Chattanooga.
TICKETS
Tickets for the aquarium cost $29.95 for adults, $18.95 for kids 3-12, and FREE for under 3. You can combine your tickets with the IMAX around the corner for $8 more per ticket (regularly $11.95.) Entry times are 10 am to 6 pm daily. There are lots of pay lots and street parking immediately nearby. The Chattanooga Visitor’s Center is right next door for more information on your Chattanooga visit!
CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM
The Creative Discovery Museum opened in 1995 just down Chestnut Street from the Aquarium. This children’s museum teaches through play and has lots of fun exhibits throughout the year. Coming up in September is Hello from Japan! giving children a peek into what it’s like to be a kid growing up in Tokyo.
Hours are 10 am-5 pm, expanded slightly to 9:30 am-5:30 pm during the summer months. Admission costs $14.95 for ages 2 and older, $9.95 for the military, FREE for Chattanooga police and firefighters and $9.95 for law enforcement from outside the city. $11.95 for seniors 65+. Show your ticket stub from the Aquarium and get in for $12.95.
IMAX THEATER
The IMAX 3D Theater opened in 1996, is operated by the Aquarium, and specializes in short science documentaries and the occasional feature-length movie. Today you can find three shows: The Wild Around You: Backyard Wilderness, Oceans 3D, and America’s Musical Journey. I would dearly love to see that last one!
Tickets are $11.95 for adults, $9.95 for kids 3-12, or $8 each tagged onto an aquarium ticket. Showtimes alternate throughout the day, with a movie playing every hour from 11 am to 6 pm Sunday-Thursday, 9 pm on Fridays-Saturdays. America’s Musical Journey only plays in the evenings at 6 or 9 pm.
WALNUT STREET BRIDGE, COOLIDGE PARK, NORTH CHATTANOOGA
I’ll lump these together. Renovating the Walnut Street Bridge into a pedestrian bridge in 1993 opened up downtown to the North Shore. They turned Coolidge Park from a field with a few tanks in it to a beautiful riverside park with an antique carousel carrying a charming array of new animals carved right in Chattanooga. They poured beautiful sidewalks, added a huge play fountain, musical sculptures, and lots of open areas to play in with picnic tables and grills. Frasier Avenue worked up a good restaurant and retail scene and they imprinted dance instructions into the sidewalks. It is now a wonderful area to walk around and hang out in!
They have since expanded the area to include Renaissance Park, a lovely sculpture park with lots of walking paths and excellent vantage points for viewing downtown. It’s a great spot for pictures!
21ST CENTURY WATERFRONT
THE PASSAGE
In 2005, Chattanooga finished its $100 million dollar revitalization of 129 acres, chiefly along the Ross’s Landing area. This includes The Passage, an impressive tribute to the Trail of Tears. Located right next to the Aquarium, a “weeping wall” trickles water into a trough, gaining in volume until you reach broad steps with water pouring down to a pool below. You can walk up and down the steps–they’re not slippery at all–or there are dry steps and places to sit on the side. The walls display seven medallions depicting the story of the Cherokee nation with stainless steel figures and quotes embedded in the wall near the river. It’s both a moving tribute and a really fun place to play on a warm day!
FIRST STREET STEPS
At the base of The Passage, there are huge fountain jets that look amazing at night. To the right is a small private area for docking your boat for a Chattanooga visit, but most everything else is to the left. The First Street Steps is terraced area great for concerts or just hanging out, and pylons topped with fire cauldrons provide “plug & play” docking for larger luxury boats. This area is used heavily during Chattanooga’s annual Riverbend Festival. Though I confess I haven’t seen the cauldrons lit since they had their grand opening ceremonies in 2005! Those were super cool.
CHATTANOOGA PIER
Farther down, you’ll find more green spaces, the Chattanooga Pier, an amphitheater, a playground, plus the Southern Belle docks in this area. The Pier is punctuated with an art piece called “Luminous Light Masts” which, honestly, look amazing at night. I like that they change the color of the lights sometimes to reflect the season. Besides Riverbend, other annual festivals use Ross’s Landing, like the amazing (and FREE) 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival.
THE RIVERWALK
The Chattanooga Riverwalk (or Tennessee Riverpark) is a 13-mile paved and lighted path from Ross’s Landing all the way out to the Chickamauga Dam. It incorporates the updated Ross’s Landing area, the Walnut Street Bridge, Coolidge and Renaissance Parks, through the Bluff View Art District, past the Chattanooga Rowing Center, a few other really lovely parks, culminating in the large Riverpark at Chickamauga Dam. There are restrooms and water fountains along the way, boat ramps in places, and picnic facilities. Most of the path keeps the river in view, but there are sections that go through marshes and boardwalks. The part around the Rowing Center is my favorite!
WEST VILLAGE
One of the newest areas to come to downtown Chattanooga is the West Village, a 2-block area around the remodeled Westin hotel. Every weekend, the streets are closed to traffic, the food trucks roll out, and a stage lights up with music from local performers. At various points during the evening, there is a laser show! The festivities start every Friday night at 5 pm, and Saturday night at 7 pm. I think the Friday night “Out on 8th” is really more of a food festival. I’ve only been once on St. Patrick’s Day when it was very, very crowded and spent most of my night standing in line for a food truck. I’d like to go back on a not-holiday weekend and see what it’s like normally. It is kid-friendly, and the first laser show of the evening is for kids!
They seem to have variations on this event throughout the year with special nights for Cinco de Mayo, New Year’s, Halloween, etc. Keep an eye on their website or facebook page for updates.
And if you venture into the Westin hotel itself, it’s really nice! They have a beautiful lobby, a street-side bar with a long fire pit, afternoon tea in the lobby, and a sort-of rooftop inside/outside bar on the 10th floor with live music and awesome views.
Chattanooga has SO MUCH to offer, both in a historical context and in what we build for future generations. There is certainly enough here to satisfy for a weekend or a lifetime.
My sisters and I need to walk around the aquarium more often, we’ve never seen the Trail of Tears fountain thing, or been to the water front. 🙂