Well, months have passed since my aborted task to become a blogger. Anne and I made the move to Chattanooga (Hixson actually) and we are settled in. My original intent on this blog was to offer my opinions on pressing issues of the day. It was meant to spread my opinions on many subjects -- politics, flying and its risks and reporting on drunken pilots and poor maintenance, and careless mechanics, and general shortcomings we run across in everyday life. BUT, after a couple of reviews from family who thought I was concentrating excessively on the negative aspects of "life" and upon subsequent introspection I have decided they were probably right. I just don't have the "fire in the belly" to concentrate on negative things or ineptitude, or bad manners, or surliness, or the tragedies and bad things in life. So, I shall abandon those crusades and simply report on the more pleasant and positive issues of the day (I hope). No guarantees though. And I labor under no assumptions that this site will be the first thing everyone checks in the morning! More likely, once a year if I'm lucky.
We moved to Chattanooga for a "new adventure." After ten years on the mountaintop in North Carolina, we had seen and done about everything there several times and decided we weren't ready to spend the rest of our time rocking on the porch looking at the Smokies. We wanted the weather to be about the same and to be close to a big lake and a larger city with the usual attractions. Growing up in Flint, Anne still enjoys seeing lots of snow, but I have no such passion! Chattanooga was really the only choice, so we made a few short trips here and were
really impressed.
The Crossroads of Dixie. Chattanooga sits along a seven-mile bend (Moccasin Bend) in the Tennessee River and the deep ravine here is known as the Grand Canyon of the South.
Lake Chickamauga is three times the size of Lake Fontana, the weather is moderate and still has the four seasons. And real estate prices were surprisingly cheaper. Population of Chattanooga proper is about 160,000 and it touts itself as The Scenic City. No state income tax is great, although offset by a 9 1/4 % sales tax. We moved the end of August and are still truly amazed at how friendly and welcoming every single person has been that we have met. Although we made some wonderful and dear friends in NC, we thought people in general there were a little more clannish and less welcoming to strangers. One of the big issues was all the Floridians with bags of money coming to western NC and driving up real estate prices and thus property taxes that became onerous to those local people.
We wanted a bigger home to hopefully accommodate family and grandchildren in the near future. We found that in a large subdivision in a suburb of Chattanooga (Hixson). Our tree-filled back yard slopes down to a small cove off the lake. Property between our back yard and the lake is owned by TVA and will never be built upon. We can walk to the lake in 5 minutes or drive to the marina in ten. Hospitals and the usual shopping necessities are less than 10 minutes away and the largest mall in Tennessee is about 20 minutes away.
(Some of the following information is thanks to
Off The Beaten Path, by Tim O'Brien.)
There are lots of attractions nearby, the most notable probably being
Rock City on
Lookout Mountain. I have always assumed that was a sort of tourist trap, but it is certainly worth a visit - touristy yes, but beautiful views and an interesting 3/4 mile hike. From Lovers Leap, one can supposedly see seven states. And while on top, don't fail to drive through
Fairyland. Lookout Mountain is also home of
Ruby Falls. Lookout Mountain was the site of the battle subsequent to Chickamauga and part of the overall Battle of Chattanooga. On top of the mountain is
Point Park, site of the crux of the battle and also now has a
Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map theatre. Also atop the mountain is
Covenant College. The college owns and has restored
The Castle in the Clouds resort hotel which is now their main building. Don't forget to ride the mile-long
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, built in 1895, with a 72% grade at the top and the best ice cream in Chattanooga.
Signal Mountain is also an interesting drive - it has its own little town or community up on top. A word of warning -- there are about three access roads to Signal Mountain. Erika and Frances will attest to this -- the last trip down the winding turns are SO sharp, while navigating downone particular curve, I plowed right into the back of our own truck! :)
Of course the
Chickamauga-Chattanooga Battlefield National Park is here (actually in Georgia) where we found a large monument to Lt. George Washington Landrum of Cincinnati, but that is another story. During the era of WW II, Chattanooga was a heavy industry town -- lots of factories, foundries, metal working plants, and lots of industrial smog and pollution. In the 50's and 60's, those industries moved away and Chattanooga was NOT The Scenic City. Being the home of the first licensed Coca Cola bottling factory, "old money" was plentiful and many of the city's leaders initiated plans to revitalize the city and concentrate upon tourism as a chief means of income for the area. And they have been wonderfully successful. Attractions include a downtown filled with tourists on any good weather day sampling food in all the trendy local restaurants.
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a AA farm team of the Cincinnati Reds MLB team and they have a beautiful new stadium.
The Tennessee Aquarium is touted as the premier aquarium in the South. Once the only way to cross the river downtown, the
Walnut Street Bridge, circa 1891, is considered the longest pedestrian walkway in the world. In 1993, when the new bridge was built, a $4 million renovation turned it into a great place for a stroll and for sightseeing No cars allowed. In late September every year, there is a
Wine Over Water Festival held there.
Coolidge Park on the far shore is a wonderful grassy place for picnics and sunbathing and for taking a ride on a beautifully restored carousel complete with the calliope. The paddlewheeler,
Southern Belle, goes for nightly dinner cruises up and down the river at dusk for a really nominal fee. You can sit up top and watch the city slip by to the accompaniment of another old, original calliope.
The North Shore is reminiscent of a "hippie" area (to us old folk) but has great restaurants and is rapidly becoming a most interesting place to visit. And while there, DO NOT miss
Frankensteen's -- the best little breakfast nook anywhere -- just don't go on weekends -- too crowded. The
Bluffview Art District is a hip, classy little neighborhood of arts and dining. Visitors here must not miss
Rembrandt's Coffee House ( wonderful chocolatier and lunches). Housed in a restored classic revival mansion,
The Hunter Museum of American Art offers the most complete collection of American art in the Southeast. The area also offers a glass studio, sculpture garden, bed and breakfast, and numerous small, trendy restaurants. And everybody in Chattanooga eats bread from the
Bluff View Bakery! Every June, the river here is the site of
Riverbend Festival and attracts about half a million people during its nine day run. Five different stages offer top flight music from all genres. A great day trip downtown is the
Chattanooga Zoo. The
Creative Discovery Museum will entertain children AND adults for several days! Although a big Coca Cola city, Chattanooga is home of the
Moon Pie which, along with an RC Cola, has been lunch for many a Southern boy! And yes, there really is a
Chattanooga Choo Choo! It sits downtown in the old art deco terminal station (very similar to Union Station in Cincinnati). The 85-foot-tall freestanding brick dome is the largest of its type in the world. Simply awe-inspiring. The site features restored train cars, landscaped gardens, and Victorian-era shops and restaurants. If you want, you can eat dinner in the club car, or dine privately in your own car, or even spend the night in your own luxurious private car. The phrase "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was coined in 1880 when the railroad initiated the first service from Cincinnati to the Crossroads of Dixie and of course, greatly popularized by Glenn Miller. There are other railway points of interest around Chattanooga including multiple places to ride the old steam-driven trains and view railway facilities. And again, for the kids and young at heart, there is
Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park nearby. An old-time version of amusement parks as we used to know them.
Also downtown is the old, restored
Tivoli Theatre - a beautifully restored movie theatre from days gone by. In the summer time, amphibious WW II
"ducks" will take you for a daring ride through downtown straight
into the Tennessee River. The Tennessee River, thanks to the TVA and a long series of dams, and thus, among others, created Lake Chickamauga and Watts Bar Lake, allows one to travel by boat to the Gulf of Mexico or to Chicago and beyond.
We probably won't be making that trip however on a pontoon boat!There are simply too many other smaller attractions to mention. Like the tour of the
George Dickel whiskey distillery nearby! Or
The Lost Sea, 30 minutes up I-75, is a huge underground cavern 300 feet below the surface that has a 4-acre underground lake, with glass-bottomed boat tours, whose depth has yet to be discovered!
It didn't take her long to become UK's youngest and most precious fan!
Skyline Drive had some very scenic vistas and lots of deer, but having spent almost ten years in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina we weren't too impressed. My dearest friend, Larry Collins, who died in an ultralight aircraft crash in 1998, always told me I had to make that drive. It was one of his favorite trips that he made annually in the fall and I had always promised him someday I would do it.
e had time for a tour of Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall"Jackson's home, and quickly decided to spend the night and explore more the next day. We saw the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee when he was president of the university after The War and where he died and is buried. It is a very interesting town filled with authentic shops and things to see and do.
e had time for a tour of Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall"Jackson's home, and quickly decided to spend the night and explore more the next day. We saw the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee when he was president of the university after The War and where he died and is buried. It is a very interesting town filled with authentic shops and things to see and do.
