Let’s wrap up our tour of the North Shore neighborhood by heading north along Market Street and checking out things to do and see going east and west from there.
Let me start at 100 W Bell Avenue at Hoppy’s North River Corner Market, where former local restauranteur Mark “Hoppy” Hopkins took over the former butcher shop and neighborhood market that’s been around since 1940. Hoppy once owned and operated the Stone Lion Tavern, an iconic downtown corner pub, Father Abrahams and Hoppy's Last Resort.
He opened the North River Corner Market in August of 2020. He currently uses his culinary skills to offer up the iconic staples original owner Fedora Evans prepared while adding many of the burgers and sandwiches he was well-known for. For the past two years Hoppy’s has won the category for Best Classic Burger during Chattanooga Burger Week. Last year it was for his classic cheeseburger. This year it was for his Swiss onion burger.
Hoppy’s North River Corner Market is still a grocery store selling milk, eggs, dog food, toilet paper and other items. Hopkins has curated more than 100 single beers and seltzers, which you can mix and match to form your perfect six-pack.
The area around Hoppy’s and heading towards Stringers Ridge Park was incorporated as Hill City in 1907. The area features early-20th-century bungalows and a diverse population, functioning as a core historic part of Chattanooga's modern North Shore.
According to their website, this year the Hill City Neighborhood Association (HCNA) is launching Play Streets where a road is blocked from traffic and opened for the community so kids can safely play games, jump rope, or chalk draw on the sidewalk and enjoy being outdoors. The next one is set for August 21, where 10 Block Lawn Street will be closed to traffic from 5-7 p.m.
Just down the road is Fast Break Athletics a store devoted to runners and the running community that has been open since 1977. According to their website they are the unofficial historians of Chattanooga running. Behind their counter, they've got stacks of old newspaper clippings from the last 100 years.
They also help organize the annual Cam Run that honors the legacy of Cameron Bean, an outstanding runner and triathlete who was tragically struck by a car on Moccasin Bend Road on September 19, 2015. He was left at the scene of the accident. Cameron passed away from the resulting traumatic injuries on September 21, 2015, at the age of 28.
This section of North Shore is where you’ll find a Publix Supermarket where you can get your groceries or also grab lunch from the deli or hot food bar. There is a great, breakfast, brunch and lunch, coffee shop called Milk & Honey located in a cul-de-sac off North Market Street which is open daily from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m.
In that same cul-de-sac you’ll find local Tex-Mex favorite and recently renovated Taco Mamacita North Shore. They have one of the best Enchiladas Suiza I’ve tasted so far. Topped with crema and I like mine served with a side of fried sweet plantains.
In front of the cul-de-sac, in the former Longhorn Restaurant, is Build A Salad. If possible, this place really needs the community’s support. The owner was recently on the news saying his business has suffered from the recent cyclosporiasis outbreak. If things don’t pick up, he said he may need to close. If you’re seeking a healthy meal stop in at Real Roots Café. This is a casual vegan hang-out serving health-conscious smoothies, juices & bowls, plus toasted snacks.
For the community there is the Francis B Wyatt Community Center off Colville Street. Basketball, pickleball court, event space for rent, summer camps and Yoga programs and a baseball field offer ample ways for the community to gather and play. They offer educational activities for all ages, versatile spaces for events and gatherings and a variety of scheduled programs for both youth and adults.
From the community Center head East on Colville and then down Tremont Street for a meal at Aretha Frankensteins. Breakfast, brunch, beer and espresso are served in this eclectically decorated house, turned into a diner. They carry a large variety of locally crafted beers. They are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Did you know that in November 2022, the City of Chattanooga officially renamed the portion of Tremont Street extending to Frazier Avenue as Leslie Allen Jordan Way to honor the late Emmy-winning actor and comedian Leslie Jordan, who grew up in the area? A fitting tribute to a local acting and comedy legend.
So much to learn while exploring our neighborhoods. Which neighborhood should I explore next?