How to experience Chattanooga as a native
As a born-and-raised Chattanoogan, I feel insanely lucky to call the Scenic City my one and only home. It’s the kind of place I would have wanted to move to when I got older had I not already lived here, and now that I’m an “adult,” I couldn’t see myself living anywhere other than right here.
No matter if you’re a tourist or a local looking to have a staycation downtown, there is no shortage of things to do and places to see, it just depends on what you’re interested in.When it comes to resting your head, whether you want to be in the heart of downtown or on the Southside, you can find a comfy, cozy bed almost anywhere you look.
We’ve got everything from boutique hotels like The Dwell Hotel with their swanky take on mid-century modern luxury to the tried-and-true Chattanooga Choo Choo where you can stay in a train car from eras past while still enjoying modern amenities.
Beyond the selection of sleeping accommodations, Chattanooga is littered with places to get the best kind of meal in whatever flavor tickles your fancy. If you’re itching for tacos and tequila or maybe an evening of red sauce and wine, you won’t go hungry here. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, raw diets, Chattanooga encompasses it all in a range of budgets to fit every guest.
To me, Chattanooga is such a hit with tourists due to far more than just our swanky accommodations and good eats. We’re one of those special cities that possesses something for everyone to do whether you’re single, a couple, a family, or a group of friends swinging through town.
Dancing, dining, learning, exploring, creating, Chattanooga will leave you with little to be desired. But when you think of Chattanooga’s tourism scene, what comes to mind? Ruby Falls? The Creative Discovery Museum? The Aquarium, the Chattanooga Zoo, the list goes on and on, but what about the out-of-the-box things to do in town?
International Towing and Recovery Museum
Back in 1916, the first commercially produced twin-boom wrecker was invented right here in Chattanooga. Just a few miles from where the International Towing Museum sits on Broad Street, Ernest Holmes Sr. got the idea of rigging up a truck to tow cars out of sticky situations after he needed blocks, ropes, and six men to pull a car out of a creek.
The museum came to be more than 20 years ago when a group of towing professionals known as Friends of Towing decided to open a place where towing and recovery professionals worldwide could be recognized for their efforts, the industry’s history could be recorded and viewed, artifacts and memorabilia of interest could be collected and displayed, and to educate the public about an industry that many may have overlooked.
“This is the only towing and recovery museum in the world,” says museum employee Jim Starry. Besides it being the home of the first tow truck, Starry says what make them even more unique is the collection of trucks inside.
“We have a large collection of different trucks, starting with the replica of the first tow truck made right here. So you can start there and go all the way up to the newest one that was made in 1950,” says Starry. “We have a 1913 Cadillac tow truck and a 1913 Locomobile which was made in Pennsylvania for a short period of time.”
Inside the museum is a treasure trove of outrageously cool automobiles and tow trucks as to be expected, but what first caught my eye was the garden-esque area out front featuring a uniquely sculpted fountain. The taillights of a submerged vehicle peek out of the water at the fountain’s base, a stone sculpture of a rescue perched above it in which a tow truck operator comes to the aid of the driver.
Helping those in need is something towing and recovery professionals are dedicated to as they risk their lives almost daily to help stranded drivers. Approximately one tower is killed every six days despite the Move Over law.
To commemorate the lives of those lost in their line of work, the International Towing and Recovery Museum features the Wall of the Fallen outside the museum. “It’s a list of towers that get killed in the line of duty,” says Starry. “It started in 2007, but anyone that comes in and can prove that their relative lost their life serving in the towing and recovery profession will have that relative’s name added to the wall. We have a ceremony the third weekend in September to add the new names.”
A truly special place beyond the fact that it’s the only one in the world, the International Towing and Recovery Museum is a sight to see and worth a look through the history of an incredible occupation.
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
As our lives in modern times progress and expand in more ways than we imagined, the bustle of the everyday can become overwhelming in the blink of an eye. Taking a vacation isn’t always relaxing depending on your itinerary. Lucky for us Chattanoogans, among our plethora of available activities visitors can take some time to return to a slower-paced era as they visit the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.
Described at times as a “moving museum,” the TVRR is the only full-sized train ride available in Tennessee, and with more than a handful of different styled train rides to experience, more than one trip to the museum and Chattanooga are in order.
Whether you’re a newlywed couple looking for an out-of-the-box date night or a family looking to experience the history surrounding Tennessee Valley Railroad, hitch a ride and prepare to be immersed in the romantic age of escaping reality along the rails.
Customizing your experience at TVRR is entirely up to you. A favorite of travelers, the Chickamauga Turn is a leisurely ride through the woods of Tennessee and on into Georgia as the rails will arrive in Chickamauga, Georgia. Guests aboard this trip will get to enjoy the taste of sweet iced tea along with lunch as you dine in the lunch car, as well as a stop at historic Civil War site, the Chickamauga Battlefield.
With more than just the Chickamauga Turn available, Tennessee Valley Railroad offers an outstanding selection of potential rides. Dinner on the Diner is a perfect experience for those wishing to spice up their dinner plans. A three-course meal will be provided in a vintage dining car where four guests may be seated, the Pullman car which seats two, or the Eden Isle private office car where eight can be seated for private parties with a call-ahead reservation.
The Missionary Ridge Local Train is a favorite of mine and one of the most relaxing afternoons I’ve spent in a good while. You’ll board the train, find a seat, and head off on a quick twenty-minute ride to the East Chattanooga Station.
Once you arrive, everyone will deboard and experience a turntable demonstration in which the train car is positioned on the turntable and is moved to return the direction from which it came. Here you can take some time to visit the backshop tour during the turntable demonstration before heading back to the Grand Junction Station.
All in all, it takes about an hour and some change and is the perfect way to spend a slow, sleepy afternoon experiencing a simpler time.
Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding
A great deal of folks come to the Scenic City for all things outdoors. Climbers flock to our rocks, hikers can’t get enough of our trails, and just about every other outdoor activity can be accounted for too. Paddle boarding, biking, skating, kayaking, swimming, we’ve got it all covered. But no one has the skies covered better than Lookout Mountain Fly Park.
Located on a beautiful bluff atop Lookout Mountain, the Lookout Mountain Fly Park offers tandem hang gliding, classes and solo glides for whatever your adrenaline-fueled heart desires. If you’re a seasoned pro or have never seen a glider in your life, they’re the place to start.
“We have two main beginner package options,” says Janet Chesson, an employee of Lookout Mountain Fly Park. The beginner options are of lower time commitment than other options and are perfect for someone interested in just spending a few hours, half a day at most, to get themselves into it.
“The introductory experience is a half day and gets you a morning on the training hill on the glider by yourself just learning the fundamentals. Your first flight will take you five feet off the ground with you as the sole pilot,” says Chesson. “You’ll work there for a couple hours and then complete the tandem program where you’ll fly with an instructor at full altitude of 1,500 to 3,000 feet.”
Fair warning, once your feet leave the ground you might find yourself signing up for classes so you can glide for the rush whenever you want it. Lookout Mountain Fly Park offers a novice training package which is currently $100 off through the end of May.
Chesson and the park’s employees would like for newcomers or those interested in training packages to come in and talk with him about why you want to become a hang glider pilot, how much time you can spend, and your budget so they can match you with the package that’s best for you.
“We’ve been here for almost forty years at the same site,” says Chesson. “Our owner came looking for a place to start his operation and this site was perfect by the bluff, with the cliff for launching and the beautiful landing field right below. He’d searched the states for a while, and this was just the perfect spot.”
An afternoon of fun or maybe your new passion, Lookout Mountain Fly Park has all the tools to send you off on a whirlwind adventure over our gorgeous Tennessee landscape.
We’re lucky individuals to call this place our home. Whether you’re born and raised, moved here or you’re just stopping in for a visit, we all can appreciate how unique our city is. From the food and the hotels to the never-ending list of things to do, Chattanooga will never be boring and I for one am proud to be part of the extraordinary.
A lover of books, pizza, and all things happy, Brooke Brown joined The Pulse after she graduated from UTC with an English degree and an unyielding desire to correct grammar, leading her to a staff editorial position.