Day 3-June 3, 2015-Chattanooga, TN. Sunny 80. Turned cool last night, could have used an extra blanket at 4AM but it was buried in the storage under the bed.
Went to the Tenn. Valley Railroad Museum for a train ride from Grand Junction to East Chattanooga on a vintage (1920s) steam train. Six miles, over three bridges and through a Civil War tunnel to a shop where they restore old engines. Watched the locomotive disconnect, then turn around on a lazy susan turntable, go to the front and connect for the return trip. The train yard had a lot of old trains in various stages of being refurbished.
Back into town for lunch at Big City Grille in the Riverfront section of town. There seems to be seven sections, the Riverfront has the aquarium, IMAX, huge climbing wall, discovery museum and the AT&T field where we were last night. We then through Southside which has the Choo Choo Hotel which has a lot more than just a hotel, free electric shuttle and some businesses. Most businesses are in the City Center. There’s Northside and UTC/MLK also. We then went to the Bluff View section which is just that-a great view of the Tennessee River and its bridges from a high bluff. It’s really arty-lots of funky sculptures, I especially liked Icarus leaping off a cliff into the Tennessee River. I’d love to go back and explore more of this area. Chattanooga is on the Trail of Tears and also has a zoo, riverboat ride, amusement park and lots of walking/biking trails on the riverwalk. And lots of Civil War history.
On to the Incline Railway-the steepest in the world at 72.7 degrees. It takes you to the top of Lookout Mountain, 2126’ high, where the “Battle Above the Clouds” took place in Nov. 1863. We walked a few blocks past big beautiful homes to Point Park which has magnificent views of the river and city below. Some canons from the war remain and there are a few statues and monuments around the park. Also a Battlefield Museum where you can see the battle re-enacted. Back down the mountain only to drive back up-on a windy, narrow S-curved road that somehow took us back into Georgia for a while, past Ruby Falls and Rock City-too late to see today but maybe on another trip.
We enjoyed Chattanooga- a clean, friendly, safe, easy to walk around town. And nice attractions, historical and otherwise, close by. Riverbend Festival 2015 starts Friday night down near the waterfront-a 10 day mostly music festival. We hear the area gets crazy-which might be fun for a while but we leave tomorrow for Nashville.