From Rustbelt to RiverfrontChattanooga Creates a 21st Century RenaissanceBy Susan Scott SchmidtWhen I visited Chattanooga 15 years ago, I left unimpressed. Downtown seemed dead. It struck me as an aging industrial city bereft of glamour and charm. This year I returned, to find that this city of 155,000 had made itself over. Today’s Chattanooga has become a city of blue mountains, stunning river views, a modern riverfront and art. In an urban planning triumph, a public-private partnership has created a 21st century waterfront, which restores public access to the river.
During my visit, Chattanoogans gathered to mark the opening of the waterfront. Challenger, an American bald eagle, was released and circled the crowd, commemorating the Trail of Tears. An Oklahoman Cherokee choir serenaded the crowd. Rowers, canoeists, and boats gathered under the bridge. As part of Project Bandaloop, dancers suspended by harnesses performed atop the Market Street Bridge. With a ribbon cutting across the river, the city launched its riverfront.
We fought past hoards of children to the exhibits. (According to Aquarium staff, the best time to visit is in January. The ideal time to arrive is right at opening hour or after 3:30 p.m.) The new building emphasizes “animal encounters.” I was thrilled to be able to stick my hand in a salt-water tank and actually touch a stingray. You can also pet a shark. The exhibits also include the usual big tanks of fish, as well as giant spider crabs, seahorses, sea dragons and pipefish. We watched live scuba demonstrations in the tank. The turtle section is fabulous, with scenes of “architecture of the turtle shell.” With 650,000 gallons of water, the new building tells the river’s story – following the journey of a raindrop high in the Appalachian forest to the Gulf of Mexico. Designed by Chermayeff, Sollogub and Poole, the 30 foot-high space allows natural light to stream in through the windows. The Hunter Museum of ArtWe then walked up the hill to see the addition to the Hunter Museum. With a new pedestrian connection between the Hunter and the Downtown riverfront, the museum, located high on a bluff, becomes more accessible. The museum, whose works span the dates from 1850 to the present, opened its 28,000 square foot addition on April 28. Architect Ronald Stout used aerospace engineering as a prototype for its design. The building features radiant heat. Exhibits have become high tech and interactive. They feature “discovery drawers” for leaning, reading rooms, and on-line computer stations. The museum has also added a café. The most popular works in the collection are the Mary Cassatt and Andy Warhol’s portraits of Jimmy Carter and Jackie O.
Bluff View is my kind of urban neighborhood. The smell of roasting coffee beans greeted me, wafting up from Rembrandt’s Roasting Company. It feels European, with its historic homes and hidden courtyards. I began my tour of Bluff View with a visit to the Bocce Court Terrace, where enthusiasts still play this Italian game. I strolled out to the overlook, to explore the River Gallery Sculpture Garden. I stopped for coffee in the Rembrandt’s Coffee House, which is well stocked with goodies and pastries. For shopping, the best bet is the River Gallery, which represents artists from around the world. For dining, there are several good choices. I tried the lobster ravioli (freshly made) at Tony’s Pasta Shop & Trattoria. A more romantic choice is the Back View Inn. With its scenic panoramas and upper and lower sunrooms, it has cornered the market on views. Turning the Clock Back to the 1930’sThe next leg of my trip took me to two 1930’s tourist attractions – Ruby Falls and Rock City. I like these old style tourist attractions. Ruby Falls is the country’s largest indoor waterfall, located inside Lookout Mountain.
He named the waterfall after his wife, Ruby. It opened to the public in 1930. I do not recommend this tour for the claustrophobic. The elevator door snaps shut and you find yourself descending 1100 feet down into the earth, as deep as the height of the Empire State Building. Guides lead an entertaining hike to the 145-foot-high falls, pointing out the stalactite and stalagmite formations along the way.
In 1928, the rock formations were developed into a tourist attraction by Garnet and Frieda Carter, the children of German immigrants. In 1936, the Carters launched their now-famous advertising campaign, which eventually was painted on 900 barns. You can see seven states – Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama – from the top of the mountain. The tour – which winds through rock formations with names like Mushroom Rock, Tortoise Shell Rock and Shelter Rock – takes about two hours. The tour takes you over a rope bridge, not recommended for the faint of heart. The weird part about Rock City is the gnomes, which were allegedly left over from a Tom Thumb exhibit the Carters had. Also a bit bizarre is the Fairyland exhibit, featuring storybook characters. Places to StayReturning to the hotel, I stayed in one of Chattanooga’s most unique lodgings. The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel is a Holiday Inn with an unusual twist. In addition to three buildings, the Choo Choo actually has its own train with 48 sleeping cars for rent. (The Choo Choo is one of only two hotels in the country with railcars.) People book the cars as long as a year in advance. The cars go for $159 to $169 per night. The suite includes a queen size bed and a trundle bed. The Choo Choo also boasts a dining car diner and the Station House Café. The Station House is extraordinary, because the staff is made up of “singing waiters,” who put on a good stage show, in between serving food. On the other end of the spectrum, I checked out The Stone Fort, an elegant 16-room boutique hotel in Downtown Chattanooga. With its small size and martini bar, it offers an alternative to the Choo Choo. (Interestingly, the Stone Fort specifically discourages children as guests.) The magnificent front parlor leads into an old-fashioned billiard room. The upstairs rooms are fancy, sporting claw foot tubs, high beds you climb into, and hardwood floors. The rooms are painted in the up-to-the-minute fashionable shades of tangerine, periwinkle blue, and warm yellow. Rooms cost $129 to $250, including continental breakfast. Another good lodging alternative is the Chattanoogan, a city-owned hotel. Only four years old, it’s a step up in price from the Choo Choo and the Stone Fort. (Rooms go for $279 to $379.) The Chattanoogan is built around a theme of postmodern industrialism, celebrating the city’s foundry heritage. I found it to be airy and light, decorated in olive and tan. Chattanooga has entered the 21st century. If You’re Going: 21st Century Waterfront Hunter Museum of American Art Ruby Falls Rock City Bluff View Art District Holiday Inn/Chattanooga Choo Choo Stone Fort Inn The Chattanoogan by Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau |
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Chattanooga’s new look includes a $30 million expansion of the Tennessee Aquarium, a $19.5 million addition to the Hunter Museum of Art, and a $3 million renovation of the Creative Discovery Museum.
My trip took place in May, just one week after the opening of the new 60,000 square foot aquarium addition, the jewel in the riverfront’s crown. With its peaked translucent roof, the aquarium is the sister to the original building.
Just a short walk from the Hunter, I fell in love with the Bluff View Art District, a group of restaurants, shops, and galleries with a bird’s eye view of the Tennessee River.
Ruby Falls was discovered by accident in 1923 by Leo Lambert, who had organized a crew to drill an elevator shaft to reach the original Lookout Mountain Cave. There was an odd turn of events that day when engineers suddenly felt a gush of air from the shaft. They entered the opening and heard the sound of water flowing. In a 17-hour roundtrip, they found the waterfall. (Lambert crawled through dark passages for six of those 17 hours.)
Rock City, my second old time tourist attraction, has a history which dates back to 1823, when visitors nicknamed the natural streets and avenues of a place located atop Lookout Mountain.