How I Spent 4 Days in Chattanooga

I did not expect to fall for Chattanooga the way I did. I went in for a conference thinking that it would be a pleasant few days in a mid-size Southern city, and I left already thinking about when I could come back. I love the way the river wraps around downtown and the way the city feels both outdoorsy and walkable.

So much of what I loved about Chattanooga reminded me of home. I grew up just south of Richmond, Virginia, and have spent the last 8 years there. The parallels between the two cities kept showing up all four days. It’s another river city with a scrappy, artsy energy, a bold food scene and a downtown that's star is rising. I actually wrote a whole article about it if you're curious: If You Love Chattanooga, You'll Love Richmond, Virginia: 8 Surprising Similarities Between These River Cities. If you've been to one of these cities, you owe it to yourself to check out the other.

But this post isn't about Richmond, it's about how I spent my four days in Chattanooga, what I did, where I stayed, and what I would do differently next time.

Where I Stayed: The Waymark Hotel

I based myself at The Waymark Hotel, a boutique property that is a restored 1927 bank building right in the heart of downtown. The bones of the building are beautiful and you can still feel the old bank grandeur in the lobby, but everything about the stay was current and comfortable.

A few things worth calling out if you're considering it:

• Location: It's walkable to almost everything downtown.

• Iris, The Rooftop Bar: It’s on the 11th floor, which makes it the highest rooftop in downtown Chattanooga, and it's a great spot for a sunset drink.

• The Vault: There's a speakeasy built into the hotel's actual old bank vault in the basement, which is a fun, slightly hidden detail if you're into that kind of thing.

If you're planning a Chattanooga trip and want a home base that's central, comfortable, and has its own personality, The Waymark is a great choice.

Things I Actually Did

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

This is an easy highlight. The Incline Railway at Lookout Mountain is one of the steepest passenger railways in the world, and you can tell in the climb. The historic trolley-style cars take you from the St. Elmo station at the bottom up to Point Park at the summit. On a clear day, the views over the Tennessee Valley are incredible and you can see seven states from the top of the mountain. At the top, there's an observation deck, a gift shop, and there’s also a short walk to Point Park and some of the Civil War history up there. It’s an activity that takes only a couple hours, but it’s fairly inexpensive and cool to do.

The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park

It's a small zoo, only about 13 acres, but it's dense with many animals to see, and the compact size actually makes it easy to enjoy without being exhausted by time you’re done. The Himalayan Passage, home to the zoo's red pandas, is one of the largest indoor red panda exhibits anywhere, and I also loved wandering through the areas with the giraffes, the monkeys, and the jaguars. It’s a nice couple of hours just to have something to do, especially if you want a change of pace from downtown.

Walnut Street Bridge & Coolidge Park

This one's free, it's beautiful, and it’s a good way to get a feel for the layout of Chattanooga. The bridge dates back to 1890 and is almost 2,400 feet across the Tennessee River, connecting downtown to the North Shore. It unfortunately was closed while I was in Chattanooga, but you can visit Coolidge Park in the area to walk by the river and also visit shops in the area. When it is open, it's pedestrian-only, so you don’t have to rush across, it’s safe, and it's an easy add-on to any day you might be wandering downtown.

Petal and Pour

I stumbled into this one by accident and ended up loving it. Petal and Pour is a floral atelier and café in historic heart of downtown off Broad Street and right across from the Waymark Hotel. It’s part flower shop and part coffee bar, which makes it very photogenic. I chose my petals and watched as my bouquet was made and then grabbed a blueberry muffin from the coffee bar. It's a nice, low-key stop, especially if you need a slower morning.

Where I Ate

I could have written an entire separate post just about the food in Chattanooga—so I did. If you want the full rundown of where I ate, check out my complete post about Chattanooga restaurants I visited.

Things I Didn't Get To (But You Should Know About)

Four days sounds like a lot until you're actually there, and I still left things on the table because I was at a conference most of the time. If you have more time than I did, or you're planning a return trip like I am, here's what comes up as recommendations:

• Rock City Gardens: It’s on top of Lookout Mountain near the Incline, and it’s famous for its rock formations, gardens, and the claim that you can see seven states from Lover's Leap on a clear day.

• Ruby Falls: Take a guided tour into a cave inside Lookout Mountain that ends at an underground waterfall more than 1,000 feet below the surface.

• Tennessee Aquarium: Right downtown on the riverfront, you’ll find one of the most highly regarded aquariums in the country. It was on my list, but I never quite made it there.

Consider these things my excuse to go back and maybe yours to plan a longer trip than four days.

Final Thoughts

To me, Chattanooga feels bigger than what it really is because there's so much packed into a walkable downtown, but it never loses the laid-back, outdoorsy feel that makes it an approachable city. Four days felt like both plenty and not nearly enough, especially because a good portion of my time was at a conference, but I'm already thinking about my next visit, and maybe this time I'll finally make it to Ruby Falls.