Chattanooga, TN is way more than a song about a train. As a matter of fact, the Chattanooga Choo-Choo train and the Glenn Miller gardens were probably one of the more disappointing attractions of our stop in Chattanooga. For those not already familiar, Glen Miller, a pretty well-known swing band leader, performed a song in 1941 about the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. A train that leaves NY station track # 29 and continues through to Chattanooga. The song was prominently featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade and contains a catchy chorus.
Pardon
me, boy
Is that the
Chattanooga Choo Choo?
The song became very, very popular, especially throughout WWII, as it tells the story of a boy coming home from the big city to his sweetheart and he promises not to “roam” again. The popularity of the song placed a small city into the popular lexicon as a place you return to. Admittedly, the city was already an active rail hub for moving both passengers and freight from the industrial northeast to the western states, but the fame of the song changed the public’s awareness of Chattanooga.
News
Flash: There was no such train.
I did not get that news flash before Judy and I set off for the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel and Glenn Miller gardens on Market Street in the heart of downtown Chattanooga. What a disappointment. We spent a sum total of 15 minutes at this so called “attraction”, as it was ugly and dilapidated. The old train building is a fantastic beaux-arts style station, and the dome structure and lobby are quite impressive, BUT..
- The Choo Choo Hotel closed last year.
- The Glenn Miller gardens were under construction.
- The old train platform canopies were rotted and falling apart.
- And the supposed Chattanooga Choo-Choo train “replica” was a faded, rusted hulk.
It did not take long for us to realize this attraction was a dud. So, we pulled up Google maps on the phone, and determined that a walk of the city streets was our next best option. Experience has taught us to have a “Plan B” at the ready, and walking city streets can be the best way to connect with a city. We’ve really had some great luck exploring in this manner, and this was no exception. As we set off with our backpack, we had a new destination in mind; we headed due north towards the Tennessee River. That destination was the Walnut Street Bridge. After a mile or so walk through the city streets, we found ourselves in the midst of a lovely public square, looking at the historic 2,379-foot-long open truss pedestrian footbridge. It was a crossing connecting predominantly white Chattanooga with predominantly black North Chattanooga, and the first non-military highway bridge across the Tennessee River. When completed, the bridge was considered an engineering accomplishment. Over time, the bridge fell into disrepair and was officially closed to all traffic in 1978. In 1990, the bridge was repaired and redeveloped as a pedestrian bridge, offering stunning views of the city. We just had to walk across, and I’m so glad we did, because on the opposite bank we found a lovely city park. Toting a backpack replete with a picnic lunch, we stopped in Renaissance Park for lunch, took a quick peak at the old-fashioned, 100-year-old carousel in the center of the park, before reversing our direction and returning to the parking lot near the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel. Actually, when you think about it, the best part of the Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Glen Miller Gardens attraction was the easy access to inexpensive parking. The “Beast” (very large truck) is not always the easiest vehicle to find suitable parking for. So often we need a parking “Plan B”, but not this time.
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| Walnut Street Bridge over Tennessee River |
That’s not to say all of our train-centric excursions were problematic. Quite the contrary! We had an absolutely awesome time at the Tennessee Valley Train Museum, touring old trains, riding in antique pullman cars, and observing the ongoing renovation of one of the few remaining working steam locomotives. Maybe not the “thrill a minute” kind of attraction that Judy enjoys, but I was absolutely stoked about all of it. Basically, we bought tickets for a 2-hour ride on a train, to a working train roundabout, and then had a tour of the huge repair facility where old trains are restored for posterity. It has been a couple of generations since trains were the principal mode of transportation, and here we were at one of the few facilities that is actively trying to preserve these iconic modes of transportation for future generations to enjoy. Just watch the video below, as a train is reversed on a restored train roundabout. The museum has its own crew of skilled machinists and mechanical engineers which gives them the ability to make replacement steel and cast-iron parts for equipment that is well over 100-years old. I was so fascinated and engaged that as soon as the train returned to our starting station, I was purchasing tickets for the following evening’s “Dinner Train” excursion. We were not disappointed. The meals were outstanding, served hot from a restored kitchen car, and served by the most delightful porter. We dined on as the train made its way along the rails toward west Chattanooga. A delightful excursion, and surely one that the character “Sheldon Cooper” of the Big Bang Theory, would approve of.
Another excursion found us heading underground to caverns called Ruby Falls, deep within Lookout Mountain, which straddles the Tennessee and Georgia state line. Ruby Falls was discovered in 1920 by cave enthusiast Leo Lambert, who thought he may be able to open Ruby Falls as a tourist attraction. The tour starts in a highspeed elevator that drops you down over 200 feet, into the anteroom caverns that lead to the most amazing underground waterfall. We encountered all kinds of cave formations, like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, drapery, and flowstone, on our 1/4-mile-long underground journey to the falls cavern. The falls are quite a natural phenomenon. They are the result of rainwater collected on Lookout Mountain and filtered through the porous limestone rocks to an underground stream that empties out into the Tennessee River. Hopefully my video of the magnificent 145-foot waterfall inside an underground cavern over 215 feet below the surface does it justice.
Traveling through the south, especially in Tennessee, one might see a barn with the phrase “Visit Rock City” painted on the side or roof.
This was the genius marketing idea of one Garnet Carter. Mr. Carter already had a number of successful business ventures under his belt and bought a substantial plot of land atop Lookout Mountain with the intention of development. Frieda Carter, Garnet’s wife, set out to use the natural stone landscape to create a rock garden to end all rock gardens. She took a string and marked a trail that wound its way around the giant rock formations, ending at the giant outcropping known as Lover’s Leap. She also collected wildflowers and other plants and had them transplanted along her trail. Frieda’s gardening was supplemented by imported German statues of gnomes and famous fairytale characters, which were stationed at points along the trail. Garnet Carter, ever the promoter, then hired a local painter, Clark Byers, to paint barns with “Visit Rock City”. My Byres painted over 900 barns in 19 states in his 30-year career. And ninety years later, historic Rock City & Garden is still a family-owned business, attracting ½ a million visitors each year.
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| Judy descending into "Fatman Squeeze" formation |
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| Judy standing on Lovers Leap Rock Outcropping |
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| View of Seven States from atop Lookout Mountain |
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| Atop the Common House South Chattanooga Food Tour |
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