Southern way of life writes an amazing article about Chattanooga
Posted by Charles Rash on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 @ 09:54 AM
After a thirty-year downtown revitalization project, Chattanooga, Tennessee has evolved into a true Renaissance City. Helmed by a visionary group of civic planners, investors, and ordinary citizens, Chattanooga has left its gritty industrial manufacturing past behind and reinvented itself as a clean, green-technology-friendly city dedicated to sustainable urban development. Mixing a commitment to innovative technology with an appreciation of healthy lifestyles, Chattanooga is “well on its way to becoming one of America’s best mid-sized cities,” according to The Washington Post, and boasts not only the fastest high-speed internet service in the country, but also the world’s longest pedestrian bridge.
The jewel in the city crown, and the impetus for much of the downtown redevelopment, is the Tennessee River. Snaking its way past the spot where John Ross once traded goods with the Cherokees, the riverfront is now a 13 mile greenway of pedestrian trails, parks, museums, restaurants, shops, and carefully planned urban housing. Anchored by the downtown Tennessee Aquarium, the largest freshwater aquarium in the world, the brand-new riverfront entertainment district stretches along the river and up the bluffs to the Bluff View Art District, a quaint neighborhood of restaurants, museums, retail space, and mixed use housing.
Chattanooga is a safe, clean, well-lit city and pedestrian traffic is constant, even in the late evening. For those who prefer to ride, Buzz Chattanooga Pedi Cabs, Chattanooga Horse-Drawn Carriages, Downtown Electric Free Shuttles, Chattanooga Double Decker Bus Tours, and Chattanooga Funny Carsprovide less strenuous options. A fun way to explore the downtown riverfront area is through the Chattanooga Ducks, an authentic WWII amphibious landing craft tour of the river and historical districts.
Although the showpiece of the riverfront development is the beautiful Tennessee Aquarium where visitors can explore three living forests under glass, the downtown is also home to the new Chattanooga Lookouts AT&T Field. An average 6,000 baseball fans watch the Chattanooga Lookouts, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, play Double A ball each week. Next to the aquarium, the IMAX 3D Theater shows a number of first run 3d movies on a screen six stories high, while the new downtown Majestic Theater boasts 12 screens and a special adults-only VIP auditorium where cocktails and upscale snacks such as crab cakes and salads are delivered to viewers at their seats.
For those with younger children or grandchildren, the Creative Discovery Museum is a wonderful place to spend a lazy summer afternoon digging for dinosaur bones or creating a clay sculpture in the Artists’ Studio. The new Chattanooga Regional History Center, opening in 2012, will offer a permanent exhibit highlighting two centuries of regional history while the Chattanooga Theatre Centre features Broadway-style musicals, dramas and comedies. For those intent on exploring the river, the Southern Belle Riverboat, Blue Moon Cruises, and River Gorge Explorer all feature scenic cruises. For music lovers, Nightfall offers free summertime music concerts on Friday evenings and Rhythm and Brews is one of the best places in Chattanooga for live music.
A short stroll across the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge from the Tennessee Aquarium is the Northshore Area, which bills itself as “Hip to Historical.” In addition to the beautiful Renaissance Park and Coolidge Park Carousel, you’ll also find an eclectic mix of boutiques and one-of-a-kind shops offering everything from designer dresses to handmade jewelry to gourmet pet products. Complementing the shops and art galleries, a number of restaurants offer an array of dining choices, everything from sophisticated street fare to French/American fusion cuisine.
Located approximately ten blocks from the downtown riverfront area is the newly-revitalized Southside Historical Art District. Home to the world-famous Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel, where you can sleep overnight in a restored Victorian railway car, the Southside is also home to The Chattanoogan Hotel, Chattanooga’s only AAA Four Diamond-Rated full-service hotel. But it’s the restaurants alone that make a visit to the Southside mandatory.
Profiled on CBS’s Early Show as a “green” vacation destination where “the revitalization projects have made the city a model eco town and tourist hotspot,” Chattanooga is within a two hour drive of Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville, and Birmingham.
Read Southern Way of Life’s full article at the link below:
http://www.southeastdiscovery.com/southern-way-of-life/2011/07/looking-for-a-great-mid-sized-city-consider-chattanooga-tennessee?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SoutheastDiscovery+%28Southern+Way+Of+Life%29