Let me just start by saying WOW what a fantastic weekend! I fell in love with Chattanooga Tennessee! When I originally planned this weekend away, it was mostly out of selfish reasons. I did not want to spend another weekend in Birmingham stuck in an apartment with my toddler in case of rain and in general as we have done most of the kid friendly things in the area already. I had no idea I would Chattanooga so much that I wouldn't want to leave! Lincoln and I had so much fun, minus yes a few normal toddler not so fun moments ~ but overall we were able to see and experience some amazing things! I was sad to leave as there were still sites unseen that I heard were fabulous, however with a whirlwind schedule I had to choose the things I thought Lincoln would love the most. I hope you enjoy some of the highlights! I have already told my husband that Tennessee will definitely see me again. Obviously Nashville is a bucket list of mine, but I would love to experience more in this state and those surrounding. (Savanna, Hilton Head etc) Who's with me?!?
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| Cute art throughout the area |
1) Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum - This was the outing that I talked about all week prior to arriving in Chattanooga. I was sure Lincoln would love going on a train ride! He told me multiples times about the Chattanooga Choo Choo, but when we got to the railroad museum he was less than impressed as we found a seat on the train. It was a rainy day and the ride was about 55 minutes, part of which he spent on my phone playing a flash card learning game. Sometimes as moms we miss the mark completely with what we think our kids will love! http://www.tvrail.com
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| The museum had old trains on display |
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| This is the train we traveled on |
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| Sweet boy when he wants to be |
2) Tennessee Aquarium - Saturday was a rainy day which made it the perfect time to see the aquarium! With the thousands of other people with the same idea, ha ha! This was a FANTASTIC aquarium though, I highly recommend seeing it. There are multiple exhibits, and two buildings that separate a River Journey and an Ocean Journey which is fun. The aquarium has new exhibits due this spring and is in a lovely location along the Tennessee river with rocks and bridges for kids to play on outside. Besides the aquarium itself being very busy, Lincoln enjoyed himself thoroughly especially when it came to the penguins. On a non-holiday weekend or weekday this has to be a wonderful place to take your kids! I recommend buying your tickets in advance like we did, because if it is busy the lines were long! We snuck right through the crowd because we planned ahead. http://www.tnaqua.org
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| River Journey |
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| Blue Frogs |
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| Scary |
3) Ben & Jerry's - No words are needed here! What kid doesn't love ice-cream? Friday afternoon we didn't have any major plans so we walked around downtown getting our bearings for the weekend and stopped for Lincoln's favorite -- num nums!
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| Num Nums |
4) Tupelo Honey Cafe - This was an adorable place for breakfast! I did drive because it was further than I wanted to walk with Lincoln, however the food and service were wonderful. I was a little bummed that a lot of closer coffee shops/breakfast places were closed on Sunday though. Mixed feelings of course as the tourist I wanted to try a new place, but as an employee myself I am glad they have a day off. Something to keep in mind if you are in the area. Had I realized this, I would have tried somewhere Saturday as well. Lincoln had sweet potato pancakes - YUM - and I had avocado toast and an omelet. Can I just say the south takes avocado toast to a whole new level? It was delicious! https://tupelohoneycafe.com/location/chattanooga/
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| Entrance |
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| Waiting on breakfast |
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| Amazing avocado toast |
5) River Gorge Explorer - This specific boat tour goes hand in hand with the aquarium. There of course are others, but Lincoln and I had tons of fun on this excursion! The adventure was 2 hours and my toddler did not get bored which was great! The boat travels at about 50 mph and makes multiple fast stops which is fun because the front end of the boat dives into the water and makes a large splash which Lincoln loved! For part of the tour you are able to walk around the deck, and binoculars are provided to spot wildlife. The weather was a gorgeous 70 degrees and the scenery was beautiful. This may have been one of my favorite things! http://www.tnaqua.org/plan-your-visit/river-gorge-explorer
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| At the docks |
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| On the boat |
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| Neat boat on the river you can dine in |
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| Park by the river prior to our boat ride |
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| The weather was GORGEOUS 70's |
6) Clumpies Ice Cream Co. - I just want to say -- I deserve mother of the year for the journey to this ice cream shop! Ha ha, OK just kidding but in the moment as I drove blocks to find parking, stood in line for over 30 minutes holding a 35 pound toddler the ENTIRE time because he was so tired and then didn't even get to eat my flavor because Lincoln decided he wanted mine instead and his was not appealing to me - I felt like we'd been through the gauntlet. This was our last stop before heading home. However, with that said, I highly recommend visiting this ice cream shop if you are in the area! We sat on the deck in the sunshine talking so some locals who confirmed standing in line is even worth the wait for them on warm sunny days! Secretly, I love the experience of these places, but I am also glad the fro yo place by our home in AZ is not so crazy! http://www.clumpies.com
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| In an adorable shopping area! |
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| Lincoln's choice of ice cream before he ate mine! |
7) Hotels - You can look up multiple hotel recommendations for downtown Chattanooga and find a lot of options ranging from affordable to more expensive. I truly think this is a personal choice of what you want to pay and the brand your family goes with. The hotel itself did not matter to me as Lincoln and I did not spend much time in it at all. We were about 5 blocks from everything and were able to walk everywhere which was fantastic! All of the hotels in this area are walking distance to the aquarium, shopping, IMAX, a climbing wall, tons of restaurants, the Discovery Center, coffee shops, a small store, Tennessee River and a park by the water, among other things I probably am forgetting. *** I will say after sleeping in a cushy hotel bed for a couple nights I realized how uncomfortable the bed at the apartment is, ha ha, thankfully it is our last week in Alabama!
Some of the things we chose not to see or did not have time to experience are: Tennessee Discovery Center, Rock City on Lookout Mountain or the Incline Railway, Moon Pie, Duck Tour, North Shore /Coolidge Park (better in the summer) with a Carousel, among other things!
Thank you again to everyone who has made the effort to part of this journey. It is truly touching and gets me through the days knowing people care!
