Choo Choo Us Back To Chattanooga

TRAVELOGUE
Choo Choo Us Back To Chattanooga
By Melissa Wolcott and Al Martino
Photography by Wolcott & Martino
hotel in town is the ability to ride the free electric shuttle to just about anywhere a tourist
would want to visit. We hopped on the shuttle
right from our hotel, and were able to stop off
at most of the museums, restaurants and attractions of interest to us. It does a 14 block loop,
with 10 hotels on line, and stops every 7 minutes.
There are quite a few distinctive places to
stay in Chattanooga to fit any personal taste,
from sleek and modern (The Chattanoogan,
The Choo Choo at the Holiday Inn
The Clarion) to charming B&Bs (The Stone
Fort Inn, The Bluff View Inn) to cozy and out of the way (the
Chanticleer Inn) and many more in between.
The two year old upscale Chattanoogan is a city-owned convenPardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
tion and 200 room “urban resort.” The Chattanoogan and the Clarion
Spoiler Alert: If you still believe in the Tooth Fairy, skip the next
are located right in the heart of
paragraph.
downtown, and both are full service
There is NO Chattanooga Choo Choo. Well, there is and there
hotels with fine restaurants. We had
isn’t. There was never an actual train named the “Chattanooga Choo
Choo” (from the 1941 tune immortalized by Glenn Miller.) But since a delicious Sunday brunch at the
Chattanoogan with way more sucChattanooga was, at one time, a
culent shrimp than any human
thriving railroad hub, trains that
should be allowed to eat.
stopped there became nicknamed
The Stone Fort Inn and The Bluff
“Chattanooga Choo Choos” after
View Inn are B&Bs set in historical
the song.
buildings. The Stone Fort Innkeepers
However, there is a Chattanooga
Maura and Harry Phillips are
Choo Choo in the form of a delightThe Chattanoogan “urban resort”
extremely warm and friendly, and
ful Holiday Inn. This 30-acre vacahave
done
a
terrific
job
of
restoring
tion complex is built around
their 1909 brick and limestone
Chattanooga’s old 1909 train stabuilding. Every piece of it was well
tion, the magnificent lobby is now
thought out and, money being a conthe Holiday Inn’s lobby. The train
cern for the new owners, they found
tracks house a large collection of
some unique pieces of furniture at
restored train cars most dating from
The beautiful lobby at the Chatta–
flea markets and garage sales, and
the 40’s—some of which are used
nooga Choo Choo.
lovingly refinished them to suit the
as hotel rooms, and some as dining
cars. With 24 cars, it is one of the largest collections in the country. A ambiance of the hotel. The finished
The Stone Fort Inn B&B
product affords guests comfortable,
turn-of-the-century choo choo engine sits on track 29 (a nod to the
homey rooms.
song’s lyrics.) Several three story buildings make up the bulk of the
The Bluff View Inn is actually three restored turn-of-the-century
hotel rooms on the property.
homes located in the very charming Bluff View Art District: the T.C.
There is also a huge model railroad exhibit at the hotel, lovingly
Thompson House, Maclellan
maintained by a local model railroad club. One of the largest displays
House, and C.G. Martin
of its kind in the world, it has over 3,000 feet of track with eight
House. The Thompson House
trains running on separate loops. The little town (a replica of
is a 1908 Victorian-style
Chattanooga then and now) is amazing and even animated in parts.
home with a spacious front
The Victorian themed hotel is very family oriented, and offers
porch complete with rockers
quite a few seasonal and holiday
and swings. Inside, 2 apartpackages, all of which sound super.
ment-sized suites and 4 guest
One of the more interesting we
rooms each offer a private
found was the “Polar Express”
bath, and gas fireplaces. The
package offered around Christmas
Maclellan House dates back
time. Guests and their children ride
to the late 1800’s, and many
a trolly, receive holiday goodies, get
of the original heirloom furtickets to area attractions, and chilMaclellan House B&B
nishings are still there. The
dren get tucked in for the night by
Martin House is a 1927 colonial revival mansion.
one of Santa’s elves.
High on top of Lookout Mountain is the Chanticleer Inn, with cozy
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at
rooms that would be perfect for romantic getaways. Near Rock City,
A “sleeping car” the “Choo Choo” for it’s good food,
the Inn is just 10 minutes from Downtown Chattanooga, yet just a
hotel room at the shops, and convenience of getting
Chattanooga Choo Choo. around town. A benefit for picking a
short walk to the beautiful views the mountain has to offer.
O
ur past experience with the state of
Tennessee consisted of changing planes in
Nashville en route to somewhere else. Until
recently, Tennessee only meant Elvis, Dolly
Parton, country music, and not much more to
us.
That has all changed now with our recent
trip to Chattanooga, TN. This time we flew in
on US Air and stayed for a few days. We discovered breathtaking views from Lookout
Mountain, Ruby Falls, a charming art district,
great dining and much more.
W
hen we travel we look for something Ruby Falls
that is unique to an area, and certainly found it in Chattanooga. Lookout
Mountain, Ruby Falls, and Rock City are
all sights you probably aren’t easily going
to find anywhere else.
Lookout Mountain is the start of the
Appalachian Mountain chain, which is 83
miles long. A 15 minute car ride takes you
up to an awesome vista. The caves in the
mountain have been used by people for
centuries, and the lower cave was used by
Indians, as a hideout for outlaws, and also
as a Civil War hospital. It has been permanently closed to tourists because the elevator kept breaking down from humidity.
The current upper cave tour starts 260 feet
down & goes down 1,100 feet to Ruby Falls, the largest underground
falls in the country at 110 stories. The discovery of Ruby Falls in the
caves is pretty amazing. In 1923, Leo
“Lover’s Leap” at Rock City
Lambert, a local cave enthusiast,
crawled in a mostly 2 foot cave space
for an unbelievable 17 hours. When he
emerged he described beautiful rock
formations and a spectacular waterfall,
which he proceeded to name after his
wife, Ruby.
On top of the mountain is Rock City,
with fascinating huge bolder formations and gardens winding their way
along a path to a breathtaking summit. The bolders are mostly in
place by nature, with a lot of help by the 1924 owners, Frieda and
Garnet Carter. Frieda decided the rock formations could be beautifully offset by adding gardens along the
paths, and made it her life’s work to create
them, using 400 native plant species. In
1936 they erected a home on the top of the
mountain with what has got to be one of
the most magnificent views in the country.
It is “said” that you can see seven states
from the summit. I’m not sure about that,
but it makes good press! The Rock City
tour provided us with own private little
“fear factor”. Fear of heights, small spaces,
Swinging Bridge
and rickety bridges all in one—but we
made it, and enjoyed every minute of it.
Travelers throughout the South are very
familiar with signs sprinkled all over with
the legend “See Rock City.” It seems Mr.
Carter was also an advertising genius, as it
was his idea to paint the sign on barns
One of Mr. Carter’s famous starting in 1932. His painter, Clark Byers,
signs
painted them from day one until 1995. The
signs appear as far north as Michigan and as
far west as Texas, and each year more than
The Incline Railway
half million people visit the attraction.
Back in 1895, the Incline Railway was built
to provide easy access to the top of the mountain, both for mountain residents and tourists.
The grade is mighty steep at 72.7%, but looks
a lot steeper than it feels when riding it. From
the station on top of the mountain you can see
the Smoky Mountains (on a clear day) which
are 100 miles away. The slow moving car provides a wonderful panoramic view of the
mountain and valley below. The bottom station is charming, and recently renovated to
reflect its original 1895 look.
A
n amazing Civil War battle occurred in
Chattanooga known as the
famous “Battle Above the
Clouds”, which began on
Lookout Mountain in
November of 1863. We found
an excellent way to view the
battle with the Electric Map &
The Electric Map
Museum located at the
entrance to Point Park, a battle site. The three-dimensional map features 5,000 miniature soldiers,
A Civil War battle site lights, and sound effects. The story
of the battle is so clear with this
display, more so than with just a
verbal telling. The bloodiest conflict of the entire war, it had to be
one of the most difficult considering the steep vertical rise of the
mountain. Standing on the top of
the mountain behind a cannon and
looking down, it is hard to visualize the unthinkable hardships in the battle fought in the freezing
winter on this incredibly steep mountain.
Florida’s Civil War
The nearby Chickamauga-Chattanooga
Memorial
National Military Park was dedicated 25
years after the end of the war, and veterans
of the Civil War placed 1,400 monuments
and historical markers along the battlelines.
The centerpiece of the park is the New
York Peace Monument which depicts a
Union and Confederate soldier shaking
hands, and the state of Florida has one of
the most impressive monuments in the
park.
B
ack downtown, one of Chattanooga’s premier attractions is the
Tennessee Aquarium. Similar to our Florida Aquarium, it tells
the story of the water’s ecosystems. Tennessee Aquarium
The Tennessee Aquarium is the
seahorse exhibit
world’s largest freshwater aquarium, featuring more than 9,000 animals that swim, fly and crawl. Also
similar to the Florida Aquarium,
one of it’s big attractions is the seahorse exhibit. We never tire of
enjoying those amazing creatures—
especially the seadragons with their
impossibly delicate and filmy appendages.
S
ome of the more memorable
dining we’ve experienced
traveling, we found in
Chattanooga, from great chicken
wings to fine dining. One of the
more successful sports bars in
Chattanooga is Taco Mac,
mainly because their food is so
good & they have loads of
beer—like 100 or so types to
Taco Mac Restaurant
choose from! Whether it be a
local brew or an import from across the ocean, chances are you’ll
find it at Taco Mac.
We’re usually on opposite ends about barbecue, and found something delicious for both of us at Sticky Fingers Restaurant. Featuring
Memphis style barbecue, they offer several different style of ribs—
some of the best we’ve ever had. With a nod to the Rolling Stones
album of the same name, the restaurant actually honors the blues
players of Memphis’ Beale Street in their decor
of brick walls and framed blues posters. If you
want to try a new barbecue taste sensation, you
can buy Sticky Fingers sauces from their website. We preferred the Carolina Sweet and
Memphis Style Wet.
Centrally located, and hailed by many as one
of the best restaurants in the South, the
Southside Grill is another spot that has transformed an old building, only this time it went
from a meat packing plant to an upscale restaurant. Utilizing the building’s original brick walls
and rustic wood support beams, new paint and panels, the final
result is an elegant dining spot, with an outstanding menu selection.
Our first taste of nirvana—in the form of orange cake—was at the
Acropolis Four Stars Grill located across the highway from the
Hamilton Place Mall. Since then, we have tried orange cake at different restaurants (it seems to be très courant now) but all others pale in
comparison. Not only does the Acropolis have fab desserts, but wonderful and extensive Greek cuisine, served in a friendly family
atmosphere. It truly is a family atmosphere, since it is owned and run
by the Kyriakidis family - all of them. The restaurant was started by
Teddy Kyriakidis, who arrived in America 50 years ago. Taking a
chance that the deep South would embrace Greek food, he started his
restaurant in Chattanooga 20 years ago, and it has been thriving ever
since. His extended family—including grandchildren are all involved
in the restaurant’s operation. Either Teddy or his wife, Betty, will
stop by your table to chat.
Located in the Bluff View Art District
are several delightful restaurants, one of
which is the romantic Back Inn Cafe,
where you can dine inside the mansion, or
on the outdoor terrace overlooking the
Tennessee River. We enjoyed a wonderful
feast of peppercorn crusted filet of beef
tenderloin, pan-seared striped bass, and
all the elegant fixings. Tony’s Pasta Shop
& Trattoria offers fresh home-made pastas, sauces and breads. You can build your
own dinner there, picking out pasta, filling, and sauce. One early morning we
enjoyed a delightful breakfast of freshbaked goodies at Rembrandt’s Coffee
Tony’s Pasta Shop
House before wending our way through
the art district.
T
he Bluff View Art District has a diverse selection of art for all
tastes, beginning with the Hunter Museum of American Art. The
museum is actually two-in-one, as it consists of a gorgeous historic
mansion connected to a modern building overlooking the Tennessee
River. The contemporary building displays modern art and rotating
exhibits, and the mansion contains mostly pre-20th century art. It is
a clever marriage of the two, as all the art styles are shown in their
best light. In the mansion, the paintings and other pieces are not
crowded on the walls, but can be seen as they would be seen in a
home. One of our favorite paintings in the mansion is the “Colonel
and Mrs. James A. Whiteside”. Not because of its excellence as an
art piece (the artist was a
primitive painter) but
Hunter Museum of Art
because of its historical significance. The painting
depicts the Whiteside family
in pre-civil war 1858 on the
verandah of their newly built
hotel on Lookout Mountain.
In the background you can
see the city of Chatannooga
as it was then, and we
The Whiteside Family portrait with
recalled standing where
early Chattanooga in background
the hotel (lost to a fire
early on) once stood
and looking down at
the same view, marveling at the changes in
the city in the last 150
years.
Across the street
from the Hunter
Museum is the
Houston Museum of
Decorative Arts, featuring one of the finest collections of 18th-20th
century glass in the world, along with valuable antique furniture. The
museum is housed in an old Victorian
residence, so the pieces are somewhat
categorized and displayed in and on the
antique furniture throughout the house.
Almost as interesting as the glass collection is the story behind the eccentric lady
who collected it, her life recounted to us
by Amy Frierson, the museum director.
Anna “Crazy Annie” Safley Houston was
married to at least nine different husbands,
Houston Museum Glass
and lived in poverty in her later years
because she refused to sell any of her quality pieces even to pay for
food or medicine. At her death she left her collection to the people of
Chattanooga. The rare glass collection consists of Steuben, Tiffany,
peach blow, and cut glass to mention just a few. She had also
amassed what is believed to be the largest pitcher collection in the
world—some 15,000 of them. Earlier on she had an antique business, and apparently would not sell to anyone she didn’t like the
looks of, no matter the price offered. Some people would come back
in disguise, and she still wouldn’t sell to them. On the other hand, if
she liked you, she would sell you the item for far less than its worth.
She was also apparently a bit of a con artist, constantly escaping
creditors, and hiding her collection. A book on her life has been published entitled “Always Paddle Your Own Canoe, the Life, Legend
and Legacy of Anna Safley Houston”, by Tom Williams. Sounds
like an interesting one, but is available only
through the museum (see “if you go” at the
end of this article for museum information.)
Some truly excellent and unique art for
sale can be found at the River Gallery which
occupies another turn-of-the-century home.
Strolling through each room we found varied and unique art by recognized artists both
regional, and from around the world. And
just around the corner was
the River Gallery Sculpture
River
Gallery
Garden, where Melissa
was delighted to find a
bronze sculpture done by one of her ‘60s art school
instructors, the late Leonard Baskin, a preeminent
sculptor of our time. Among some of the other
works in the permanent collection are by Noguchi,
and Frank Stella. The rest of the exhibit is on an
annual rotation, featuring regional, national and
Leonard Baskin
international artists. It is located on a beautiful and
sculpture
restful spot overlooking the Tennessee River.
F
or shopping fun in Chattanooga, there is the large Hamilton Place
Mall, which has over 200 stores, 30 eateries, and 17 theaters to
while your way at; and Coolidge Park, which has some unique shops
and boutiques around a park overlooking the Tennessee River.
Coolidge Park’s main attraction is a fully restored antique carousel
with 52 animals carved by Bud Ellis. Bud has the only carousel carving school in the U.S. (“Horsin’ Around”) and it’s located right in
Chattanooga.
The park also
has hopscotch
courts and an
interactive
play fountain
which kids
just delight in.
.....So Chattanooga Choo Choo won’t you
choo-choo me home?
Since you can hardly say Chattanooga
without thinking “choo choo” you must take
the six-mile ride round-trip from Grand
Junction Station to East Chattanooga Depot
on the Tennessee Valley Railroad restored
‘50s steam passenger train #610—the last
steam engine built for the U.S. When you
disembark at the railroad museum, you will
see the golden age of railroading all around
you, and witness the locomotive rotate on
the turntable for the ride back. The train
museum is quite interesting, and is made
more so by the
Take a ride on a 50s
enthusiasm of
passenger train
the volunteers
who keep it up
with their love
of trains. A
1911 steam
locomotive is
the pride of the
museum. Also
found there is a
1917 office car, a 1924 Pullman once used
by Marilyn Monroe, and Mussolini’s Fiat
1936 2-ended engine, among many more
cars in different states of repair. The TVR
locomotives and cars have appeared in a lot
of motion pictures, TV shows and commercials. One of which was Tom Cruise’s
“Vanilla Sky”.
T
here is a delightful children’s book
about Chattanooga, illustrated by Kelly
Guhne, and written by Ellen Eady, a former
Florida resident (now happily living in
Chattanooga). “Pardon
Me...Is That The
Chattanooga Choo-Choo?”
tells the tale of Harry the
hopping mouse and his
family, who are traveling
to Chattanooga. Harry becomes separated
from his family and discovers the sights of
Chattanooga’s past and present before
reuniting with his family. The book is available on Amazon.com.
I
n 1960, Chattanooga had the dubious distinction of being voted the “Dirtiest City
in America.” It’s very hard to believe looking at it today. Now it is second only to
Orlando as the country’s favorite family
weekend getaway destination, and deservedly so.
J
If You Go:
US Airways - 1-800-435-9792: www.usairways.com
Acropolis Four Stars Grill - 2213 Hamilton
Place Blvd., Chattanooga, TN; 423-899-5341
Back Inn Cafe - 412 East Second St.,
Chattanooga, TN 37403; (800) 725-8338;
www.bluffviewartdistrict.com
The Battles For Chattanooga Museum - 1110
East Brow Rd., Lookout Mtn., TN 37350,
www.battlesforchattanooga.com
Bluff View Art District - 412 East Second St.,
Chattanooga, TN 37403; (800) 725-8338
Chanticleer Inn - 1300 Mockingbird Lane,
Lookout Mountain, GA 30750; 706.820.2002;
www.stayatchanticleer.com
Chattanooga Choo Choo - 1400 Market St.,
Chatanooga, TN 37402; 423-266-5000;
www.choochoo.com
The Chattanoogan - 1201 South Broad St.,
Chattanooga, TN 37402; (800) 619-0018;
www.chattanooganhotel.com
The Clarion - 407 Chestnut Street,
Chattanooga, TN 37402; 800-Clarion;
www.chattanoogaclarion.com
Coolidge Park - www.chattanooga.gov/cpr/
parks/CoolidgePark.htm
Hamilton Place - 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd.,
Chattanooga, TN; 423-894-7177
Houston Museum of American Art - 201 High
St., Chattanooga TN 37403; 423. 267.7176;
www.chattanooga.net/houston
The Hunter Museum - 10 Bluff View,
Chattanooga, TN 37403-1197; (423) 267-0968;
www.huntermuseum.org
Incline Railway - www.carta-bus.org
Lookout Mountain - www.lookoutmtnattractions.com
Maclellan House - 411 East Second St.,
Chattanooga, TN 37403; (800) 725-8338
C.G. Martin House - 412 East Second St.,
Chattanooga, TN 37403; (800) 725-8338
Rembrandt’s Coffee House - 204 East High
St., Chattanooga, TN 37403; (423) 265-5033;
www.bluffviewartdistrict.com
River Gallery - 400 East Second St., (423)
265-5033 ext. 5; www.river-gallery.com
Rock City - 1400 Patten Rd., Lookout
Mountain, GA 30750; 706-820-2531;
www.seerockcity.com
Ruby Falls - 1720 South Scenic Hwy.,
Chattanooga, TN 37409; (423) 821-2544,
www.rubyfalls.com
Southside Grill - 1400 Cowart Street,
Chattanooga, TN 37408; (423) 266-9211;
www.southsidegrill.com
Sticky Fingers - 420 Broad Street,
Chattanooga, TN 37402; 423-265-7427;
www.stickyfingersonline.com
The Stone Fort Inn - 120 East 10th Street,
Chattanooga TN 37402; 423-267-7866;
www.stonefortinn.com
Taco Mac - 423 Market St., Chattanooga, TN,
423-267-8226; www.tacomac.com
Tennessee Aquarium - One Broad St.,
Chattanooga, TN 37401, www.tnaqua.org
Tennessee Valley Railroad - 4119 Cromwell
Road, Chattanooga TN 37421; 423-894-8028;
www.tvrail.com
The Thompson House - 212 High St.,
Chattanooga, TN 37403; (800) 725-8338
Tony’s Pasta Shop and Trattoria - 212-B
High Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403; (423)
265-5033; www.bluffviewartdistrict.com
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