Destination: Chattanooga

Located in Southeast Tennessee, this thriving metropolis is also a hub for outdoor tourism and has a great landing spot for amphibious aircraft: the Tennessee River.

Sara Withrow

Friday, September 02, 2022 at 02:41 PM ET

Verified

The Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge connects the Northshore District to downtown Chattanooga. It is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world. [Photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Chattanooga has transformed from a historic railway hub into a vibrant outdoor tourism destination and thriving metropolis, celebrated for its scenic riverfront and diverse attractions.
The area provides extensive outdoor recreation opportunities, such as paddling the Tennessee River Blueway, hiking and climbing Lookout Mountain and the Tennessee River Gorge, world-class fishing, and whitewater rafting.
Beyond nature, the city offers a rich cultural and urban experience, featuring art museums, the Tennessee Aquarium, unique dining, craft distilleries and breweries, and historical sites from its railway past and Civil War battles.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Chattanooga, Tennessee, has changed a lot since the song “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” recorded by the Glenn Miller Band in 1941, put it on the world map. Known then as a railway and steamboat shipping hub—its Terminal Station was the first railway station in the South—today, Chattanooga is an outdoor tourism destination and a thriving metropolis.

The city’s redeveloped riverfront and downtown beckon you to travel its scenic pathways and bridges along the Tennessee River—one reason it was named “Best Town Ever” by Outside in 2015. With six neighborhoods, visitors enjoy unique dining, shopping, and attractions, which include the Chattanooga Lookouts minor league baseball team and the Tennessee Aquarium.