My daughter and I recently took a summer road trip to Chattanooga, TN, and it was an absolute delight! Using my Bonvoy points, I booked us a stay at the Westin Chattanooga in Downtown Chattanooga, where our room overlooked both the pool and the city.(https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/chawi-the-westin-chattanooga/overview/)
We arrived around lunchtime on Saturday, and luckily, our room was ready. We quickly dropped off our luggage and headed to Public House (https://www.publichousechattanooga.com/) for a delectable lunch. I savored the salmon croquette paired with a glorious glass of wine, while my daughter indulged in a grilled cheese with fries and a cookie—delicious!
We’d bought tickets to the Tennessee Aquarium in advance, which turned out to be smart since they were sold out by the time we got there. The exhibits were mesmerizing: butterflies, stingrays, sharks, starfish, jellyfish, turtles, and river creatures. Afterward, my daughter cooled off in the pool outside the aquarium (https://tnaqua.org/).
The Passage
A short walk took us to The Passage, a pedestrian link between downtown Chattanooga and the Tennessee River, marking the start of the Trail of Tears. It’s a beautiful and moving exhibit. We treated ourselves to cookie dough and ice cream at Downtown Dough, then Ubered back to the Westin for some pool time.(https://www.visitchattanooga.com/listing/the-passage/2484/),(https://www.downtowndough.com/).
Rock City Garden Path
Sunday started with breakfast at Ruby Sunshine, where I had the fried green tomato eggs benedict with a latte. Simply divine. (https://www.rubybrunch.com/). From there we headed to Rock City Garden for our 9:30 a.m. tickets, also booked in advance. The views and rock formations were breathtaking, though the fairy garden was a little tacky but still fun. We caught an animal show with exotic birds, which was a real treat.(https://www.seerockcity.com/).
Top of Lookout Mountain
Next we rode the Incline Railway to the top of Lookout Mountain, a historic funicular over 125 years old that my daughter loved. We also grabbed some fudge at the station shop.(https://ridetheincline.com/).
After a hearty lunch at Tony’s Pasta & Trattoria Shop in the Bluff View Art District (fettuccine with pesto, shrimp, and broccoli for me), we headed back to the hotel for a nap and more pool time. Dinner was at Whole Foods on the North Shore, where we found a charming toy shop my daughter adored.(https://bluffviewartdistrictchattanooga.com/tonys-pasta-shop/).
We ended the trip with a restful night at the hotel and an early drive home. Our Chattanooga adventure was full of fun, food, and memories we’ll keep for a long time.