The Perfect Weekend in Chattanooga
When picturing the perfect weekend getaway in Tennessee, most people think of Nashville or Memphis. If you’re looking for something off the beaten path with outdoor adventures and a laid-back vibe then Chattanooga should be on your radar! North America’s first National Park City is surrounded by beautiful mountains and waterfalls. The city itself is full of interesting history, local gems, and great eats. This guide will give you the building blocks to curate a perfect weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee!
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Where to Eat
Chattanooga has no shortage of options when it comes to great food!
To nobody’s surprise, Chattanooga has many great options for southern food! A great brunch, lunch, and dinner spot for responsibly sourced, freshly made dishes served by friendly staff is Tupelo Honey. I got the chicken tenders with their famous bee dust seasoning with fried okra and goat cheese grits, and my waitress was kind enough to offer sriracha honey dipping sauce for my chicken. I had no intention of eating a whole meal, but everything was so good I cleaned the plate!
Another excellent spot for weekend brunch, weekday lunch, and dinner is Old Gilman Grill, an upscale American restaurant with a French twist. The cocktails are unique and refreshing, and the dishes are a fresh take on classics. It’s easy to see why this restaurant is a stop on many local food tours!
The best restaurant for happy hour in Chattanooga is hands-down Easy Bistro & Bar. This Michelin guide restaurant has a buy one, get one free oyster happy hour every day from 4-5pm! The daily rotating oyster menu features oysters from the nearby Gulf coast as well as the East coast and West coast, complete with tasting notes for each option. After the happy hour is over, definitely stick around for an early dinner! I got the gramigna pasta dish featuring sausage from the well-renowned Main Street Meats and was blown away by the flavors. It’s one of those dishes I think about often!
Looking for a more laid-back vibe with burgers and beer? Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint has an impressive list of craft beers and a menu full of creative burgers. I got a burger topped with Mac ‘n cheese and BBQ chips and was sent to burger heaven! The waiter talked us into getting fried Oreos for dessert which was a wonderful choice.
An iconic dessert place that you must visit is Clumpies! They’ve been hand-crafting ice cream since 1999 and even locally source all the goodies that go into their ice cream flavors. There’s many year-round and seasonal flavors to choose from. Can’t decide what to get? You don’t have to! Clumpies offers an ice cream flight, where you can try six different ice cream flavors. It’s big enough for two people, but it was just me so I sent myself into the best ice cream coma of my life with whiskey caramel cornflake crunch, dirty banana, chocolate peanut butter cookies, cookie dough, chocolate chocolate chunk, and birthday cake!
An amazing late night restaurant that’s open until 3am (yes, even the kitchen!) is Pickle Barrel. This iconic building has been home to several businesses for many years, including a restaurant where the infamous union boss, Jimmy Hoffa, enjoyed a Porterhouse steak every day while on trial for attempted bribery and participating in organized crime. Now, they serve a rotating menu of beers and delicious bar food like pickle-brined chicken tenders and burgers served between locally sourced buns! The pepper jammer was the best ending to a night out.
Looking to try a variety of restaurants in one sitting? Check out one of the many food tours offered by Chatt Taste Food Tours! This company, ranked by USA Today as one of the top 10 food tours, offers food tours in different areas of the city.
Where to Drink
Chattanooga is full of unique bars and speakeasies with delightful handcrafted cocktails!
A great place for refreshing cocktails with rooftop views is Stratus Rooftop at the Caption hotel. Be sure to go at sunset for incredible views of Lookout Mountain and downtown Chattanooga!
If you’re looking for a more historical vibe with your libations, you have two options at The Waymark, a hotel that used to be a bank in the 1920s. Iris is their rooftop bar that has creative cocktails and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating with excellent downtown views. I got the neon skyline, which changes colors as the bartender makes the drink! In the basement of The Waymark is The Vault, a classy speakeasy with even more creative cocktails. And yes, it used to be the actual bank vault back in the day!
For art lovers who want a river view, Whiskey Thief will be your go-to bar! This bar is on the top floor of The Edwin Hotel. When you reach that floor, the hallway leading to Whiskey Thief has a lot of beautiful local art to enjoy. The bar itself is also a work of art! The indoor part is decorated with massive windows and the balcony overlooks the river.
What To Do in Chattanooga
…When You’re Feeling Outdoorsy
Chattanooga has so many outdoor activities available that it is known as North America’s first National Park city! Here’s a few great places close to Chattanooga that get you exploring outside.
Lula Lake Land Trust is a nonprofit that protects the natural landscape of more than 12,000 acres of Lookout Mountain. Their core property has 60 miles of recreational trails for hiking, biking, and running! The core property is only open on the first and last weekends of each month, and reservations are required. However, hiking on their trails is well worth it! I did the hike to Lula Lake Falls and was blown away by how massive the falls are!
Rock City is a great place to visit if you want to get outdoors without breaking a sweat! There’s a lot of unique and whimsical things to see at this Lookout Mountain attraction, from a single viewpoint of seven states to fairytale characters nestled in caverns. There are many paths lined with gardens, cool rock formations, and gnomes. There’s a giant waterfall here too!
Another waterfall worth seeing is inside a cave! Ruby Falls is the tallest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States. Go on a guided cave tour to learn about the history of the cave and see amazing rock formations on your way to seeing this spectacular waterfall! The Ruby Falls area also has a lovely lookout point included in your admission fee.
A must-do when in Chattanooga is paddling down the downtown river! The weather wasn’t cooperating enough for me to go, but Visit Chattanooga has some great information on paddle rentals and launching and landing points.
…When You’re Downtown
The Tennessee Aquarium opened in the 90s to kick off a revitalization project for downtown Chattanooga. This aquarium not only accomplished that goal, but is also consistently ranked one of the top aquariums in the United States! The aquarium has two buildings full of exhibits representing habitats around the world. It’s recommended to budget two hours for each building.
Next to the aquarium is the The Passage, a public art installation built in honor of the seven tribes of the Cherokee nation. Water descending down a set of stairs represents the tears shed when these tribes were forced out of their homes and on the Trail of Tears, which began in Chattanooga. This installation also builds community in the downtown area, providing a nice way for folks to cool off their feet on a hot day.
The Hunter Museum of American Art is a museum that’s home to a wide variety of American art from the colonial era to modern day. The museum is in a former mansion nestled on a bluff by the Tennessee River. Short on time? There’s a few pieces outside the museum that are free to enjoy!
If you want a taste of Chattanooga history with a twist, I highly recommend going on a Crypts & Chills Ghost Tour! On this walking tour, you not only learn about the past events and people that shaped Chattanooga, from great floods to Cherokee tribes, but also learn about some of the ghosts haunting various spots in downtown Chattanooga. Our guide, Forest, was really knowledgeable on both the ghost side and history side of the tour!
The Chattanooga Choo Choo, a former train station, is now a major hub for drinking, dining, and shopping! Even just stopping by to enjoy the architecture is a treat. If you visit in the evening, definitely check out the bar district next to the station for a fun night out!
Wanting to try a new skill and meet some locals? Definitely take one of the classes at The Chattery! This non-profit is women-founded and black-led and dedicated to building community in Chattanooga through affordable and accessible learning and art experiences for adults. They offer a variety of classes, from baking to creative journaling. I took a candle making class and really enjoyed the teacher and the candle I made! They provide a really unique space for Chattanooga, so even if you don’t make it there during your visit definitely consider making a donation!
Where to Stay
There’s a lot of beautiful hotels in Chattanooga! I recommend staying downtown so you can walk to many of Chattanooga’s lovely restaurants and attractions and take advantage of Chattanooga’s free public busses (more on that later). There’s a few hotels I recommend staying at in the downtown area.
The hotel with the richest history in Chattanooga and a lovely art deco aesthetic is The Read House Hotel. This luxury hotel has been operating since the mid 1800s and has survived many events from flooding to The Civil War. It even has a haunted room! Room 311 is haunted by a woman that was unalived in the bathroom and is also famous for being the room Al Capone stayed in while on his way to trial. Nowadays, it’s only available to stay in during the week of Halloween and is otherwise used for complimentary guided tours for hotel guests.
Another lovely historic hotel to stay at is The Waymark. This beautiful hotel was once a bank in the 1920s, but now not only houses a hotel but also a lovely rooftop bar and speakeasy inside the former bank vault. It’s a really chic place to spend a weekend in Chattanooga!
Looking for a hotel with a rooftop pool? Look no further than Caption, the first Hyatt hotel in Chattanooga! The hotel has an artsy, colorful vibe thanks to the numerous murals painted by local artists. The rooftop has a bar serving handcrafted cocktails and a sleek pool for hotel guests to enjoy while soaking in rooftop views of Lookout Mountain.
How to Get Around
Chattanooga is quite easy to get around using rideshare apps and the free downtown public transportation!
Although downtown itself is very walkable, Chattanooga provides free public transportation throughout the downtown area with electric busses! It’s really nice to see cities provide free and reliable public transportation, especially in the United States!
Google Maps Pins
Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/viGYoqvhXaFf5Sif9
Chattanooga, Tennessee is an underrated city that has a lot to offer for locals and visitors alike! From critically acclaimed restaurants to waterfall hikes, there is something for everyone when spending a weekend in Chattanooga.
