TRAVEL
JULY/AUGUST 2018 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 153
The top of Lookout Mountain in
Rock City provides unique views
of the Chattanooga, Tennessee
area, including seven states.
choice, the Chattanooga Choo Choo with
its former train station lobby and the
option to stay in a former sleeper train
car permanently parked at the hotel on
actual tracks. There never really was a
Chattanooga Choo Choo, except in a
song lyricist’s imagination. Next door
to the Choo Choo is STIR, an oyster
bar and restaurant that is known for
its interesting cocktails and gourmet
dining selections made in-house from
locally sourced ingredients.
One of Chattanooga’s newest
attractions is just a few steps further from
the Choo Choo. The Songbirds attraction
is a collection of timeless guitars. Each
one was purchased by the museum’s
owner, a private collector, because it was
outstanding or in some way special. You
don’t have to be a guitar enthusiast to
appreciate this $200 million display of
instruments. And yes, some were used
by the artists who created everything
from rock ‘n’ roll to gospel to country
and western to flamenco.
Dining was both tasty and fun in
Chattanooga. Chefs such as Erik Niel,
who has been recognized twice by the
James Beard Foundation, have opened
restaurants that feature contemporary
Southern cuisine. At his slick, attractive
Easy Bistro and Bar in the town’s former
Coca-Cola bottling plant, Niel has added
Louisiana touches to his fine dining
menu. Perhaps our favorite dining
experience was a German wine tasting
and dinner at the Back Inn Café in the
Bluff View Art District, where a 2012
Mosel Riesling from Dr. Loosen captured
our palates. Even pizza at Community
Pie in downtown Chattanooga proved
to be an exciting place where we could
compare New York, Neapolitan and
Detroit-style pizzas.
Chattanooga is an action-packed,
iconic city that is filled with fun and
excitement. Its natural wonders and
history, along with vibrant cultural
endeavors, combine to make it the
perfect place to visit. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information,
contact the Tennessee Department of
Tourist Development, (615) 741-90000,
or the Chattanooga Area Convention and
Visitors Bureau, (800) 322-3344, or visit
Tnvacation.com or chattanoogafun.com.
Ruby Falls, located
1,120 feet below Lookout
Mountain’s surface, has
been a popular tourist
attraction since 1930.