We always love visiting the Tennessee Aquarium.
Do you ever want to get away just for a little bit? No big time or money commitment, but just take a little break?
That’s what we wanted a couple of weeks ago when my brother and sister-in-law came to visit. They had spent a long weekend in Knoxville and planned to continue their vacation in Chattanooga for a few days. We decided to join them for one day.
We can definitely recommend a quick trip to Chattanooga. Here are a couple of things we did — and two great restaurants we enjoyed.
We started by dropping by The Lost Sea attraction, a place none of us had ever visited. It was fun and interesting. Photography was tough because of the artificial lighting in the cave, but it was an hour well-spent in Sweetwater on the way to Chattanooga.
The Lost Sea is America’s largest underground lake. You reach the sea by walking with a tour guide through a cave system called Craighead Caverns. It is a series of huge underground rooms used by the Cherokee Indians long ago. There is evidence of Cherokee Council meetings having been held there. Later, early European settlers apparently used the caves to store produce because of the constant temperature there of 58 degrees. During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers took over the caves to mine saltpeter, a key ingredient in gunpowder. The caves also have been used as a dance hall, a bar, and, of course, a place where children and adults have adventured. The full extent of the caves and the lake have not been determined to this day.
A typical view inside the cave.
Our guide called this a "U Haul" plant. "Because you haul it in," he said. Plant spores on visitors' clothes fall off inside the caves. The spores that fall near the lights are the only ones able to grow.
This is Devil's Hole. Supposedly, if you have done something bad within the past few weeks, you will see the face of the devil when you look inside. I saw nothing!
This formation is called Bear Claw. You are supposed to touch it for good luck. My brother hugged it!
This contraption was used in the mining of saltpeter.
The caves have been used as fallout shelters, too. These are the remnants of old saltine cracker tins.
When we got to the deepest part of the cave, our guide turned off all the artificial lights for just a minute so we could experience pure darkness. He said we were in one of only a few places on earth where pure darkness occurs: caves like this and the deepest part of the oceans. He said that after several weeks in pure darkness we would begin to go blind because our retinas would burn themselves out searching for light. Wow.
After walking about a mile, you reach the Lost Sea. This is our guide, Jay, casting off our glass-bottomed boat.
My brother, Jimmy Moxley, and sister-in-law, Tess Richard, in the boat. They are looking at rainbow trout that have been stocked in the lake. The trout are nearly blind and have lost 75 percent of their color due to the darkness.
Alan Carmichael, left, joins Tess and Jimmy for a photo op deep underground when we get out of the boat.
You access the caves via a big yellow tunnel. This is Alan on the way out.
After a quick stop at the Ruby Tuesday in Athens (which is one of the best Ruby’s I’ve ever been to, by the way), it was on to Chattanooga and the Tennessee Aquarium. The featured attraction at the aquarium: seahorses.
This is a sea dragon!
The best thing about seahorses, in my opinion? The male is the one to give birth!
Smiling gator
Tess took a turn in the piranha tank!
Crab
We saw a LOT of frogs and learned that many species of frogs are dying off, a bad sign for our environment.
I love puffers. So ugly, they're cute!
Tess is partial to the penguins.
In the butterfly pavilion, Alan was enchanted with this one, who landed on his pants.
Of course, you always have to check your messages!
Wow! That was one large turtle!
By now, we were starving again. So we went in search of food and drink.
We passed the pedestrian bridge on the way to the art district. I wish Knoxville had a pedestrian bridge over the river.
We passed and posed at the Hunter Museum of American Art.
We found this sculpture interesting outside the Hunter. The two figures are dancing on a bag of money.
Then it was to Tony’s for appetizers and wine. We needed both!
Happy to be at Tony's.
Tess does the honors!
At Tony’s, we had various kinds of bruschettas and crotinis.
For dinner, we sought out a restaurant our friends Katie and Blair Kline recommended: St. John’s. It is a chef-owned restaurant with a constantly changing farm-to-table menu. We loved it.
Unbelievable asparagus and lobster soup with one onion ring.
Alan digs in to his filet mignon.
A closer look at that. I had to move fast to get to it before he did!
As we headed out the door of St. John's (yes, we were the last to leave!), we saw this iconic neon logo.
The next day, Alan and I headed to Knoxville and work. Jimmy and Tess stayed two more days in Chattanooga and visited the IMAX theater, took a boat ride, and went to Rock City and Ruby Falls before heading towards their Alabama home. But we know that an easy, fun little escape is only two hours away whenever we need it.
Do you have any favorite places to visit in Chattanooga? We need to know in order to plan our next visit.
The Southern Star is a fun, great lunch place. Go hungry! Katie and Blair hit it right on — St. John’s is really yummy.
I loved visiting the Lost Sea and the Tennessee Aquarium growing up. I enjoy visiting Chattanooga often, mainly because I have close friends who went to UTC and after graduation, they didn’t want to leave! They love living there. Next time I go, I want to go on a Chattanooga Ducks Tour (http://www.chattanoogaducks.com/). It’s a land-to-water narrated tour of Downtown Chatt in a DUKW “amphibious” vehicle.
Wow, Lauren, that sounds like a blast! We will put it on the list for our next ‘Nooga adventure. And we’ll go to lunch at Southern Star, Ellen. Thanks.
I love Chattanooga, and I love St. John’s! That’s my favorite fine-dining spot in the city.
Some others to try:
– Table 2 (http://www.table2restaurant.com) – Upscale, trendy joint; try the hot rock appetizer.
– Blue Water Grille (http://www.bluewaterchattanooga.com) – Fun spot on Broad Street for drinks and apps.
– Taco Mamacita (http://www.tacomamacita.com) – On the North Shore, take the pedestrian bridge and hang a left; super casual with unusual tacos and great margaritas.
– Nikki’s Drive In – Extra-super casual; tasty fried food with the locals.
– The Big Chill (http://www.thebigchillandgrill.com) – Interesting late night Market Street bar, if you enjoy people watching along with your cocktails; not a wild place, but let your hair down prior to entry.
On my list for the next trip:
– Alleia, which is by the St. John’s folks (http://www.alleiarestaurant.com)
Wow, Scott. Now I want to go right back! Thanks for the great recommendations!
Alan Carmichael is overexposed.
Christopher, Kari and Presley just got back from two days in Chattanooga. They ate at St. John’s and loved it! Richard and I have eaten at Blue Water Grill and loved it as well.
I have to say we had a blast! We did not want to leave. Really enjoyed Marriott Courtyard excellent service, clean, friendly, and best of all it is walking distance to almost everything. You can get your 10,000 steps in one day no prob!
Love all of this info!! Do you archive your wine, dine, and travel blogs in a particular way? I would love to be able to reference them when going to Market Square, Chattanooga, etc.!!
Alan Carmichael is overexposed. Give him the camera!!
Hey, Glo. I don’t really archive them by subject. But you can use the search box at the top to sort by subject. For instance, type in Chattanooga or Market Square. All the posts on that subject will then be listed.
Steve: Not gonna happen! (Unless he gets his own blog!)
Wonderful post! We always want to “get away just for a little bit.”
Chattanooga’s downtown is so walkable, we love it. Neat area B&Bs and “ditto” to all the sites you enjoyed on your weekend there…
Chattanooga is also so close to the annual Cornbread Festival in downtown South Pittsburg. Have you tried it?
Alleia, Urban Stack, the Meeting Place (next to St. John’s – same kitchen, but cheaper), Lupi’s, Taco Mamacita, 212 Market, and the Public House in Warehouse Row are a good start. The Southside has the best stuff going on. I only wish Knoxville had a chef like St. John’s Daniel Lindley.
Mary: Thanks! We met s fellow involved with the Cornbread Festival in Knoxville recently during Biscuitfest. That got me interested in the Cornbread Festival! I would love to go.
cg: Gr8 suggestions, as well. Thanks.
Pingback:Blue Streak » How to have a great time in Chicago
About the Author
What You’re Saying
What’s Hot
My Favorite Blogs
Archives