July 2011
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Written by GBK Gwyneth16 July, 2011

Travels: Chattanooga Sights

Last week, my mom, the girls and I traveled up to Chattanooga to attend a Lunch Money concert. I decided to splurge a little and stay at the ever-so fun Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel.

Since we were in Chattanooga for less than 24-hours and some of that time was at the concert, we had to pick and choose which of the many things on our list we should do. Because of the EXTREME heat and humidity, we ruled out Rock City and the Incline Railway as well as the zoo. The girls really wanted to go to Creative Discovery Museum, but while Chloe may still be young enough to enjoy it, I think Camille at almost 13 would have been extremely bored.

Instead, we decided to head up to the Tennessee Aquarium after attending the concert. Though less than a mile away, the heat made the walk almost unbearable, so we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner on the way at Taazikis Mediterranean Cafe. There were limited vegetarian options, but we still managed to find something for everyone.

I’ve always loved the Tennessee Aquarium, and now it has grown even larger! Chloe, my little naturalist, just can’t get enough. Despite having been to the Monterey Aquarium just a month earlier, she had to find every turtle, fish and sea horse there. She loved the touch pool. Unfortunately, we only had a fleeting glimpse of the sea otters. Both girls liked the “bubble heads”, but Chloe found the other kids to be a bit pushy. Next time, the girls want to bring swimsuits to play in the “waterpark” out from of the aquarium.

Happily, we found the stop for the FREE electric bus shuttle and rode the 1.5 miles back to our hotel. The bus was stuffy and hot, but it was much better than having to walk back, for sure!

TN aquarium - 10 jul 2011

The next day, we debated our “Lookout Mountain” options. Because of the heat, humidity and haze, we decided to descend into the Ruby Falls cave and leave the outdoor activities for another day. We bought tickets and headed over to the elevator. And waited and waited. No one told us how long we could expect to wait for our tour to begin, which was frustrating! Finally, we entered the elevator and descended 26 stories into the cave where we then had to take our requisite green screen photo, ugh.

Finally the tour began. The passageways were slightly narrow and sometimes the ceilings were low, but that added to the fun of walking through. The guide was friendly and helpful. We all enjoyed the chance to get to touch ONE stalagmite, as usually all formations are off limits.

Once we reached the falls, they were in the dark. The tour guide gathered us around and flipped on the light. And the falls were truly stunning! We all took a walk around the falls and then tried to take photos. There were too many clueless people, so by the time it was our turn, the lights went out. Next time, I’ll skip the walk around the falls and get that photo!

Coming out, we passed many groups coming in — get there early to avoid the crowds. The tour lasted about an hour and a half.