Chattanooga
ranks high on the family fun meter with a score of attractions
to please everyone. Whether you’re traveling with
teens, tweens or preschoolers, you'll find something for
each member of the family.
FAMILIES WITH SMALL FRY
– Day Trip
Morning:
• While everyone is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, start
your day at the Creative
Discovery Museum, for children age 12 and younger,
located one block from the Tennessee Aquarium. Let your
kids' imaginations run wild as they make their own music,
dig for dinosaur bones or play in the Little Yellow House.
Children can also pilot a river boat, climb high atop
a crow's nest, build sail boats and make water wheels
spin and buckets spill in the new exhibit, River Play.
Don’t miss the new Rooftop Fun Factory!
Afternoon:
• After lunch at Big River Grille and maybe a nap,
head over to the Tennessee Aquarium, where thousands
of animals swim, fly and crawl in natural habitats. Begin your Aquarium adventure in the River Journey
building and follow a drop of water from streams high
in the Appalachian Mountains to the Gulf
of Mexico - and all the places in-between.
Check out the cuddly river otters, marvel at the enormous
catfish and maybe even get "hands-on" with a
lake sturgeon in Discovery Hall. Don’t miss the special
exhibition, “Seahorses: Beyond Imagination.” Then
cross the Plaza and visit Ocean
Journey, the Aquarium’s new $30 million expansion.
You’ll enter a Tropical Cove, island hop and touch harmless
sharks and stingrays and visit a garden with hundreds
of free-flying butterflies. You’ll also discover a Secret
Reef with 10-foot sharks, dramatic coral formations and
thousands of colorful reef fish. Complete your visit by
exploring the Undersea Cavern, where sharks swim overhead
and amazing reef creatures surround you. And you might
want to check out our behind-the-scenes tour to learn more
about how the Aquarium staff cares for the animals.
• Children will be mesmerized
by the 3D IMAX film experience. The IMAX 3D Theater will take you to worlds you’ve only dreamed
of. With its six-story screen and digital surround sound,
you don't just watch the movie — you feel as if you're
in it! It's so real, it's
unreal! Discount combination tickets for the Creative
Discovery Museum, Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX 3D Theater
are available online.
• After your IMAX visit,
cool off in the Aquarium
Plaza stream or wade in the waters of the Passage
(located between the Ocean Journey building and the Market Street
Bridge.)
Be sure to bring water shoes, swim diapers, towels and
maybe a dry change of clothing.
Evening:
• Grab a bite at one of the eateries downtown or along
Frazier Avenue (across the river via the
Market Street
Bridge).
Big
River Grille downtown has a kid-friendly menu.
• Or for a more playful
dining experience, walk over to the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater downtown. Showtime is at 7 p.m.
and you'll meet and talk with the play's crazy characters
-- then witness a crime that you help solve. Enjoy unlimited
Italian food, beverages and dessert and laugh along with
a zany detective as he interrogates the suspects with
your clues. It's family fun and appropriate for all ages.
FAMILY FUN FOR EVERYONE
– Day Trip
Morning:
• Start off your day at the Tennessee Aquarium. Begin your Aquarium
adventure in the River Journey building and follow a drop
of water from streams high in the Appalachian Mountains
to the Gulf of Mexico
- and all the places in-between. Check out the cuddly
river otters, marvel at the enormous catfish and maybe
even get "hands-on" with a lake sturgeon in
Discovery Hall. Don’t miss the special exhibition, “Seahorses: Beyond Imagination.” Then
cross the Plaza and visit Ocean Journey, the Aquarium’s
new $30 million expansion. You’ll enter a Tropical Cove,
island hop and touch harmless sharks and stingrays and
visit a garden with hundreds of free-flying butterflies.
You’ll also discover a Secret Reef with 10-foot sharks,
dramatic coral formations and thousands of colorful reef
fish. Complete your visit by exploring the Undersea Cavern,
where sharks swim overhead and amazing reef creatures
surround you. And you might want to check out our behind-the-scenes tour to learn more
about how the Aquarium staff cares for the animals.
• Dive in at the IMAX 3D Theater located just across
the street from the Aquarium. With a six-story screen
and digital surround sound, the IMAX experience will make
you feel like you're in the movie, not just watching
it!
Afternoon:
• Take a stroll over the Walnut Street Bridge, the longest
pedestrian bridge in America.
The bridge connects the Aquarium side of the river to
the north side of the river - another great hangout for
families. Big kids and adults also enjoy the fun and funky
shops and restaurants along Frazier Avenue. Visit the Coolidge Park
Carousel, play in the interactive fountain and enjoy the
park's beautiful landscaping and wide open spaces. You
may want to bring swim diapers, bathing suits, water shoes
and a dry change of clothing.
OR
• Head up to Lookout
Mountain, where you can visit Ruby
Falls or see
Rock City.
Ruby
Falls takes you on an underground guided tour
of an amazing cave and America's
highest underground waterfall. Discover the amazing rock
formations and enjoy spectacular views as you explore
the trails at Rock City. The sight of Chattanooga from the overlook
is simply awesome!
OR
•
Take the First Street Steps past an outdoor sculpture
garden to the Hunter
Museum of American Art. Perched
on an 80-foot bluff on the edge of the Tennessee
River, the Hunter Museum of American Art offers
stunning views of the river and the surrounding mountains.
Once inside, the inspiration continues, because it's not
just about the art; it's all about you, the visitor. The
Hunter is for the entire family to enjoy. Together, you
will see art with new eyes as a way to better understand
American history and to learn more about what makes us
Americans today.
ROLLIN'
AND STROLLIN' ON THE RIVER – Day Trip
Morning:
• Sign up for a sightseeing cruise and lunch on the Southern Belle Riverboat which docks right next to the Aquarium.
Enjoy the river and surrounding mountains and look for
blue herons, various duck species and other wildlife.
You'll also learn some Chattanooga history and
discover what makes the Tennessee River Gorge so special.
Afternoon:
• Just up from the riverboat landing, you'll find the
IMAX 3D Theater. With a six-story screen and digital surround
sound, the IMAX experience will make you feel like you're
in the movie, not just watching
it!
• Then walk across the
street to the Tennessee Aquarium, where thousands of animals swim, fly and
crawl in natural habitats.
Begin your Aquarium adventure in the River Journey
building and follow a drop of water from streams high
in the Appalachian Mountains to the Gulf
of Mexico - and all the places in-between.
Check out the cuddly river otters, marvel at the enormous
catfish and maybe even get "hands-on" with a
lake sturgeon in Discovery Hall. Don’t miss the special
exhibition, “Seahorses: Beyond Imagination.” Then
cross the Plaza and visit Ocean Journey, the Aquarium’s
new $30 million expansion. You’ll enter a Tropical Cove,
island hop and touch harmless sharks and stingrays and
visit a garden with hundreds of free-flying butterflies.
You’ll also discover a Secret Reef with 10-foot sharks,
dramatic coral formations and thousands of colorful reef
fish. Complete your visit by exploring the Undersea Cavern,
where sharks swim overhead and amazing reef creatures
surround you. And you might want to check out our behind-the-scenes tour to learn more
about how the Aquarium staff cares for the animals.
Evening:
• Explore the Hunter
Museum of American Art and the Bluff View Art District. The sculpture garden offers a truly
scenic stroll with amazing views of the Tennessee
River. You'll also have several restaurants
to choose from there.
WEEKEND FUN FOR THE ENTIRE
FAMILY
Friday evening:
• Check out the room packages offered by our sponsor
hotels – some even offer discounted tickets to Chattanooga
attractions. Have dinner at one of the downtown restaurants
then take a stroll along the new 21st
Century Riverfront. The Chattanooga Pier and the Walnut Street
Bridge
offer great views of the downtown lights.
Saturday morning:
• Start the day with breakfast
at one of Chattanooga’s
unique downtown eateries. Greyfriar’s offers gourmet coffee,
a variety of muffins and bagels and the best oatmeal in
town. Rembrandt’s serves up hot breakfast sandwiches,
French toast and pastries. Cross the river and head up
Tremont Street to
Aretha Frankenstein’s, recently featured on the Food Network,
for a unique take on a traditional Southern breakfast.
• Journey from the mountains
to the sea at the Tennessee Aquarium. Begin your Aquarium
adventure in the River Journey building and follow a drop
of water from streams high in the Appalachian Mountains
to the Gulf of Mexico
- and all the places in-between. Check out the cuddly
river otters, marvel at the enormous catfish and maybe
even get "hands-on" with a lake sturgeon in
Discovery Hall. Don’t miss the special exhibition, “Seahorses: Beyond Imagination.” Then
cross the Plaza and visit Ocean
Journey, the Aquarium’s new $30 million expansion.
You’ll enter a Tropical Cove, island hop and touch harmless
sharks and stingrays and visit a garden with hundreds
of free-flying butterflies. You’ll also discover a Secret
Reef with 10-foot sharks, dramatic coral formations and
thousands of colorful reef fish. Complete your visit by
exploring the Undersea Cavern, where sharks swim overhead
and amazing reef creatures surround you. And you might
want to check out our behind-the-scenes tour to learn more
about how the Aquarium staff cares for the animals.
• Dive in at the IMAX 3D Theater located just across
the street from the Aquarium. With a six-story screen
and digital surround sound, the IMAX experience will make
you feel like you're in the movie, not just watching
it!
• Check out the interactive
fun at the Environmental Learning Lab in the
IMAX building. You and your kids can use multimedia personal
computers with Internet access. An extensive collection
of CD-ROMs and educational software and a natural science
library with over 1,500 books and 40 journals are available.
You can even learn to build your own Web page.
Saturday Afternoon:
• Cool off in the Aquarium
Plaza stream and explore
the Trail of Tears Passage. Both areas offer the chance
to play in the water, so you may want to bring swim diapers,
bathing suits, water shoes and a dry change of clothing.
OR
• Take a stroll over the
Walnut Street Bridge, the longest pedestrian bridge in America.
The bridge connects the Aquarium side of the river to
the north side of the river - another great hangout for
families. Big kids and adults also enjoy the fun and funky
shops and restaurants along Frazier Avenue. Visit the Coolidge
Park Carousel, play in the interactive fountain and
enjoy the park's beautiful landscaping and wide open spaces.
You may want to bring swim diapers, bathing suits, water
shoes and a dry change of clothing.
OR
• Visit the Creative
Discovery Museum, for children 12 and younger
located one block from the Tennessee Aquarium. Let your
kids' imaginations run wild while they dig for dino bones
or make music. Children will be able to pilot a river
boat, climb high atop a crow's nest, build sail boats
and make water wheels spin and buckets spill in the new
exhibit, "River Play."
Saturday
Evening:
• Grab a bite at one of the eateries downtown or along
Frazier Avenue (across the river via the
Market Street
Bridge).
Big
River Grille downtown has a kid-friendly menu
and you can also shoot a game of pool.
OR
• For a more playful dining
experience, walk over to the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater downtown. Showtime is at 7 p.m.
and you'll meet and talk with the play's crazy characters
-- then witness a crime that you help solve. Enjoy unlimited
Italian food, beverages and dessert and laugh along with
a zany detective as he interrogates the suspects with
your clues. It's family fun and appropriate for all ages.
Sunday
Morning:
•
Take the First Street Steps past an outdoor sculpture
garden to the Hunter
Museum of American Art. Perched
on an 80-foot bluff on the edge of the Tennessee
River, the Hunter Museum of American Art offers
stunning views of the river and the surrounding mountains.
Once inside, the inspiration continues, because it's not
just about the art; it's all about you, the visitor. The
Hunter is for the entire family to enjoy. Together, you
will see art with new eyes as a way to better understand
American history and to learn more about what makes us
Americans today.
•
Have lunch at the Hunter
Museum Café and enjoy the beautiful views of the Tennessee
River and Chattanooga’s
North Shore.
OR
•
Take the short dive up Broad
Street to the Lookout Mountain
attractions. See
Rock City,
a true marvel of nature featuring massive ancient rock
formations, gardens with more than 400 different native
plant species and panoramic views. A 100-foot waterfall
cascades from Rock
City down Lookout
Mountain
and the Swing-A-Long bridge offers thrilling views to
the adventurous souls who cross it.
•
See Ruby Falls
-- “the jewel of Lookout Mountain.” Your journey will take you deep
into the heart of the mountain, where you’ll watch as
the 145-foot waterfall cascades.
