Looking for the perfect destination for an outdoorsy family vacation? Look no further than Chattanooga, Tennessee! A fun city that is surrounded by mountains, waterfalls, and a huge river cutting right through downtown. Check out our exact itinerary below to see some of our favorite things to do on your visit. For more info on Chattanooga click here— https://bit.ly/42kepu6
Arrival Day
We arrived in Chattanooga around 3 in the afternoon and had a short drive to our hotel. We stayed at BODE Chattanooga which made it so easy to check in, and is in a great location to all things downtown. After settling in we headed over to grab some food.
Dinner: After a long travel day Lupi’s Pizza Pies was the perfect spot! Delicious pizzas and salads. There was such cool vibe and we could have eaten there everyday and been happy.
Biking: After dinner we biked around downtown and went over the Walnut Street Bridge. It’s a pedestrian bridge with great views of the Tennessee River and the surrounding mountains. We biked over to Coolidge Park and got some ice cream at a cute little ice cream stand. I was so glad we brought Beauden’s balance bike. It was such a fun way to start our Chattanooga trip.
Day 1
Breakfast: Nievlov’s Bakery
A quaint local bakery with yummy pastries and breakfast sandwiches. The service was fast and we loved our food.
Hike: Our first stop of the day was to hike the Cumberland Trail from Signal Mountain. This trail is perfect for hikers of all experience as there are great sights to see along the way. You can choose to do the entire hike for 15.5 miles roundtrip. We chose to hike to the Julia Falls Overlook which made our hike 1.8 miles roundtrip. It was perfect for little legs. We tried honeysuckles, climbed rocks, and took in the view of the beautiful Tennessee River.
Lunch: Grab lunch at Taco Mamacita’s. We loved their chips and queso, quesadillas, and roasted chicken- don’t skip the greens. YUM! And a southern staple.
While you’re in the area explore the Northshore District. There are lots of fun local shops. We loved “Locals Only Gifts & Goods” that was full of all local products and lots of yummy snacks that Chattanooga is known for. My toddlers favorite was “I Go Tokyo” which had fun asian kids toys, candy, and gifts.
Rock City: You don’t wanna miss Rock City while you are here. It is like a hike mixed with a paved path that takes you in around, and on top of rocks of all sizes. Squeeze through slot canyons, take in the view of seven different states, and walk through the lit up caverns. We loved Rock City so much!
Supper: FEED co. Table and Tavern. Casual homestyle food perfect for the whole family. I had the chicken fried steak and it was delicious!
After dinner, walk around the block to the Chattanooga Choo Choo complex. What was once an old train station now hosts a hotel, shops, restaurants, and places to get some late night drinks. Beauden loved checking out the old trains.
Day 2
Breakfast: Frothy Monkey. We went back to the Chattanooga Choo Choo to eat at the Frothy Monkey and it was perfect. They even let us order Beauden a PB&J…which was perfect since he ate it in the car on the way to our hike.
Hike: We drove 30-40 minutes to Cloudland Canyon State Park to do the Waterfall Trail. It’s a two mile trail that takes you down into the canyon to get up close with two different huge waterfalls. It involves going down over 600 stairs, but it is well worth it. And don’t miss out on the view at the beginning and end of the hike to see the sweeping canyon from above.
Lunch: Purple Picnic Cafe. You can’t come to the south without having some real southern BBQ. A perfect pulled pork sandwich, a bag of chips, and a soda are all you need for the perfect lunch.
Incline Railway: Right next door is the Incline Railway! It’s one of the steepest passenger railways in the world with an incline of over 70%. It’s a slow ride up where you can get off and take in some great views and then enjoy a nice leisurely ride down.
While you’re there don’t miss out on Clumpies Icecream! A Chattanooga staple and sooo good.
Tennessee Aquarium: After we left the railway we spent some time at the Tennessee Aquarium. It’s split up into two different buildings, freshwater and saltwater. It’s such a well done aquarium with touch tanks, butterflies, and lots and lots of amazing exhibits.
Dinner: After the aquarium we ate at State of Confusion. It was my favorite meal of the trip, shrimp and grits! My mom, who is a burger connoisseur, also stated it was the best burger she has ever had. We loved the outdoor vibes of the restuarant and the whole experience.
Day 3
Breakfast: We had a great breakfast at Ruby Sunshine! A great diner-style breakfast plane with great pancakes, French toast, and all the classics.
Shopping: We checked out a few fun shops nearby after breakfast. Our first stop was the Moonpie General Store. Moonpies were invented in Chattanooga and this shop has lots of flavors of Moonpies along with many other candies and southern goodies. We also checked out the Pinball Museum that was basically next door, and it was fun to get to see all the throwback video games.
Creative Discovery Museum: After shopping we walked over to the Creative Discovery Children’s Museum. If you have kids, don’t miss this place! So many different exhibits that are all interactive. My toddler could have spent all day there. A few of our favorite areas were: water play, farm, doctor, outer space, rockets, and a super cool outdoor play area.
Chattanooga Market: Our last stop in Chattanooga was the weekly market. It was full of amazing local vendors that sold home-grown produce, flowers, and foods. It also has vendors with home goods, shirts, and other fun Chattanooga items. There’s also a great selection of food trucks and the perfect way to spend your Sunday afternoon.
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