We visited Chattanooga in March 2016 as part of Big Trip #1.
Camping Lessons Learned
- Download podcasts while on the campground wifi before you leave for your next drive. We’re listening to Serial (yes, behind the times) and are loving it/totally frustrated by it.
- Breaking camp takes a long time, and we’re always in a hurry to hit the road. One thing that speeds up the process is making breakfast and coffee the night before, and reheating in the morning.
Campground
Holiday Trav-L Park is about 10 miles from downtown Chattanooga, has pull-through spots, usually decent-ish internet, and a little dog park. It’s a nice enough spot.
Activities
Go for a trail run with Civil War history and views at Lookout Mountain. We three did this loop and enjoyed it very much EXCEPT: we had trouble finding Cravens House (don’t follow Google’s directions; we had to ask a couple locals for help) and we somehow got lost after the stop at Point Park and skipped half of the return trip. Use this address for Cravens House: 1074 Hardy Trail, Chattanooga, TN 37409. Upon analysis of the map, it seems we did the 2.5 mile option instead of the 4.5. Oops. Still a lovely run.
Hike the 5-mile West Rim trail in Cloudland Canyon State Park in far northwest Georgia, an easy 40 minute drive from the campground. We added the waterfall trail too and the falls were worth the climb out of the canyon floor. The West Rim trail is fairly easy with stunning views of the canyon below. Warning: this park is VERY popular, so go early! The park opens at 7, and at 8:20 on a sunny Saturday, we were the first car in the lot. We had the hike to ourselves until the last mile or so when there were people everywhere, and we were shocked to see the parking lot was completely full when we got back.
Walk the Tennessee Riverwalk near downtown. It’s neat to see the water, the bridges are cool, and the people watching is good. It would be a good place to run (during off-peak hours), as the path continues for ten miles along the river.
Drinking
We visited the following drinking establishments in search of local beer:
Brewery-wise, I loved the beers I tried at CBC, but J preferred his H&S beers, and the atmosphere at H&S was better, as in more craft brewery-like and less huge restaurant-like. J has written more on the breweries here.
Bar-wise, our favorite was Flying Squirrel for its big open windows, high ceilings, creative cocktail menu, beers from all over the state, and good food. Southside Social had bowling and TVs inside, and fun outdoor areas for horseshoes, ping pong, cornhole, and sitting by the fire. At the back of the play yard was an Airstream cigar lounge. Random and very cool.
Dog-friendly Chattanooga
This is a great reference if you’re looking for places to take your dog in Chattanooga. Overall, with all the hiking, running, and walking around town, Bugsy was kept entertained during our visit.
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