Top Ten Adventures

Here’s our top 10 summer adventures to keep you entertained. We’re not just a day trip so plan ahead to make your multi-day vacation as exciting as possible.

  1. BOATING CRUISES: Explore the downtown riverfront and the Tennessee River Gorge on an eco-cruise aboard the Tennessee Aquarium’s new River Gorge Explorer or on the Blue Moon; a sightseeing, lunch or dinner cruise on the Southern Belle Riverboat or a scenic ride on the Chattanooga Water Taxi/Fat Cat Ferry or the Chattanooga Ducks.
  2. WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS: Come face-to-face with sharks, stingrays, penguins & thousands of other animals that swim, fly and crawl at the downtown Tennessee Aquarium; go an exotic undersea voyage at the Tennessee Aquarium’s IMAX 3D Theater; or venture near snow leopards, red pandas, jaguars and more at the Chattanooga Zoo.
  3. FESTIVALS & LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: Be entertained at numerous downtown music festivals throughout the summer including the 9-day Riverbend Festival, 5-month Nightfall Concert Series, Riverfront Nights Music Series, Southern Brewer’s Festival or year-round concerts at Rhythm & Brews.
  4. ARTS & CULTURAL ACTIVITIES: Take in one of the nation’s largest collections of American art at the Hunter Museum of American Art; stroll through museums & galleries in the North Shore, Bluff View Arts & the Southside Districts; create your own masterpiece at the interactive Creative Discovery Museum for children or enjoy public art throughout the First Street and the downtown area.
  5. CULINARY DISCOVERIES: Ever wonder where the food you eat in restaurants comes from? In Chattanooga, you can visit many local organic farms and then dine in the restaurants that serve these locally made & grown foods. Read more about dining options in Chattanooga.
  6. HISTORICAL EXPLORATIONS: Visit the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo in the Southside District, who’s also celebrating their 100th anniversary this year; the Trail of Tears passage at Ross’s Landing on the downtown riverfront; the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park or the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum only 15 minutes from downtown.
  7. SHOPPING SPREE: You’ll find an eclectic variety of boutiques, galleries, quaint shops, antiques & restaurants in the downtown North Shore and Southside Districts; and just 15 minutes from downtown visit Hamilton Place, Tennessee’s largest mall, that features 6 department stores & over 200 other shops and eateries.
  8. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FUN: Cool down high atop Lookout Mountain, just six miles from downtown. Venture through the trails at Rock City Gardens; 260 feet below the ground at Ruby Falls; straight up & down Lookout Mountain on the world’s steepest passenger railway, the Incline Railway; and much more.
  9. THRILLING ADVENTURES: If you’re up for a thrill, try hang gliding 2,000 feet in the air along Lookout Mountain; whitewater rafting on the wild Ocoee River only 45 minutes from downtown; or plummet 14 stories to the ground 50 miles per hour on the OH-ZONE! at Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park.
  10. OUTDOOR RECREATION: Land, air and water – we’ve got it all. Try out rock climbing downtown at Coolidge Park or numerous other places, biking along the Tennessee River on the Tennessee Riverwalk, kayaking or canoeing downtown, hiking, fishing, golfing, and more.