Vacation: days 4-6

CHATTANOOGA!

This was our favorite city that we visited during our trip.  We loved the size, the climate, the attractions, and the overall feel of Chattanooga.  If we had to pick one place from our Tour of the South to live for the rest of our lives, we would pick Chattanooga (with a close second being Ashville which is very Park-City-esque). 

We drove into Chattanooga pretty early in the day, so checking into our hotel was not an option.  The Lookout Mountain Railway was calling our name.  This is a 2-trolley operation that runs all day taking passengers up and down the steepest incline in the world.  Known as "America's Most Amazing Mile," the train travels on a straight track at a 72.7% grade.  At the top of Lookout Mountain, we visited Point Park and other parts of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park system.  What a breathtaking sight it is to see a panoramic view of seven states from atop the mountain.  We thoroughly loved this short trip up and back.

We drove through the Chattanooga National Cemetery.  I love cemeteries, not in a morbid way, but in an awestruck and peaceful sort of way.  I used to drive to local cemeteries during my mandatory lunch hours in my working days.  It was a way for me to stop, relax, get ready for another 4 hours of work, and just think about things other than those happening in the present.  I love cemeteries, and go out of my way to visit them whenever time allows.  This one was small, but still beautiful.

After visiting the suburban part of Chattanooga, we headed towards the city for a bite to eat and some more sightseeing. 

One of our favorite attractions was what is called "The Passage."  Being park Cherokee myself (albeit very very small), this was especially neat to come across and explore.  "The Passage is a pedestrian link between downtown Chattanooga and the Tennessee River and marks the beginning of the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears refers to the journey which forced the removal of the Cherokee tribes from Ross's Landing in Chattanooga to Oklahoma. Some 4000 Cherokees died before reaching Oklahoma. The Passage is a permanent outdoor exhibit, with symbolism of the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation. There is a 'weeping wall' representing the tears shed as the Cherokee were driven from their homes and removed on the Trail of Tears." (source)
 

The blue bridge in the pictures below is the Walnut Street Bridge.  It is now one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world.  We only walked about a quarter of the way across, then came back for some yummy ice cream.

Another great place to visit was the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.  Inside the hotel, they had a great model railroad museum full of adorable trains and scenery.  Behind the hotel, a train housed restaurants and even train car hotel rooms.

 "So Chattanooga choo choo,

Won't you choo choo me home?"

What does a train do?

"The Model Railroad is 174 feet long and 33 feet wide at its widest point. It includes over 3,000 feet of track, 320 structures, 150 switches, 120 locomotives of all types, 1000 freight cars, 80 passenger cars, three major yards, two small yards, and four passenger stations. Over 50,000 man-hours have been spent to make the layout what it is today, with a replacement value of nearly $1,000,000." (source)  We loved the self-guided tour and took way too many pictures of cute tiny trains. Look closely at the collage of the model trains for some hilarious details.  See if you can spy a police patdown, escaped monkeys, and the geico money eyes. 

Horrible all alone:

 Still not favorite, but not as bad with help:

The Chattanooga Zoo was our next stop.  We encountered rain towards the end of our visit, but luckily we had finished everything we wanted to so nothing was missed.  Emerson especially loved the little monkeys (not sure what species they are). 

Escapees

Please don't attack my child. Thanks.

Go cougs!

Our last stop in Chattanooga before heading out was a delicious dinner at the Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar.  I ordered a salmon salad and Will enjoyed smoked tilapia with grilled okra.  Both meals were great.  We sat next to a map-covered wall and snapped a pic of our location.  Star = you are here.

 (This may be the only picture we have of our rental car as well.)