Travel Guide Chattanooga

Chattanooga is the second largest urban centre in Eastern Tennessee and the 4th largest city in the state with nearly 172,000 inhabitants (528,000 in its urban area). Founded in 1816 by Chief Cherokee John Ross as Ross's Landing to serve as a clearing house for his tribe, it was renamed Chattanooga in 1838, after the deportation of the Cherokees and other Indian nations as the Trail of Tears. During the Civil War, Chattanooga experienced several major battles, the most famous of which took place from 23 to 25 November 1863 and ended with a decisive victory for the Union. An important railway junction in the 19th and 20th centuries, the city inspired the lyrics of a famous 1941 song performed by Glenn Miller and his orchestra: Chattanooga Choo Choo, which tells of a train journey from New York to Chattanooga. The old railway centre, a little far from the city centre, has now become one of the city's tourist attractions, with a hotel complex including old locomotives and wagons in which to spend the night, beautiful gardens, several cafés and restaurants and an Entertainment District with several entertainment venues (concerts and one man shows). The heart of the city is located on the edge of the Tennessee River. It is very easy to reach with the network of free electric shuttles that connect the two ends of Downtown. The Tennessee Aquarium, consisting of two separate buildings (one dedicated to marine wildlife, the other to freshwater wildlife) faces the Block, a climbing complex with glass facades partly used for this activity, which also houses sports halls, a coffee shop, the Visitor Center in Chattanooga and the Shuttle Park North electric bus station. Nearby, several bridges cross the river: the Chief John Ross Bridge or Market Street Bridge (1917), the Walnut Street Bridge or Smith Bridge Co (1890), a bridge that has become exclusively pedestrian, very popular and inevitable for those visiting the city, and the Veterans Memorial Bridge (1984). Between the latter two, the Hunter Museum of American Art and the tiny Blue View Art District, with its houses clinging to the beautiful cliffs overlooking the river. At the foot of the John Ross Bridge, the Passage is an urban space designed to commemorate the suffering experienced by the Cherokees along the Trail of Tears. Across the river, NorhShore offers the opportunity to take a walk in Coolidge Park, a large, pleasant and green park with a carousel dating back to 1894. Next to this park is the Chattanooga Theatre Center, one of the city's major cultural spaces, along with the Tivoli Theatre and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center (in downtown).