Well here we are in Chattanooga with high temps, but not as much humidity as Mississippi (still uncomfortable).
Our first sightseeing stop was Ruby Falls. Over 80 years ago, Leo Lambert became fascinated by the idea of re-opening the Lookout Mountain Cave to the public. This cave had been home and hideout to American Indians, Outlaws, Civil War soldiers, and even visited by President Andrew Jackson before being sealed off during the construction of the railroad at the turn of the 20th century. During the excavation of an elevator shaft, Leo Lambert and a group of fellow explorers entered a small opening. They spent 17 hours mostly crawling on hands and knees, exploring the cave before hearing the sound of rushing water. They were awestruck by the magnificent beauty of the waterfall they had discovered at the deepest point. Leo later named the falls in honor of his wife, Ruby. We took an elevator down 260 feet into historic Lookout Mountain. Our tour guide led us along the cave path where we saw many unique geological features including columns, stalactites and stalagmites and ending up seeing the 1,120 foot underground falls, the tallest and deepest open to the public. They turn on a multicolored light display and you can walk behind the falls.
Our next stop was Rock City, which was a short drive up to the top of the mountain. We walked through more geological features where there were many plants indigenous to the region. The walk took us up and down, curvy paths, going through some VERY narrow openings between the rocks (fat man’s squeeze!) It was cool when in between the rocks. The view from the observation point/lover’s leap allowed us to ‘see seven states’!
On our way down the mountain we stopped to see what Craven House was, as we saw a sign by the road on our way up! It was a home built twice by a military officer named Craven who was the richest man in the area at the time (we forgot to take a picture of the house - forgive us). The Union took control of the area and the railroads. This led to the capture of Atlanta during the Civil War. What a beautiful view of the city with a nice breeze. There were signs giving the history of the area, naming the southern and northern troops with monuments along the way. There was a cute Park Ranger willing to share information with us. We asked about the large insects we’ve seen many of that jump/fly, and make a large amount of noise. It is a 13 year cicada and they only live about 5-6 weeks, this being the 4th! They have ugly red eyes and the only good thing they do is probably die and leave the soil enriched with their remains.
The next day we headed towards downtown and took the free electric shuttle that leaves the south end of downtown and goes to the north end of the city through the financial district. We saw the Chattanooga Choo Choo, the Convention and Trade Center, Tivoli Theatre, IMAX, museums, and more. We stopped in the visitor’s center and then headed passed the Tennessee Aquarium, walked across a glass bridge, and toured the Hunter Art Museum in the Bluff View Art District. There were many pieces of art along our walk, all of which were modern! It was extremely hot and humid, which all the natives tell us is unusual for this time of year.
When we had our fill of the museum, we walked through the art district. A local lady told us of a craft/farmer’s market that sounded interesting, so off we went. At the very first booth we made a purchase of a painting of a simple, single tree. It was meant to be!!! We checked out the rest of the open-air building which had many veggies, jewelry, etc., available, but we didn’t make any more purchases.
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