Travel Diary: Chattanooga, Tennessee

Fall is almost here and I wanted to recap one of my favorite places I recently visited that would be perfect for the change of weather… Chattanooga! Nate and I travel somewhere new for our anniversary every year. This year, we had to push it back a couple of months because work and personal lives were a little hectic, but we still wanted to make the most of it. I’ve heard mutterings about Chattanooga as a fun weekend getaway from Birmingham locals. It’s only a couple hours drive, so when we got a couple of days we were both able to take off, we took advantage of it. We went in with some restaurant ideas and a want to go hiking, but not a whole lot of other thoughts or expectations. Just a trip where we could take it slow, easy and relax. And we came back feeling relaxed!

Our first day of our long weekend started out a little tourist-y. We pulled off when we first got there to eat at Hillbilly Willy’s Bar-B-Q. It had great reviews online and was a locally owned, family-run business (our favorite). Nate and I split a rack of ribs, okra, baked beans and french fries. It was a great start to the weekend!

Afterwards we spent the afternoon at Ruby Falls and Rock City. I was hesitant at the cost at first, thinking that these certainly had to be a trap. We were so wrong! At both places, you’re able to buy packages. It saves a little bit of money for you. Ruby Falls was really awesome. Try to get a spot as close to the tour guide as possible. We’re nerds and love asking questions. I would love to go back and do their lantern tour, where they turn the lights off and you get to explore almost like you were an original explorer.

Rock City was definitely more geared towards children and families, but we were vacation giddy and felt like kids again. We enjoyed the walk and hundreds of gnomes (yes, they are the indigenous creatures of the area…). And hey, we got to see seven states at once, which always sounds pretty cool!

We ran back to the hotel and changed for a nice dinner out. Beast and Barrel is a New American style gastropub (read: hipster), that was the perfect cap to an amazing day. The meal started out with the Artisan Board, because if there’s charcuterie on the menu, we WILL order that. The pastrami salmon was epically amazing. I didn’t think I was going to love it since I’m so picky about salmon, but was sad when it was gone. I quickly followed that up with the Bison Meatloaf. If bison is on the menu, I will usually order it, since it’s so hard to source, but always so tasty! This one came with a delicious mushroom gravy and goat cheese whipped potatoes that were heavenly. Thank goodness the portion was large, because Nate decided he liked my dish and was quick to take up many offered samples. Our dinner was capped off with lemon beignets. And yes, I ate the filling out of the jar even though we ran out of doughnut.

The next morning we woke up early and went for a hike on Signal Mountain, determined to see the Julia Falls Overlook. Driving into the area we were amazingly confused, because it’s smack dab in the middle of a residential area and we kept thinking we were in the wrong place! We’re not hiking experts by any means, but we love a good hike, and so we’re not actually sure if we ever saw Julia Falls, but we did see several waterfalls that day. We kept passing by each one saying, THIS MUST BE JULIA FALLS! But without any signs, they could have all been Julia Falls! At one point we climbed down to the base of one, using already laid out ropes and crawling around. It was one of the most challenging hikes I’ve ever done, but one of the best experiences Nate and I had ever had doing it! I would definitely recommend the trails around Signal Mountain, even if you skip the crazy scaling down the mountain-side. The views were spectacular and each time we saw one, we made sure to stop and savor the moment.

We went back to the hotel for a little nap and got dressed for a fun night out. Our first stop was Oddstory Brewing Co. We started with a flight and really enjoyed it. I am not a huge beer drinker, so I stayed with blondes and sours, while Nate leaned heavy on the IPA. Each beer was so different and tasted delicious. I loved the decor inside too. Full light and lots of indoor plants and wood.

From there, we lined our stomachs at Main Street Meats. This is my favorite kind of restaurant. They started as a butcher and added on a restaurant. It was small and intimate, the wait staff was knowledgeable, and next to us sat a couple that came in every single week (that’s how you know it’s good). Don’t be shocked… We started with a charcuterie board! From there, we each got a hamburger, an order of seasonal brussel sprouts and some house made fries. That burger was honestly one of the best I’ve ever eaten. It was simple… bacon, gruyere, caramlized onion… deliciousness. I was STUFFED, but Nate really wanted to try the banana pudding and okay fine, I made room for it somehow because it was that good.

We had a little time to kill before the main event of the evening so we hit up the Chattanooga Whiskey for a behind the scenes tour of their micro-distillery. Chattanooga Whiskey is making the first legally distilled whiskey in Chattanooga in 100 years. Living in Alabama, the craft breweries and distilleries have similar stories, and I think it’s awesome to see a community come together to overturn outdated laws and bring economic health to the neighborhoods and industries. I really loved the tour and seeing how it works, but it was a bad time to realize I didn’t like whiskey. Nate loved it though and brought a bottle home with us.

So now with food and booze in our bellies, we were ready for the grand event! Whenever we travel for our anniversary we take a ghost tour. The first year it was just an activity, the second year a coincidence, the third year we made it official! The Chattanooga Ghost Tour was a lot campier than other tours we’ve been on, but Chattanooga isn’t known for their hauntings like Savannah and New Orleans are. We still loved hearing the historical story of all the buildings and wandering through downtown. Our last act in Chattanooga was visiting the Maple Street Biscuit Company. Yes, we went to a chain, which we try and never do when traveling, but it just sounded so good and was conveniently located. I got the Squawking Goat (fried chicken, fried goat cheese, pepper jelly on a buttery biscuit), but opted to get regular goat cheese instead of having it fried. They didn’t even bat an eye at my odd request, but the biscuit was absolutely delicious and hit the spot.

I truly loved our time we spent in Chattanooga and would go back and explore (read as, eat) more places and hiking adventures in the area! It’s such an easy drive from Birmingham and an underrated long-weekend trip in my opinion! Have you been to Chattanooga or are interested in going?