TN

For people interested in Civil War history, Chattanooga is a great place to visit because it is the location of several important battles. There is a large historical site on top of Lookout Mountain, called Point Park Battlefield, where you can look out over the town of Chattanooga and visualize how these battles took place.

Chattanooga was a strategic location during the Civil War because it was a vital railroad hub and was positioned along a river. Abraham Lincoln wanted to take Chattanooga and hold it as a base of operations for further attacks into the Confederate South. Multiple battles were fought in and around Chattanooga, including the Battle of Chickamauga, Siege of Chattanooga, Battle of Orchard Knob, Battle of Lookout Mountain, and Battle of Missionary Ridge.

Of course, entire books could be written about each of these battles, but in case you don’t have time for that, I will give a short synopsis of each.

The the Battle of Chickamauga took place in September 1863. Confederate forces defeated Union forces and pushed them into Chattanooga. The Siege of Chattanooga followed, during which the Confederates occupied the high ground surrounding the city and blocked supplies and food from reaching the Union army.

In Late October, the Union managed to use Lookout Valley as a supply line to transport food into the city. Then on November 23rd, the Union troops stormed and captured Orchard Knob, a hill east of their defense line. The Battle of Lookout Mountain took place the next day. Union forces drove the Confederates from their positions on Lookout Mountain. Because the mountain was partially covered in fog, the battle was called the “Battle Above The Clouds.”

During the Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25th, the Union broke through the seemingly impenetrable Confederate units and broke the siege.

Chattanooga ultimately became a supply and communications base for Sherman’s March, which decimated the South and was a pivotal campaign for the Civil War Union victory.

Point Park Battlefield on Lookout Mountain provides expansive views of Chattanooga, as you can see from the pictures that I took while we were there.

Since moving to Nashville eight years ago, we have done three overnights in Chattanooga. It’s only a two-hour drive, and it’s a fun city to explore.

Our first trek was a surprise trip that Mr. Handsome planned for our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. We stayed at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel, and although the converted Pullman railroad car was a bit drafty, we had a wonderful time.

Our second time in Chattanooga was in fall 2021 with almost-two-year-old Little Buddy. We listened to the suggestions of the many “See Rock City” advertisements along I-24 and were in awe of the natural beauty.

Our most recent trip was last month, with both kids. We rode the Incline Railway, toured a historical site, and stopped by the Tennessee Aquarium.

Located in the heart of Downtown Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium is easy to access and within walking distance of a variety of restaurants. The setup makes it really simple to visit with children or large groups.

The exhibits are split up into two separate buildings–the River Journey and the Ocean Journey. You take an elevator to the top level of each and then leisurely make your way along a one-way route, which is a series of ramps and small rooms, that leads you back to the entrance. This layout makes it easy to keep track of your kids and to stay with the other members of your group.

Other aquariums we have been to consist of a number of large rooms where everyone goes their own direction, making it difficult to stick by the people you came with. When you’re in a huge area surrounded by 300 other people, moving from tank to tank, the experience is just not as enjoyable. The setup of the Tennessee Aquarium allows you to feel more relaxed and spend more time taking in the exhibits.

Do you enjoy aquariums? Which ones have you been to? In addition to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, we have also visited the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

From Mr. Handsome…

Well we can cross that off the list–we have officially seen the world’s largest cast iron skillet. I hope everyone can appreciate this monumental occasion. I know Little Buddy was impressed. He has decided he wants to be the biggest and strongest kid in the world, so naturally he should see the biggest skillet.

We stopped at the Lodge Museum of Cast Iron in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, to witness this triumph of human ingenuity. The skillet measures 18 feet across, weighs 14,360 pounds, and could hypothetically cook about 650 eggs at a time. With the price of eggs right now, that would be an expensive meal!

Have you visited any similar tourist traps, like the worlds largest ball of string, largest ketchup bottle, etc? The whole concept is very goofy, but let’s face it, when you’re driving down the road and see the sign, you sure want to stop just to “say you saw it.”