Chattanooga TN - The "Scenic City"

We left home on Saturday, December 12 despite the unseasonably mild temperatures we have been having so far this winter season and no sign of snow for weeks to come.  We spent our first night in a campground in Marion, IL which is just .2 of a mile off I-57 at Exit 53. Sounds like we missed all the rain back home.

Mavis on the Look Out for More Dogs

Sunday we made it to the Chattanooga, TN area. We found out the campground is in GA, just south of Choo Choo town. Temperature was 71 here with rain expected overnite along with a wind advisory.

Campground on Civil War Battleground

Tonight we will sleep on a Civil War battlefield where over 100 years ago men fought and died on the very soil where this Holiday Trav-L-Park is located. There is a monument to the 84th Indiana Volunteer Regiment in the southwest corner of this property. A Civil War video courtesy of the National Park Service is available in the Club Room.

Chattanooga's name comes from a Creek Indian word meaning "rock coming to a point." It was founded by Chief John Ross at Ross's Landing in the early 1800s.  It was first explored in 1540 by DeSoto. There are several Civil War battle sites located throughout the area.  It is the home of the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in the world.

Years ago when Jade was with us we visited Ruby Falls, one of the ten most incredible cave waterfalls on earth  Majestic cave formations lead to a thundering 145-foot waterfall deep inside Lookout Mountain.

New Still Making Whiskey

That's a No. 4 Char

As whiskey is part of the culture in the South, we visited the Tennessee Stillhouse, a micro-distillery on Market Street for a tour and a little whiskey tasting.  Their claim to fame is they are Chattanooga's first legal distillery since prohibition.  Apparently, there was still a law on the books until 2011 that prohibited making whiskey in this county in over 100 years, Did you know it is the char in the barrel that gives whiskey its color?

Distiller Grant Thatcher

While there we met Grant Thatcher, a distiller, "stolen" from the Sam Adams Brewery in MA.  After the tour we sampled six whiskeys.The difference between whiskey and brandy?  Whiskey is from malt beer and brandy is from wine, the alcohol in the base is separated from the
beer or wine.

Whiskey to the People!

Historic Hotel

Across the street from the Tennessee Stillhouse is Chatanooga's most famous landmark, the former train station, now called the Chattanooga Choo Choo.  It is currently undergoing an 8 million dollar renovation to bring excitement and vitality to the Southside District.

Rotunda in Ho

The Chattanooga Choo Choo is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation a one of the historic hotels of America. Not only do they rent out hotel rooms, but they also rent rail cars and schedule rides on the trains.