Chattanooga

Main Entrance to Chattanooga Choo Choo Terminal

We celebrated my birthday weekend by taking a spur of the moment drive to Chattanooga, TN. I hadn't been to Chattanooga in a pretty long time outside of going to a conference last year for work  . We had a few things on our list for this trip. At the top was the Tennessee Aquarium. It has been off the charts hot here in East Tennessee this summer so we choose to get a early start and get there when they opened. The aquarium has timed entry for day ticket holders. When you purchase your ticket you will need to choose a time for your tour of the aquarium. You will have 1 hour window to enter after the start time so be mindful of that when making your purchase. There are two buildings that you will have access to River Journey and Ocean Journey.  There is a ticket option to include IMAX with your ticket. I have an issue with motion sickness so I won't ever choose an IMAX experience but if that is your thing you'll be add to purchase a combo ticket. We enjoyed both buildings but we loved the Ocean Journey the best.

They also had opportunities in both areas for hands on experiences. We got to reach in a touch some large sturgeon and also got to do the same with stingrays. You can tell they enjoy being pet along the top, because they will come as close as they can to the edge so you can run your two fingers down their backs. I'm not sure if it was because we were there early and maybe the animals had been recently fed but they were very active. The otters were wrestling and running after each other and the lemurs were climbing right on the enclosure as you came by. We also enjoyed the butterfly garden, so beautiful.

The penguin enclosure was pretty amazing. The female penguins had nests with rocks all around. As we watched we saw one of the penguins pick up a rock and place it gently on the pile and then go and find another one. I waited for awhile to get a video of one of them diving into the water. It's really amazing how fast they are.

After we finished we drove towards Nic & Norman's for lunch. The restaurant is owned by Norman Reedus and Greg Nicotero both best know for being a part of the Walking Dead Franchise. The location is amazing and is housed in the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo terminal. The building has all the charm and pizazz you'd expect from a historic building, even the bathrooms have a chandelier in them.

We arrived just after 11am so we were the first to be seated. We ordered the Chicken Pesto Flatbread and the Brisket Mac and Cheese. Both entrees were really tasty and would definitely order again. If you are on the fence about the Mac and Cheese just get it, it's flavorful and delicious!

There are a lot of cool photos of cast and crew, all very tasteful and appropriate for the location. They also have a little gift shop up front if you are one who is into merch. Be aware parking is not free even if you are eating there. There are paid spots that can be a bit pricey in front of the choo choo and to the side. Use the garage as those prices are more reasonable. I would go back and give it a 7.5/10 overall. 

After we ate we walked out back. There are some other shops, and a lawn area that had sprinklers for children to play in as well as some lawn games. There are some cool murals and an old locomotive you can walk onto and take some pictures in. It may be more exciting in the evening or when they have special events but it had a bit of a run down feeling at that time of day. 

They have a make shift roller skating rink in the lobby of the Choo Choo (which was really just a a roped off area) and there were more people than I expected skating and they seemed to enjoy it. It's a pop up skating company called Dazey Skate and it looks like this will be strictly a seasonal event going on until August 4, 2024. The prices to skate including the skate rental is $12.

As we drove back to Knoxville we took a short detour to check out the Little Debbie Park in Collegdale, TN. Unfortunately for us we didn't get to spend a lot of time there. The heat index that day was over 100 degrees and it felt like we were in a convection oven. The park has a zip line for the younger kids and lots of climbing areas and swings for the adults to sit on. The also have walking trails that will take you by some of your favorite Little Debbie snacks. We only got to see the two that were near the parking area but will go back once the weather cools off. Be aware that all the parking spaces require you to back in due to how you drive up, so if you aren't comfortable with that make sure you switch out with someone who is. 

 

There is a Little Debbie store that you can get some good deals in if you go by. It's call the McKee Bakery Store and it's within a mile of the park. We missed out on experiencing this because the one day a week they are closed is Saturday, a bit of let down for us in the moment. Just google the store and you'll have no problem finding it via gps.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and finding activities that can help you beat the heat! The countdown is on for us only 51 days left until our trip out West. Look for more posts leading up to that!