The Chattanooga Bucket List
I moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July of last year. I’d visited here several times when I was younger, but that had been at least 10 years. Fortunately I had a week between moving in and starting my job to get my bearings. It didn’t take long after I started exploring to find out there’s so much more to this city than I remembered.
Chattanooga may not be a huge city, like New York or Los Angeles or Nashville, but it’s big enough and has everything a big city has to offer and more, and everything that makes me happy. And it’s close enough to Atlanta and Nashville that I can get a big-city experience when I want it. From the food scene to the outdoors and everything in between, Chattanooga can satisfy pretty much any craving I could possibly have. They say the Tivoli Theater is Chattanooga’s Jewel of the South, but I think Chattanooga itself is the Jewel of the South.
So today, for all y’all explorers and travelers out there, I give y’all the Chattanooga Bucket List + a FREE printable checklist!
The Chattanooga Bucket List
These are 39 of the top things anyone who visits or lives in Chattanooga needs to see, do, taste and experience. Even if you’re only here for 36 hours, check a few of these off while you’re here. Then plan a return visit and check off a few more. I’ve lived here for almost seven months and I still have so much more to explore. This summer, bring on all the outdoorsy adventures and festivals. And CFC matches.
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Are y’all with me? Download and print the bucket list (it’s a.pdf) and check off everything you see and do. I’ll be right there with y’all. Don’t see something you’d think would be on the list? Have no fear… there are more editions of the Chattanooga Bucket List coming.
Feel free to share your adventures with me, too! I want to hear about them and see them! Leave a comment below, tweet at me or tag me on Instagram!
I’m happy and proud to call myself a Chattanoogan, and it’s my hope that anyone who visits sees the beauty of this city like I do. I think of it as the Jewel of the South for a reason.
What’s YOUR favorite thing to explore in a new city? What’s the first thing you always check out?
January 26, 2016 @ 9:16 am
The bucket list looks great! so many fun things on there to do! Have fun 🙂
January 26, 2016 @ 8:39 pm
Seriously, there’s no excuse to not have an adventure. 🙂 Come visit!
January 26, 2016 @ 8:14 pm
Oooh I love the list!! I will need to visit TN soon – I’ve never been!
January 26, 2016 @ 8:39 pm
Yessss you totally should! You’d love it down here. 🙂
January 27, 2016 @ 9:30 am
I love Ruby Falls! It’s such a cool place to visit.
January 27, 2016 @ 11:14 am
Great list! We moved to Chattanooga in August, and have enjoyed exploring too. I would add a walk over the Walnut St. Bridge, a visit to McKay’s used books, and a stop for gelato and/or coffee at Milk & Honey.
January 27, 2016 @ 11:20 am
Thanks so much, Dallas! Milk & Honey is definitely a great place to eat and chill for a little bit. Love their birthday cake gelato! Will add that to future editions. 🙂 Thanks so much for reading!
January 27, 2016 @ 12:05 pm
This is a great list! I’ll share it with all the German expats in Chattanooga. Thank you!
January 27, 2016 @ 12:08 pm
i am also proud to be a chattanoogan and thrilled to have the diverse opportunities afforded by this amazing city. that said, a plague has beset our landscape. with each passing day the culture of our thriving town becomes more dangerously close to homogenization in much the same way that times square was disneyfied.
your list is a good starting off point but relatively constricted in its scope. by my count, i’ve checked off 35 of those items and i definitely agree that they were without exception worthwhile. the best times i’ve had in this city would not be listed in a chamber of commerce brochure but perhaps should. we have sweet tea and exquisite manhattans and mind-blowing brunches but we also have malt liquor in a brown paper bag and hot fish sandwiches from a roadside stand (which come with free and enlightening conversation.)
that said, it is my far from humble opinion and the contention i present here that a “bucket list” should include adventures beyond the pale, that the items listed should challenge comfort zones and not seek to reinforce them. presenting this list as “39 of the top things anyone who visits or lives in Chattanooga needs to see, do, taste and experience” is not merely limiting but, i would suggest, egregiously contributes to the studied and intentional gentrification of our fair city. by actively asking people to use a list of already popular activities you are also inadvertently discouraging them from experiencing things beyond the officially condoned entertainment.
i encourage you to consider broadening your horizons and in so doing introduce other residents and visitors to the rich culture of the city as well. you can’t learn what chattanooga is about by keeping your hands inside the choo choo tour train at all times.
sean phipps suggested “I would add drinks at Lamar’s Restaurant, late-night dancing at Chuck’s II, Con Nooga and Chattanooga Film Festival to the list.”
i’d go a step further with that. check out the east ridge flea market. volunteer at a community garden in east chattanooga. attend the four day do ya hear we punk festival in june. aspire to explore the neighborhoods beyond the southside and north chattanooga. dance to one of the many local djs at a house party. hike one of the many urban trails that maybe need a little more love than the well known spots. spend an afternoon distributing sandwiches at the homeless services center on 11th. go to a heavy metal show at ziggy’s. sing karaoke at rob’s. explore the scruffy underbelly and subculture spots before they are all replaced with empty condominiums and sanctioned festivals.
but definitely keep going to cfc games. & enjoy. & welcome. we’re glad you’re here.
January 27, 2016 @ 12:26 pm
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Eddie! I always appreciate hearing from readers and locals. There are definitely places and events I have yet to explore and I’m looking forward to seeing them. Being new to Chattanooga, these were awesome things to experience in my first six months here. This is not the “final” bucket list – I’m planning future editions and will be sure to include some additional events and activities. I can’t wait to see more. 🙂
February 1, 2016 @ 9:21 am
I’ve never been to Chattanooga but I’m now realizing how crazy that is, being I’ve been so close most of my life! When I visit a new city, I like to find the most walkable part of town first, which is hopefully lined with little local shops, restaurants, and coffee shops. I think that main little downtown area is where you can find the most authentic experience of that city.
February 1, 2016 @ 5:10 pm
Ohh you definitely should make a visit here! It’s so lovely. How close are you? Chattanooga is pretty walkable overall, which I love. It’s big enough, but not overwhelming. Thanks for reading! 🙂
February 1, 2016 @ 5:15 pm
I’m in Richmond, Virginia, but have family in Roanoke, which is much closer. I’ve never been to Asheville NC either so it’s just time for me to get over to that part of the world 😉
February 2, 2016 @ 10:33 am
Ohh Roanoke! I went to Virginia Tech, so am pretty familiar with that area. It’s so lovely. Asheville is lovely, as well. Haven’t spent any time there in a long time, but always love driving through. 🙂
June 10, 2017 @ 2:53 pm
As a local Chattanooga blogger myself I couldn’t agree more with your list. We live in a great city.