Adventures With Jude: Weekend Getaway to Chattanooga

Top Things to do on a Weekend Getaway to Chattanooga, TN:

Ruby Falls –

As you are driving to Chattanooga you see signs for Rock City and Ruby Falls the whole way! These are iconic to the charming city and definitely a must-do for families of all types.

We explored Ruby Falls first. Upon arriving you see a beautiful castle-like building with signs that tell you “Free Parking”. That’s always a plus in our book. As we parked, we got out and walked to the front we noticed they had a little snowman outside dressed up taking pictures, a beautiful carriage and “fake snow” blowing. Ruby Red Christmas was in full effect! We went inside and let them know we were ready; tours run every 20 minutes and last about an hour and a half. We arrived just in time with a quick bathroom break (no bathrooms during the tour) and we were on our way. The cave was beautiful and our guide was very helpful! She was full of insight on how the cave was discovered and they showed a video on a little history before embarking. The tour is a half mile both ways but it seemed to fly by and the walk was very easy with very few stairs and no rugged terrain. The waterfall was gorgeous and we enjoyed getting a close-up look and taking pictures! It’s a MUST-SEE for anyone in the area. It is so peaceful and really makes you feel like an explorer yourself. Once you reached the waterfall you are considered a “survivor” and the walk back seems so quick as you are able to bypass the groups you had to “stop” for on the way to the waterfall. Once we left, we went to the Lookout Mountain Tower view and took in the beautiful sights of the city, it was really breathtaking! Then we went to the “North Pole” where we saw Mr. and Mrs. Claus and made a little craft. It was very wonderful and the Santa was so pleasant! Our son didn’t cry with him and trust me he’s usually TERRIFIED of Santa. We decided to do a carriage ride upon leaving and was taken aback by how well taken care of these horses were and the driver really seemed to care for these animals like his own children. That was definitely pleasant for us and we will definitely be back next Christmas! An experience you really can’t miss!

Tips:

*Arrive early to avoid crowds and long waits

*Guides accept tips

*Pictures are about $20+ but great memories

*Don’t forget Fun Forest Playground area and the Lookout Mountain Tower view.

Rock City- Enchanted Garden of Lights

We made the mistake of waiting a little late to arrive here and were a little shocked by the crowd of people. Luckily, free parking is all around that area and is only a short walk to the attraction. We were greeted by very friendly people and an adorable elf that I insisted my son take a picture with. The lines moved so FAST! You could tell the employees really took pride in their jobs and were friendly and accommodating even with the large crowd. Be prepared to walk in a line through the exhibit but I think walking slowly through it made it more enjoyable. Why rush through all those beautiful lights?! I was in awe of the effort they put into the lights to make it so gorgeous!! We will be back!

Be sure to enjoy gingerbread cookie decorating, visits with Santa, Sugar Plum Fairy Makeovers, nightly entertainment and warm fires to cuddle in front of!Don’t leave here without some of the AMAZING fudge! We got 4 slices.. yes yes I know I have a problem.

**DON’T MISS OUT ON!*

Dinner With Santa –
Holiday Buffet Dinner (including Turkey & Dressing, Chicken Fingers, Macaroni and Cheese, Green Beans, Pumpkin Pie, and more!)

VIP admission to the Enchanted Garden of Lights - be the first guests through the enchanted trail!

Child's tickets (ages 2-12) include a voucher for gingerbread cookie decorating in the North Pole Lodge and a special gift!

Tennessee Aquarium

We are suckers for Aquariums. We are annual pass members of the GA Aquarium, so this was a MUST do for our family. The aquarium is separated into two buildings, both of which are conveniently right next to each other, Ocean Journey and River Journey. First let me say, the design of these buildings are just gorgeous and make you excited even before going in!

We went to the Ocean Journey first and REALLY enjoyed it. This place had a butterfly house! How amazing is that?! We also had a great experience with the penguins! The close-up view you get of the penguins is literally worth the admission alone. We sat there for about 15 minutes and enjoyed just looking at them. They are gorgeous! They had such a wide array of sea life in this HUGE tank; we could have sat there for an hour just taking in all the fish. I learned a lot through the displays they had all over, it was interesting learning all about the fish!

River Journey was home to a special area for seahorses. Who knew sea horses came in all different colors!? The otters were adorable, the alligators were intimidating and it also had other exhibits with reptiles and such. This felt like I got so much and so close for so little! My husband also pointed out that we went mid-day on a Saturday and this place wasn’t extremely overcrowded like most other places! We were able to relax and enjoy all the exhibits without fighting to catch a glimpse. This experience was worth the drive alone and don’t forget you have places to interact with animals just wait till you see this!

Tips:

*Was told that street parking is not monitored on the weekends

*Aquarium parking is $9

*Restaurants within walking distance

*Don’t forget to do the IMAX as well!

HIDDEN GEM: Creative Discovery Museum

When researching Chattanooga, I came across this place but without knowing much about it figured it would be a nice place to stop and check out. This was our first stop and when arriving we were THRILLED. The building looked so wacky and fun I could NOT wait to get out and see what they had to offer. I was pleasantly surprised by all the exhibits this place had!

They had a “water area” where kids can experiment and play with water. They had an area for younger kids to play that had lots of stimulating activities that was geared for kids under 4. They had places to do art and even offered classes by age groups!! They had a place to “dig up” fossils and learn about them, they offered places to try out all these different instruments and participate in a “stage play” and sing. This is just the first floor of the building so as you can see we were having a blast!!

The second floor had a maze, an outside place atop the roof overlooking the city that had other places to do experiments and a really neat place to do “ice hockey” and another exhibit that showed the life of bees where they had real bees harvesting honey! They also had an observation tower that overlooked the city with a breathtaking view!

If you have kids and go to Chattanooga, this is the PLACE FOR KIDS! This is the place where imaginations run wild and you can be anything you want to be! We will definitely be coming back here each and every year!

Permanent Exhibits: