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What To Do InChattanooga
The Walnut Street Bridge spanning the Tennessee River

Itinerary · Downtown to the North Shore, all on foot

The Classic First Day

Full dayBalancedFirst-time visitors

The no-regrets first day, and you never get in a car for it. The riverfront, the bluff, the bridge and the park on the far side are all within a mile and a half of each other.

  1. 9:00 AM

    Start at Ross's Landing

    The riverfront plaza where the city meets the Tennessee. The Aquarium sits right on it if you want an indoor couple of hours, and this is where most of the city's festivals set up.

  2. 11:00 AM

    Walk up into Bluff View

    A few blocks of art district perched on the cliff above the river, with the Hunter Museum at the top and the best downstream view in the city from its terrace.

  3. 12:30 PM

    Cross the Walnut Street Bridge

    Half a mile of former highway bridge, closed to cars since the seventies and now one of the longest pedestrian bridges anywhere. It is the walk that sells people on the city.

  4. 1:30 PM

    Land in Coolidge Park

    Carousel, fountain, and a lawn built for doing nothing. Come off the bridge and you are already in it.

  5. 3:00 PM

    Pick up the Riverwalk

    The paved path runs for miles in both directions from here. Go as far as you feel like and turn around; there is no wrong amount of it.

  6. 5:30 PM

    Finish in Renaissance Park

    A wetland boardwalk on the North Shore that catches the last of the light, with downtown across the water. Five minutes from where you started the afternoon.

More Ways to Spend a Day

All itineraries →
Lookout Mountain wrapped in low cloud, seen from the air
Full day5 stops

Ride up, walk the rim, come down at dusk

A Day on Lookout Mountain

Everything on the mountain sits within a few minutes of everything else, which makes this the easiest full day in the region to plan. Go up early; the overlooks fill by mid-afternoon.

BalancedAnyone with one day and a car
Tents pitched among tall trees at a forest campsite
Weekend5 stops

Two days, four trails, no long drives

A Weekend Outdoors

Chattanooga's best trick is how little driving good trails require. Nothing in this weekend is more than half an hour from downtown, and the first hike starts fifteen minutes from it.

PackedWalkers who would rather not commute to a trailhead