Trip to Chattanooga. (Signal Mountain, Charlotte: restaurants, nightlife, food)

[Dr. Jeremy]

Hi Chattanooga friends,

For my sister's 40th birthday, my brother and I are taking her on a long weekend getaway in late March. Some of our criteria included nicer weather (were from NJ), good music and nightlife, great food, and possibly places to hike or explore during the day. We're not completely familiar with Chattanooga however, none of us have been here. So, that makes it appealing to us. What do you think? Is it a fun place to spend the weekend? Would we be able to meet our criteria here?

Thanks so much advance,
Jeremy

[An Einnseanair]

Yes, you can meet your criteria here.

"Good music and nightlife" is subjective, so you'll have to provide more specifics. Chattanooga has gobs of outdoor music opportunities in the summer, but I don't know about late March. I know that lots of indoor music is out there, but I'm too much of an old fogey to know much about it.

Great food: Yep, we got it. Name a food and we can name several excellent local restaurants.

Hike/explore: Way more options than you'll be able to exercise on a single weekend. Even hiking downtown and the north shore is a treat with all the public art, and if you get tired hitch a ride on the free electric shuttle or get a bike day-pass for $8 (3-day pass is $15) [Note: the day-pass is access to the bike system, and only for short trips < 1 hour. Anything longer and you get charged. Just check the bike back into a kiosk within an hour then immediately check it back out.].

If you prefer more natural hikes, then Stringer's ridge is right near downtown. There are also extensive hiking opportunities at Raccoon Mountain, Prentice Cooper (both Suck Mountain and Signal Mountain), Cumberland Trail, Cloudland Canyon, Chickamauga Battlefield, and Point Park/Lookout Mt. Trails. All are all but within site of downtown Chattanooga except for Cloudland (in Georgia) which is the most extensive and arguably the prettiest. If you are here on the first or last weekend of the month I highly recommend checking out Lula Lake (private land trust).

I also recommend staying away from the traditional tourist-trap style places like Rock City. They are nice, but very expensive for what you get.

[SPLIT]

WELCOME.... here is one of the nifty Link for visitors....
Chattanooga Outdoor Adventure

[Sassybluesy]

If you like Fried Chicken, go to Champy's. It's a laid-back, kind of dive-y place. Very relaxed, "be yourself" kind of place, and the fried chicken is amazing.

[unbeliever]

We're doing a loop from Charlotte and back next week, with 2 days in Chattanooga. The biggest surprise looking at the weather is that the low temps in March are near 60. I've really gotten used to much cooler night time temps here in Colorado. Oh well, fried chicken heals all!

jb

[An Einnseanair]

If looking for fried chicken, then you've got to try Champy's. Bonus points if you get an order of mudbugs (assuming they are in season).