Chattanooga: A quick trip for a May Weekend
Our Chattanooga adventure kicked off on a crisp Saturday morning with a road trip broken up by a quick Buc-ee’s stop and after a charge for the Tesla (and the requisite BBQ sandwiches), we made our way to Raccoon Mountain Cavern, a place reportedly brimming with geologic wonders.
The formations were undeniably fascinating, but you can’t help but shake your head at the damage done by careless tourists over the years including a broken cave shield – a casualty of teenage recklessness.
While the tour guide boasted about the cavern’s superiority, her comparisons to Ruby Falls seemed lacking in merit, feeling it was a bit smaller and less awe-inspiring.
Ready for some exercise and a taste of the outdoors, we embarked on the Guild-Hardy Trail. While it provided a pleasant walk and a glimpse of the impressive Incline Railway, the views themselves were a bit underwhelming.
Thankfully, Scotty’s on the River offered a refreshing remedy – a waterfront restaurant with a delicious meal and rest for our weary legs.
Our first stop on Sunday was the Chattanooga City Market filled with food trucks, people, fresh produce piled high, more people, unique crafts lining the stalls, and a bustling atmosphere (even more people) providing a sensory overload in the both the best and worst ways possible.
A little overwhelmed, we refueled at the Hamilton Place Mall food court (literally, as we discovered a row of Tesla chargers), giving ourselves a break before tackling the great outdoors.
Sloppy Floyd State Park beckoned with its serene ponds and a network of challenging trails.
We opted for a hike that tested our legs with its up-and-down terrain, and decided the hike was too much for our legs this day, later realizing that we had given up just prior to coming up on the abandoned marble mine.
The park offered a perfect dose of nature, and missing the marble mine gives us a good reason to come back one day when our legs are fresher.
In summary, this trip to Chattanooga may not have boasted earth-shattering wonders, but it did give us a weekend of subterranean oddities, diverse food and scenic hikes, as well as a handful of photos to tell the tale.