Chattanooga: The little city that can
What you should know
Chattanooga’s $120 million makeover has become a model for many other cities’ revitalization efforts. Most venues are found downtown and in the Bluff View Arts District along the river. Active groups also can enjoy golf courses and white-water rafting.
What will surprise you
The Chattanooga Convention Center is one of the nation’s top 10 “green buildings.” Classic attractions such as Rock City still have plenty of charm and, now, sophisticated meeting amenities. Luxury accommodations are available at The Chattanoogan and historic bed-and-breakfast inns.
Why don’t you …
- Organize an evening concert by the river?
- Create a progressive dinner throughout the Tennessee Aquarium?
- Hold a brainstorming session at the Creative Discovery Museum?
- Cap off your event with an outdoor barbecue on the attractive grounds of The Chattanoogan?
Want to break out of the boardroom?
The Bluff View Art District has bed-and-breakfast inns (Maclellan House, Bluff View Inn), restaurants (Back Inn Café, Renaissance Commons), a sculpture garden, galleries and art museums (Hunter Museum of American Art, The Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, River Gallery), and a reception and conference center. The Chattanooga African-American Museum has a museum, the Bessie Smith Performance Hall, a boardroom and an atrium available for special events; exhibits focus on African life and local African-American history. Groups can meet or hold retreats in an 1835-era log cabin at the Tennessee River Gorge Trust Pot Point House.
Want unusual group activities?
Groups can picnic during Chattanooga Lookouts baseball games at BellSouth Park or reserve a luxury skybox suite; have an after-hours event at the Chattanooga Zoo; enjoy a private concert at Rhythm & Brews; or take an amphibious tour of the city with Chattanooga Ducks. The Chattanooga Billiard Club is a multilevel entertainment complex with banquet space, a full-service tobacco shop and conference facilities. The Chattanooga Riverboat Company offers a stationary party boat as well as themed charter cruises. The historic Tivoli Theatre hosts touring Broadway shows, ballet, opera and big-name concerts.
Want to meet by the river?
The 22-mile Tennessee Riverpark winds through the heart of downtown Chattanooga and is home to most of its attractions. Coolidge Park has a vintage carrousel, a pavilion, an interactive fountain and sculptures. The Creative Discovery Museum has hands-on exhibits, an auditorium, colorful meeting rooms and a boardroom. The Hunter Museum of American Art has riverfront patio space for private events in addition to an auditorium and art galleries. The Tennessee Aquarium has an IMAX theater, ocean and river galleries, a boardroom and A/V equipment; food and beverage service is available throughout the facility during private events.
Want to meet in a place with history?
Any traveler worth his or her salt knows about Rock City (subject of the famous “See Rock City” roadside signs). It has an outdoor pavilion, gardens with 400 native plant species, on-site dining and accommodations on Lookout Mountain with additional meeting space in its Grandview Tudor-style lodge. Ruby Falls is another famous roadside attraction that accommodates group functions. Lake Winnepesaukah is an old-fashioned amusement park with an on-site catering department, a 2,000-seat concert venue and picnic facilities. The Chattanooga Choo Choo and its historic train terminal are now part of a museum and hotel complex with meeting space; guests can spend the night in a Victorian train car.
