Our arrival in Tennessee marked a significant milestone for us - this was the last formal plan we had for our traveling. This 4-month adventure was planned around 3 main events, and the last on the docket was a concert at Cumberland Caverns in Tennessee, on Halloween. As we arrived in Tennessee in mid-October, we still had a bit of time and fun ahead of us before reaching the end of our original schedule.
The first leg of our journey in Tennessee involved meeting up with my Mom for some exploring! She drove in from Virginia, and she spent her first night at a Cracker Barrel with us. It’s always a delight having a bus guest, especially when we can introduce them to some of our genuine bus life. We spent the evening deciding on our plans for the next week, and my Mom and I knew we had to kick off our time together with an in-person run. We’d been doing the Couch 2 5K app together by phone, and had graduated to regular 3 mile runs, and so we were both looking forward to being together for a few runs while we were in Tennessee. It was about here in our journey that I began to fall in love with greenways and riverwalks that seem commonplace in so many towns and states on our journey. They’re such lovely places to run, and they usually come with a bonus beautiful river alongside, and the Stone River Greenbelt in Nashville was no different. We had perfectly cool fall weather for a run, and it was the perfect way to kick off our trip.
We were waffling between Memphis and Chattanooga for the first half of our time together, and opted for the latter. I had passed up an opportunity to go to Ruby Falls a few years prior, and it had been on my mind ever since, so I was absolutely vibrating with excitement to finally get to visit. So we headed south to Chattanooga, and rolled into town looking for a hotel. The first place we checked was a LaQuinta, and as we checked in, we realized that this was an excellent chain for pet-friendly hotel options! My Mom had driven down with her dog, Bentley, and we were a little worried it would be difficult finding a room that would allow all 3 dogs. But LaQuinta was so accommodating, and didn’t charge exorbitant extra fees for pets. We settled into our room and got ourselves acquainted with maps of the downtown Chattanooga area. For our first evening, we opted for a nice walk along the Tennessee River through the Bluff View arts district. The river offered lovely views, and the art district provided a fun assortment of sculptures surrounding the Hunter Museum of Art. We were beginning to see that Chattanooga had a lot to offer!
The next day we headed out to my personal highlight moment of our trip - Ruby Falls! We headed down into the cave, where the tour started with an incredibly well done video about the discovery of the cave, the ambition and drive of Leo Lambert who discovered it, and the love he had for his wife, Ruby. Having been to a lot of caves in my life, I was surprised to see how narrow and stifling the pathways of the cave were - which was a bit of a struggle for my claustrophobic Mom. I also didn’t realize what an extensive tour we had of the cave before arriving at the waterfall, so I was hoping the payoff was going to be worth it, for her sake! Our tour guide pointed out many interesting formations along the way, like curtain formations that looked like Tobacco Leaves, a drape called Angel’s Wing, and a column they christened as their own Leaning Tower.
Our tour ended at the large, cavernous room where Ruby Falls cascaded down, and the tour guide was really wonderful at amping up the drama and wonder. We entered the cavern with the lights almost entirely off, until we had all entered the room and surrounded the waterfall. Then, Ruby Falls was slowly illuminated with soft purple light as the music rose up in a crescendo to display the falls in all their glory. I cannot overstate how marvelous this all was; the sight took my breath away and I couldn’t help but actually tear up at the natural beauty that appeared before me. The falls thundered down into a small pool, and our guide pointed out the slow erosion of the rock walls around us that showed how the Falls had slowly moved deeper into the cave hall over time. We were all able to step up and appreciate this beauty up close and snap a picture, before we had to head out to make room for the next tour approaching. We made our way back through the cave, seeing a few more formations more visible from the other direction, before exiting. We had tickets for the 10:20am tour, and things were starting to get crowded as we were wrapping up. The tours had to awkwardly pass each other at a few points, and things felt a little too close for comfort. I would absolutely recommend aiming for an earlier tour time, as I think it would be nicer to feel a little less pressure from larger tour groups and the pressing of others tours around you. Though no matter when you can make it, this tour is absolutely worth checking out. It sincerely took my breath away.
Since my Mom had challenged her fears enough for the day, Craig and I headed off alone to check out the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. It’s worth mentioning here that Lookout Mountain is the centerpiece of the area; it’s where Ruby Falls lives, as well as Rock City and many sightseeing points viewed atop the mountain. And one of the easiest ways to access these panoramic views is to take the Incline Railway to the top. Craig had visited here as a child, and was very excited to relive the journey. The railway was a fascinating feat of engineering; a set up of two counterbalanced cars on cables attached to a pulley, allowing one to ascend up the mountain as the other descends. Near the top, the cars are traveling at a 72.7% grade, making this one of the steepest passenger railways in the world. As a result, you begin the journey slightly laying back in your seat, so that as you ascend, you slowly straighten up and are granted stunning views of the Tennessee Valley through the windowed roof and sides of the Incline Railway carriages. It was a super fun way to journey up the mountain!
During the ride, there was a broadcast of interesting facts relating to Lookout Mountain, and Craig was excited to confirm the details of one he had heard and loved as a child. Lookout Mountain was home to the Civil War “Battle Above the Clouds”. During this battle, the Confederates were attempting to defend the top of the mountain from the Union soldiers below. They tried to ebb the flow of Union soldiers coming up the mountain, but as they loaded their cannons, the severe angle of the mountain led to the cannonballs rolling right out before they could be fired! The Union soldiers took their victory in this misty battle, and later even defeated the retreating soldiers at Missionary Ridge. There wasn’t much to do at the top of Lookout Mountain. There was a small gift shop and a nice easy walk from here to get to Point Park for some Civil War history. Atop the gift shop was a two-tier lookout tower, to really enhance the panoramic views of the Tennessee Valley and to get a unique view of the Incline Railway carriages coming up the tracks. We loved the views, but we were even more entranced by the hawks circling around a nearby property. As one took a dive, we saw what appeared to be a squat little groundhog scurrying away. We really built quite a story around these two - Harry the Hawk was trying to catch up with his pal Gordon the Groundhog, but Gordo was feeling playful and sent Harry on a wild goose (groundhog?) chase. There’s something delightful about seeing nature playfully existing around us.
Although you might not be lucky enough to witness the lunch date of two outdoor friends, it was absolutely worth the visit for the stunning views of the Tennessee Valley and for the unique experience of riding the Incline Railway.
After a big day of exploring the many offerings of Lookout Mountain, we headed back downtown for some dinner. We visited the Mellow Mushroom, for delicious pizza and local beers and enjoyed spoiling all the dogs with pizza crusts. We were all in much need of a digestive walk after our feast, so of course we started it with a quick stop at Ben & Jerrys, and then headed over to Walnut Street Bridge. This historical bridge seems to be the first non-military bridge to span the Tennessee River, and has recently been revitalized by the city to act as a pedestrian bridge, connecting the heart of the city to several parks on the other side of the river. Funnily enough, the Walnut Street Bridge was very pet-friendly, however Coolidge Park on the other side of it did not allow dogs in the park. It’s always a little silly and annoying to me when dogs are prohibited from outdoor spaces, but a park guard told us it was due to people not picking up after their pets and this becoming a hazardous issue for children playing in the parks. I hate when irresponsible pet owners make the world a more difficult place for pets and their owners to enjoy. It’s all of our jobs to make our natural spaces a safe and beautiful place for all.
Our digestion walk had done the trick, and now we were all ready for bed. We headed back to our hotel and soaked in the sunset and moonrise over the Tennessee River along the Walnut Street Bridge, enjoying another beautiful moment in the city that had given us such a lovely day. But there was one more morning ahead of us in Chattanooga before we headed north! The next morning, we had a decadently delicious breakfast at Maple Street Biscuit Company that featured vegetarian biscuits with mushroom gravy. I love when we’re able to try some local flavors that have been adapted to be vegetarian friendly!
The last stop in the Chattanooga area was one more offering from Lookout Mountain - Rock City. Technically in Georgia, this enchanting garden was made famous by its prolific See Rock City advertisements that dot the landscapes of the roads leading towards Lookout Mountain. Craig had visited once as a kid, but could only remember enough to describe it as “a garden with types of rock sculptures throughout”, so I wasn’t really sure what we were walking into. But what we discovered was the most truly magical place, one where someone lovingly crafted pathways and tunnels through natural rock formations and topped it all off with enchanting little details. From charming doorways to rainbow windowed tunnels to sparkling alleyways to hidden gnomes, this place made you feel as if you’d been teleported into a fairy tale.
Even with the drizzles, or maybe enhanced by them, we immensely enjoyed our afternoon meandering through this magical place, topping off with a gorgeous scenic view of Seven States, as well as a waterfall. And the cherry on top, this wonderful garden was pet friendly! Exploring interesting places is all the better with our little monsters with us, plus, I think Winston would make a great goblin from a fairy tale.
(ASIDE: this ended up being our second unintentional visit to a significant place of power featured in Neil Gaiman’s book American Gods. We first explored House on the Rock in Wisconsin, and it was here in Rock City that the final battle of the gods took place. There are 3 remaining, so we might just have to collect the set!)
Between the mystical Rock City, the breathtaking Ruby Falls, and the gravity-defying Incline Railway, it’s safe to say I was completely blown away by all the wonder Chattanooga had to offer.
It was hard leaving Chattanooga, especially since the fall colors had just started lighting up the trees on Lookout Mountain. But we originally planned this trip around exploring Nashville, and that city is certainly fun in its own right. My Mom had gotten a hotel in the Bellevue neighborhood, about 20 minutes southwest of downtown Nashville. It was in a great spot, as we were close to the city but also had a lot of the benefits being in the outskirts has to offer, like another beautiful greenway to run along! The Harpeth River Greenway was right around the corner from our hotel, and provided several lovely mornings of runs and dog walks. The first day spent in Nashville was a mother - daughter day. My Mom and I headed out for a look at the Country Music Hall of Fame and out for a tour of RCA Studio B. We got our tickets and headed out on the shuttle that took us to RCA Studio B, while our extremely enthusiastic and engaging tour guide filled us in on the history of the studio and music in Nashville. The studio tour itself was also pretty interesting. We learned about the musicians who recorded there, most significantly, Elvis Presley. While I’m not one who typically cares about “standing where they stood”, our tour guide was so excited about that concept that it really was infectious. My Mom and I aren’t even particularly big Elvis fans, but we simply couldn’t help ourselves from doing our best impression of The King on the spot where he typically recorded his vocals. We headed back for our walkthrough the Country Music Hall of Fame, which was impressively comprehensive and had tons of interesting information, history, and displays. Even if the interest isn’t one of my own, I always love seeing the passion, heart, and pride that exudes from collections like this that show how significant these things are to so many others.
After our very musical morning, we headed back to the hotel to pick up all our boys and go for a nice afternoon stroll. We explored the grounds of Centennial Park, and admired the oddness of the Tennessee Parthenon. Now in use as an art museum, the Nashville Parthenon was built in 1897 to celebrate Tennessee’s centennial celebration as a state, and honored Nashville’s nickname as “Athens of the South”. While we didn’t go inside, it’s said that from the inside to the out, this is a full-scale replica of the original in Greece. What a funny thing to be sitting in the middle of a park in Nashville, Tennessee! After our refreshing walk exploring the park, we grabbed beers and snacks at Fat Bottom Brewery before attempting a look at Broadway. While I thought we might be able to grab a drink and enjoy some live music, it quickly proved not our scene. As we drove down lower Broadway at 5pm on a Friday, the chaos was already in full swing. The streets were swamped, the bars were crowded, and the music bled out onto the sidewalks. It certainly was fun to see Broadway in action, but we were all content to see it from a driveby distance!
Craig and I had visited Nashville a few years prior, and had stumbled upon Marathon Village and thought it would be a great place to show my Mom. Reborn from the buildings of the former Marathon Motor Works, it’s a great place to shop for souvenirs, as well as pick the pickers at Antique Archeology. The shopping was ideal for my Mom, and the remains of the old motor plant were ideal for Craig. He stopped to savor every impeccable display that contained original manufacturing pieces and history. It really is a pretty comprehensive display honoring the first factory to totally manufacture automobiles in the US from 1910 - 1914, and a great way to utilize the space to bring in tourists to see it all.
Down the block from Marathon Village lies the destination that brought us to the neighborhood in the first place - Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. When Craig and I visited in 2016, we took a tour here on a whim and had a fantastic time. Our tour guide was a phenomenal storyteller, and did an incredible job bringing an already fascinating story to life. The history was amazing and the drinks weren’t bad either. I won’t even bother giving a snapshot of the history of the distillery - it’s too intriguing and I highly recommend giving the full story a read at the link above. I was excited to bring my Mom for a tour to hear the whole boozy tale, but we quickly learned we weren’t the only people to fall in love with this place, and the tours were completely booked. So we settled for a tasting flight for me and Craig, and a frozen apple whiskey for my Mom, who has less of a taste for hard liquor. Although all of that may have changed with her first sip of Nelson’s whiskey in her frozen apple cider! As my palate has definitely been more accepting towards whiskey over the years, I was excited to give their liquors another chance, especially their award winning Belle Meade bourbon. It was all delicious, and it felt right to be sipping Tennessee whiskey while we made our way like tourists through the state.
From our previous visit to Nashville, I knew there was one last stop I wanted to share with my Mom. Since my Mom has always been interested in art, I thought that she would enjoy a tour at Hatch Show Print. Hatch Show Print is a letterpress print shop that began their journey making advertisements and handbills and over the years transformed into making artful and unique posters in their iconic style. The part that I find absolutely incredible is that all their posters are designed and hand carved in their studio, and that they’ve kept and continue to use their original font sets in their posters. The tour gave an overview of the Hatch Show Print history, and showed wonderful displays showing the way different woodblocks are cut and inked in order to create layers in a poster. The craftsmanship, precision, and attention to detail needed to produce the final product is incredible to me. As a bonus, we also got to add our own layer to a souvenir poster! The first layers had been previously applied, so we rolled the ink onto the wood blocks for the final layer and cranked the printing press in order to apply the ink to the poster. It was a super interesting bonus to the tour to be able to actually interact with the process we were learning about. Plus, you get a cool souvenir to take home!
This was a wonderful and colorful last stop in Nashville before my Mom started making her way back east. We decided we would accompany her on part of her drive, so we packed up and headed to Knoxville for the night. After making our way to another LaQuinta and settling the dogs in, there was one last Tennessee bucket list item for my Mom - getting her hands on some good barbeque! Since Craig and I are vegetarians, it had been difficult to find a restaurant that focused on BBQ, but still had anything but a side salad for us. So when I found the menu for Calhoun’s On The River and saw a veggie burger and award winning BBQ, I knew exactly where we were enjoying our last dinner together. And as a bonus, I tried my first fried green tomatoes! I’d always been picky with tomatoes, but I do enjoy my food tourism and just had to try some southern specialty. My Mom enjoyed her rack of ribs, Craig and I enjoyed an actual entree, and we cheers-ed to another successful meetup on the road!
My Mom headed out the next morning, and Craig and I opted for a lazy day to decompress after our whirlwind tourist tour of Tennessee. It was a dreary day and it was perfect for some tasting flights and cocktails at Knox Whiskey Works. I especially enjoyed their Drunkin Pun’kin seasonal cocktail and a sip of their Deals Gap Dragon Tail whiskey, which was flavored with honey and habanero. And as a bonus, their tasting room was pet-friendly! While we sipped, we figured out what to do to kill time until our concert, and decided to research state parks for some fall camping and hiking. We settled on Frozen Head State Park and decided we’d head there in the morning.
We still had a few more adventures ahead of us in Tennessee, but we were wrapping up the tourist traveling, and a lot of big city highlights. Next up we’ll talk about our lazier days in Tennessee, as well as reaching the informal “end” of our first big bus tour!
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