Chattanooga
Campground
R Haven Overnight Family Park
Rustic campground with a stream running through it, a small fishing pond, and a large field for Polly to run and play. There were no activities at the campground but it was close to Cloudland Canyon State Park and the city of Trenton GA.
Things to see
Cloudland Canyon State Park
Beautiful state park with camping, picnic areas, several hikes and mountain biking trails. Check out our entries below in the hiking and biking sections for details. Dogs allowed.
Historic Downtown Segway Tour
If available, we always like to take a tour of the city as soon as we can. This tour was a bonus as it was on Segways. It was only the two of us and the guide so we were able to see some additional sites. We highly recommend this tour.
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
A quick 10 minute ride up Lookout Mountain at a 72.7% grade. The only things to see at the top are a Civil War museum and Point Park (a National Park). At only $15 per person, it was well worth it. The base is in a great part of town with several restaurants and breweries. No dogs allowed.
Rock City Gardens
This was a great place to take your time to walk around and enjoy the views, the caverns and the gardens. Dogs allowed.
Ruby Falls
Reviews of Ruby Falls varied but one thing was clear, we needed to take the evening lantern tour. There were only about 15 people on the tour and it was such a unique experience to walk through with only lanterns lighting the way. The falls deep inside the cavern was a unique feature we've not seen in other caves. No dogs allowed.
Sidewalk dance lessons
Right there embedded into the sidewalk were popular dance steps! Waltz, cha-cha, tango, etc.
Southeast Lineman Training Center
Ok, so this isn't exactly an activity but we thought it was really cool to see all the lineman up on the poles. This was very close to our campground so we drove by it everyday.
Tennessee Riverwalk and Renaissance Park
This was a great path in the middle of the town. It offers a paved path, a small dirt path area and an overlook of a swamp with lots of turtles. It is also close to the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge (longest Pedestrian Bridge in North America) and is close to several stores and restaurants. Dogs allowed.
Hiking
Biking
5 Points Recreation Area
We hadn't been mountain biking for months so this was a great find. The trails here ranged from beginner to difficult. We went 3 times as this has been one of the best mountain biking areas we've experienced.
Food and Drink
Corner Coffee
This place was, uh, on a corner, in Trenton GA, the little town near our campground. Nice place to have a little caffeine and some lunch.
Food Works
We were hiking around Chattanooga, across the pedestrian bridge around the parks and riverside. Food Works has a nice outdoor patio on which to eat and drink. There was a very yappy dog annoying everyone, so, Polly, being the respectful pooch, got a lot of compliments for being a good companion.
Jefferson's in Trenton, GA
It was Memorial Day and we thought a local BBQ joint was open (I even called) but they were not. Jefferson's was and it was interesting. Dollar bills covering the walls! Typical bar & grill fare.
Lalito's Mexican Restaurant
This was actually in Trenton, GA, the city near our campground. The food was quite good! Very good fajitas.
Lookout Mountain Pizza Company
Great pizza especially after a long hike or mountain bike ride. Dogs are allowed on the patio.
River Street Deli
This was recommended by our Segway tour guide. It is a hole in the wall but had the best sandwiches!
To make a long story short ...
Audra and the girls
Shortly after arriving at the campground, we met Audra and the girls (names withheld for privacy). The girls came running out to meet Polly when she was running in the grass chasing her toys. Audra is home-schooling the girls as they travel and the girls were very chatty, nice, respectful, and polite.
Both girls are interested in music but the older one, in particular, gravitated to talking with me when she found out I played guitar and sang. While Audra is a classically trained pianist and former piano teacher, you can imagine that not all daughters want their mom teaching them everything. The girls had a piano teacher (not mom) but, being on the road, no longer do. Audra and I spoke about the situation and she was very excited that her daughter was excited to be talking to me. Audra, her daughter, and I started a group information exchange via email. Music theory, chord theory, how it applies to guitar and piano, all kinds of things. Audra was very generous with her observations that I may explain things slightly different than she might, but her daughter was "getting it".
On our last night there, we invited the three of them over for a campfire, s'mores, and music. We had a wonderful time singing 90's country and a few other things. It was a thrill to get Audra singing and the girls joining in while I played for them.