Chattanooga Charm

Just two hours southeast of Nashville and two hours northwest of Atlanta, Chattanooga sits along the Tennessee River, surrounded by gorgeous rolling hills. They don’t call it Scenic City for nothing. It’s a city for the adventure-lover, the art-lover, and the food-lover. This past weekend, I took my second trip to this city along the river and was once again embraced by the Chattanooga Charm.

The weekend was filled with beautiful weather, food, live music, historic charm, more food, and explorations. Let’s begin….

My friend Holly, a Chattanooga connoisseur, recommended The Public House for dinner, so I made reservations immediately. Good thing because the place was packed on a Saturday night! The Public House is located in a Civil War-era factory turned boutique shopping center, Warehouse Row, located on the south end of downtown. In my true nature, I scoped out the menu when I made the reservation and had my mind set on the Salmon Club, minus the bacon. I enjoy bacon, but it just seems wrong to top a nice piece of flaky, flavorful salmon with it! We started the meal with the Kale, Golden Raisin, & Peanut Salad and I had a glass of the Kung Fu Girl Riesling. How could I resist with a name like that?

After dinner we checked out local music venue Track 29, which sits right behind the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. This hotel was a train terminal station in its past life, but now you can stay the night in a Victorian train car–how unique!

On Sunday, we stumbled upon The Farmer’s Daughter in our quest for brunch. What a great find! This farm-to-table restaurant nestled in north Chattanooga is also home to Copacetic Coffee; so while you wait for your table on a bustling weekend morning, you’ll also have time to enjoy an almond milk cappuccino and the most amazing cinnamon roll of your life. That was a beautiful way to start the day! I intended to order the quiche and salad, but it was sold out, so instead I took the more adventurous route and tried the Tokyo Bowl–sticky rice served with greens, shiitake mushrooms, a fried egg, and gingered broth. The portion size was perfect, especially after my cinnamon roll appetizer, and the broth was light but flavorful.

After a filling brunch, we took a stroll on Frazier Street and then wandered down to the Tennessee River in Coolidge Park to take some photos. It started to rain as we left the park, but E and I both had some work to catch up on so we hunkered down at the local gelato/coffee shop, Milk & Honey. Let’s just say it’s a pretty sweet place to hang out 🙂

Tupelo Honey Cafe needs to be at the top of your list of places to eat in Chattanooga if you’re planning a visit. Not headed to ‘Nooga any time soon? Don’t worry, Tupelo Honey Cafe has several other locations in the South. We shared a few small plates and everything was absolutely delicious. If I had more room in my belly, I would have ordered a second round of everything. The Herbed Lamb Meatballs in tomato curry sauce were just as good as a dish prepared in an authentic Indian restaurant and the Tennessee Country Ham Wontons with Brussels sprouts salad are beyond words. Did I mention the biscuits? Homemade biscuits served with Tupelo honey (of course) and blueberry preserves to start the meal. Gotta love that!

Before heading back to Nashville Monday, we stopped at Rembrandt’s Coffee House in the Bluff View Art District for breakfast and a cappuccino for moi, and then a quick stroll around the neighborhood. This area of town has gorgeous views of the river and provides easy access to the Hunter Museum of American Art and the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge.     

Have you been to Chattanooga? What are some of your favorite things to do in Scenic City? Will you be adding any of the places we tried to your list of things to do/places to go? I’m adding the new outdoor rock climbing wall to my list for next time, followed by a cinnamon roll from The Farmer’s Daughter 🙂

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day, friends!