The Cravens House is a historic landmark on Lookout Mountain, known for its role in the Civil War…read moreand its sweeping views. Built in 1856 by Robert Cravens, a Chattanooga industrialist, it originally served as his summer retreat. During the Civil War, the house became a headquarters and observation point for both Union and Confederate forces, playing a key role in the famous "Battle Above the Clouds." The original structure was destroyed during the war, but Cravens later rebuilt it. Today, the house is part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, offering visitors a glimpse into the past as well as access to scenic hiking trails.

If you love history, views, and hidden gems, you have to visit Cravens House on Lookout Mountain in…read moreChattanooga, Tennessee. This place is absolutely fascinating -- it's the oldest surviving home on the mountain, built in 1856 by Robert Cravens, and it literally sat in the middle of the Battle Above the Clouds during the Civil War. It's wild to think this quiet, peaceful spot was once the site of major fighting, and yet the house still stands today! The home is part of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, and the rangers do a fantastic job explaining the history and significance of the area. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and the surrounding trails -- especially the Cravens-to-Sunset Rock hike -- offer some of the best views in all of Chattanooga. Even if you're not a huge history buff, the mix of scenery, storytelling, and atmosphere makes this a really special stop. It's calm, educational, and surprisingly moving to walk where history actually happened. Highly recommend adding this to your Chattanooga itinerary -- it's a five-star experience all around! https://linktr.ee/reessroots

We were here for an entire week in Chattanooga and able to travel up the mountain 4 of those days!…read moreWhat amazing views of surrounding area! And the people I'll never get over how wonderful they were all were to us! We went to Ruby Falls rock city Park point and stopped at several of the small shops on the way up. We could not do the incline due to my grandson's fear Heights, but we did watch it several times from different advantage points every penny we spent was worth it and 1 million more. The memories made this week will last a lifetime for me and I'm so thankful we were able to take our grandsons and experience this beautiful amazing place with them.

If you're in the neighborhood take the drive to the top. On a clear day the view is incredible.read more

The song America the Beautiful sums it up…read more The view is heaven sent. Take your loved one with you. It is breathtaking.

This was my first visit here. I started not to go but I am very glad I did. Today was a beautiful…read moreday to be out and doing an outdoor activity. This Fall Festival is well talked about in around Chattanooga and brings in people from miles around. Features: Well, one is that there is the Sequatchie River flowing right beside it. There's also a dam on it too built by early settlers. There's an old two story house on the property that I wish they would let people tour. There is a non- working water powered sawmill on the site with the equipment still there. Anyway you get all kinds of different food here like; fried pies, BBQ sandwiches, roasted sweet potato, roasted sweet corn, kettle corn, local honey, northern beans, turnip greens, chicken on a stick and etc. of course you can get sweet tea here too. They have some talented crafters. One makes things from leather like belts, gun holsters, bill folds, any etc. he was very reasonable too. They have entertainers that come here too where you can sit back in your lawn chair and relax to music. They had two places for entertainers. One at the main stage and the other at the Jammin Tent ( Food Barn). History: Ketners Mill was built in 1868 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The last year that the sawmill operated was in 1955. The last year that Ketners Mill was in full operation was in 1992. Wagon Rides: For only $3 you ride a horse drawn wagon thru the woods. See photos. I really regret not doing this. Extra thoughts: I think Ketners Mill is a place to come and relax and enjoy good food and entertainment. I wished I had brought my lawn chair and stayed longer in front of the stage where people were singing and playing their instruments. There are some shade trees to put them under close to the stage. Directions: I recommend using I 75 and taking exit 155. You can also get here by using exit 158 but 155 is what I will use next time. Once arriving at the site you can park in the open field they direct you to depending upon where you enter. I made a mistake and decided to go through the mountains on the way back and ended up in the Signal Mountain area. I thought I wanted to take more scenic view but it's just a bunch of woods and a winding curvy road that just slows you down big time. I should have gone back the way I came in.

I have visited Ketner's Mill a few times over many years. It is not far from Chattanooga and easy…read moreto find. We got there on a Sunday around 1 PM and left around 3 or so. It got very busy during our visit and the line to enter when we left was long. They have free parking and it cost 7 dollars a person to enter, which I felt was a little steep but we paid. It is a typical farm fair atmosphere with numerous vendors, food, craft and drink (no alcohol). They had everything from carmel corn to chicken on a stick. Lots of homemade jams, honey, bread and other food stuff. We walked around the area and looked at various crafts, which there is a huge selection. They have an animal petting area and also canoes you can rent. They had a rustic stage where musicians played various blue grass and country music. It is a great place to take the family for a nice afternoon get away. I give it a 4 even though I am kind of cheap and personally will not go again for $7. There are too many free or more reasonable festivals all summer.

Caterpillar garden is a public art monument located in the rear of a jasper Tennessee rest stop…read more Me and my buddies were on the way home from a weekend getaway from Atlanta headed to Lousiville when we stopped at the local rest stop to take a break. While walking around the area we came across this cool little sculpture garden. Not sure it's affiliation with caterpillars but it was a nice place to check out. From memory I don't think I've ever seen a random piece of public art at a truck stop before so it was a nice surprise.

Cool looking garden with sculptures located on the inside of it. This is located in a rest stop in…read moreTennesse and we ran into it on our way home from Atlanta. This is just one of the cool sites at this location

This was something I very much wanted to see while in Chattanooga. I remember learning about the…read moreTrail of Tears in school in Virginia but, hadn't known a great deal about it. I read about it before visiting and was very impressed by this monument paying tribute to the Cherokee nation and the suffering of those forced from their ancestral lands by mass exodus and essentially a death march, hence the name. I was surprised to see that this is a monument that the city allows you to fully walk, play, and swim in and there were dozens of families with children playing and splashing in the water. It was something I'm not used to seeing and I thought it was wonderful that the city allows this. It was extremely hot the day I visited in July but also, this is interactive and encourages people to come and spent time here. It's a physical tribute to the countless tears shed no doubt during this event and a powerful tribute to a darker part of American history.

The Passage is a permanent exhibit near the aquarium, and pays tribute to the seven clans of the…read moreCherokee Nation through symbolism. The Trail of Tears, when Cherokee tribes were forced from their lands in Chattanooga to Oklahoma, started nearby. The Passage is a walkway, where people can see the Weeping Wall, representing the tears shed as Cherokees were forced from their homes and made to walk the Trail of Tears. 7 disks along the Weeping Wall tell the story of the Cherokee Nation. Facing the Tennessee River are 7 figures playing stickball. Playing the important game of stickball provided a way for members of the Cherokee Nation to settle disagreements, even to the point of players getting injured or killed. Just my opinion, but I think this a valuable exhibit that should be maintained a lot better and treated with respect. During my visit, to The Passage, there were a lot of people wading in the water, and wall that the stainless steel stickball players are on appeared water damaged.

If you're searching for a spot that blends breathtaking scenery with a dash of local history,…read moreLookout Point is an absolute must-visit. Perched high above the landscape, it offers panorama views that make you feel like you're standing at the edge of the world. Sunsets here don't just glow--they ignite the entire horizon. What really elevates the experience is the historical depth woven into the place. Lookout Point has long served as a natural vantage point, used for centuries by early travelers, surveyors, and even Indigenous communities who recognized its strategic height and sweeping visibility. In the early 1900s, as the area developed, the point became a favored destination for weekend picnics, stargazing nights, and scenic drives. Some of the original stonework and trail markers still remain, giving the area a timeless charm. Today, it continues to be a beloved spot for hikers, photographers, history buffs, and anyone who wants a quiet escape. The trails are well-kept, the air feels crisp, and the soundscape is a blend of wind, birds, and quiet awe from other visitors. Whether you're capturing the view through a camera lens or simply taking a moment to breathe, the place has a way of grounding you. Verdict: If you're anywhere nearby, don't just think about visiting--go. Bring a camera, bring someone you like, or just bring yourself. Lookout Point is one of those places that leaves you a little different than when you arrived.

This place existed prior to the War between the States. This was the site of the Confederate siege…read moreof Chattanooga from the mountain in 1863. It's a 10 acre memorial park that overlooks Chattanooga and the battlefield. There's many historic buildings and relics of the war. The original house of 1856 was destroyed during the war, but rebuilt and finished in 1866. It is free entry and overlooks Chattanooga as well.

Up the road from Rock City is Point Park, a section of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National…read moreMilitary Park. There's some parking nearby, or you can take the Incline Railway up from the base and walk here, the location is amazing! You can get a Passport Stamp here, too, if you're into that sort of thing (‍). Check out the view of the Moccasin Bend and the monument in the center of the park, or head down to the connection trail section for a hike to Sunset Rock or Craven House. The views are gorgeous from the overlooks, and definitely worth the small price of admission, which you can purchase in advance from the National Parks website.

One of the coolest spots near Chattanooga. It has by far one of the most spectacular views I have…read moreever seen. We enjoyed walking around the park for over almost two hours taking it all in, getting photos, and reading about the history. Highly recommend and a must see spot!

Here at Lula Lake Land Trust in Lookout Mountain, Georgia (20 miles southwest of Chattanooga,…read moreTennessee), this is a fun little journey, a 4-mile out and back or roundtrip hike getting to experience the prized highlight here...120-foot Lula Falls. The area around Lula Falls is private property. The Board of Trustees are sensitive about protecting the ecology of this land and so...visiting capacity is greatly reduced. In order to visit, you must book a reservation online ahead of time at lulalake.org. It's $16 entry per car, regardless of the number of passengers. Visitation dates are totally out of the norm, outside guests can enter the grounds on the first and last weekends of each month. That's 4 days per month and 48 days out of the entire year! Eye opening when you think about that statistic within the bigger picture of making plans to see Lula Falls. The pathway trail to reach Lula Falls is moderately easy. Follow the gravel dirt road for the first 1.5 out of 2 miles. Along the way, on the left hand side of the trail is a terrific overlook of Lula Falls. Although you can enter down to the falls taking Old Falls Trail, those stair steps are pretty steep. It was suggested to me to walk just a little further down to Lula Falls Trail and follow that pathway to Lula Falls. Upon arriving at the heart of it all, Lula Falls is mighty impressive, a magical wonder of a waterfall plunging 120 feet in a straight free-fall. While the sun was shining, I even caught a rainbow at the base of the falls which made the setting here somewhat of a pause in time moment. Backdrops like these don't come around often, I was relishing it all. Feeling thankful and blessed would describe things well. There's no swimming at the falls and I respect that, just enjoying the beauty of the falls was good enough for me. On the return trip back towards the entrance, you can follow the Bluff Trail above the forest tree-line to a panoramic clearing from high atop Lookout Mountain. It's a good chance to view the Chattanooga Valley from an undisturbed vantage point. You can finish out the hike taking the Bluff Trail almost all the way back to the start, or the Middle Trail is just as good too. But if you enjoy hiking in nature, either pathway will get the job done. Overall, getting to venture out to Lula Lake Land Trust and hike to Lula Falls was a joyous occasion for me, someone who loves the great outdoors and takes nothing for granted. Thank you for having me.

Beautiful hike at Lula Falls. It is about 4 miles round trip. We went in May when it wasn't hot but…read morewas still warm enough that my jacket didn't stay on long. The trails are well maintained and easy except for the last quarter mile to the lower falls. Worth the trek down to the lower falls area. A bit of a challenge for this 62 year old but slow and steady won the day. We enjoyed a nice lunch in the picnic area near the stairs to the lower falls.