If love history and any kind then you must take a few minutes and stop and just take it in. I…read morethink sometimes we forget what this country has gone through and remembering is a way to make the future better for all.

THE BATTLE AT RINGGOLD GAP: A HERO IS REMEMBERED!…read more This little park is easy to miss if you are not looking for it along Highway 41 just east of downtown Ringgold. We drove right past it but realizing what we had missed, we stopped on the return trip. Just look for the stone wall and the large statue. This park consists of a historical monument to General Cleburne and several historic markers commemorating the Battle at Ringgold Gap and the beginning of the Atlanta Campaign. With only 4100 Confederate soldiers, Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne successfully defended the city of Ringgold against an army of 20,000 Union soldiers. The bronze statue, erected in 2003, depicts a man in a reflective posture with a determined expression. It pays great respect to a man who faced a sudden call to lead a demoralized group of men. With the number of men he went up against, it was sheer strategy and tenacity that allowed him to stay in control as long as he did. He became known as Stonewall of the West. This little park is a simple roadside park with picnic tables and not much else. It clearly exists as a Civil War Monument and should be respected as such. I

This sculpture garden is part of The River Gallery. The River Gallery is a gallery space in a turn…read moreof the century home that showcases regional and national fine arts and crafts, while the Sculpture Garden is a captivating outdoor experience in a lovely garden setting that showcases sculptures from their permanent collection as well as sculptures available to purchase. Information regarding sculpture purchases is available through The River Gallery. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in the Sculpture Garden. Since we had our dog with us while visiting the area, we walked along the sidewalk on the street while looking down at the Sculpture Garden. From this vantage point, you're still able to admire a snippet of the lovely curved paths and public works of art. This outdoor garden landscape is supposedly on a two-acre space, and it overlooks the beautiful Tennessee River. The garden is also said to feature not only the works of art to admire but also boasts a meditation area, formal garden, and an informal garden with a recycling mountain stream. If you're in the area and dog free, it's certainly worth a visit.

The River Gallery Sculpture Garden sneaks up on you....or at least it snuck up on us. We were…read moredoing a day trip in Chattanooga, stopped to park for coffee and saw one funky statue, went to check it out and saw another, and another, and wait...what IS this place??? ***Googles*** OHHHH....Sculpture Garden! As others have said, this is really a hidden in plain sight spot that rests on a cliff overlooking a river. Very picturesque, and the sculptures range from small and neat (a group of fish pouring into water) to things that are larger than life and causes you to ponder. On a nice and warm day, you can easily find yourself missing a few hours here, especially if you bring snacks from the nearby restaurants. I was not expecting it. This was not on the itinerary, but i'm very happy we stumbled upon the Sculpture garden. It's kinda awesome, and that it's just on the outskirts of town sets the mood for how your time in Chattanooga will be. True, i'm not some artsy fartsy soul...but being allowed to dabble in this art environment was well received, and the next time I return it wont be by accident! Check this place out!!

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.

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.

On a visit to Chattanooga during Labor Day weekend, we strolled the bridge after dark one evening…read more Beautiful sights, sounds from local musicians, and numerous photo opportunities. You cannot park on the bridge, so be prepared to walk to it. This is a perfect free activity for date night or if out with the kids.

Neat place to check out the views of the river! Even though it was pretty cold, there were a lot of…read morepeople walking their dogs, jogging, or comtemplating the views from benches. There are little placards explaining the history, but thy were a bit worn and had a lot of tiny text on them. Some of the wood planks are uneven so watch your step. There's limited free parking in nearby Coolidge Park, as well as bathroom facilites. Across the bridge is the Bluff View Art District. Since I went early in the morning, nothing was open yet other than some coffee shops.

Chattanooga Music Man is an interesting sculpture by artist James Simon and it's been here since…read more2012. The artwork itself is in good condition - the bow and fiddle are still intact - but the caption is very peeled and the QR code is illegible. The artist's statement: "Dramatic, larger than life, unexpected, and elegant, the sculpture depicts a fiddler serenading to folks as they walk or drive by. The fiddler ties into Chattanooga's rich music and working class culture, both past and present. The music composition creates a universal ambiance of remembrance of times past, joy for the present, and future." The sculpture is made of fiber-reinforced concrete and oxide pigment and is over 8 feet tall. The face is quite expressive and joyful. [Review 18812 overall - 348 in Tennessee - 2335 of 2022.]

A few months ago, I stopped in Madison Wisconsin to visit another state capitol and while I was…read moretouring the grounds of the Capitol, I spotted a statue of a foreigner, Hans Christian Heg https://www.yelp.com/biz/hans-christian-heg-statue-madison?hrid=XXaF9ApjxFiZMTAbLLsyyQ. There are multiple foreigners who came to help the American colonies win the war over the British, but this man was not dressed in colonial garb. Who is he and why is he represented here? Those questions led me to research. I learned that Colonel Heg was a Norwegian-American who commanded a volunteer regiment of Scandinavians from Wisconsin to fight for the Union. He was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga, the highest ranking officer from Wisconsin killed in the Civil War. So now I'm here in Chattanooga and touring the battlefield. I was able to find this monument. It is a shell monument, i.e., a triangular pyramid of eight-inch shells, ten feet tall. It is on Viniard Field where it intersects with LaFayette Road at Auto Tour Stop #5. There are signs pointing the way nearby. [Review 18841 overall - 548 in Georgia - 2364 of 2022.]

This place is so cool. So much history and so worth checking out…read more We drove through much of this but stopped by the tower. Of course I had to walk up it ....and back down. I had spaghetti legs after that, but it was so worth it. The view from the top is so beautiful.

Had an amazing visit here today. It is absolutely worth the visit. So much history…read more I can truly appreciate the self guided narration by utilizing the NPS app. It helps keep you on track as you navigate through the battlefield. Next visit I plan to do a little more walking around. This is a huge land mass and there are some areas you cannot get to via vehicle. It was nice to see lots of people on bike, flying kites and with the pets.