Overview
- A trip to Chattanooga evokes America’s romantic rail era, when trains were the primary way to travel.
- The city’s rail legacy was immortalized by Glenn Miller’s “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and today it blends must-see rail attractions with rich history and outdoor access roughly 90 minutes north of Atlanta.
- Nicknamed “The Scenic City,” Chattanooga offers so many sights that a weekend barely scratches the surface, though even a short stay makes a standout getaway.
- The area’s roots span from Upper Paleolithic settlements through the Archaic and Woodland periods to Mississippian/Muskogean/Yuchi cultures (900–1714 CE) and the Cherokee era (1776–1838).
- Railroads, including the Georgia-owned Western & Atlantic Railroad, helped make Chattanooga a strategic Civil War crossroads and later propelled its rise as one of the Southeast’s major heavy industrial centers.











