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.
