24-Hour Family Adventure in Chattanooga, TN
Adventuring and exploring together as a family is our favorite. And every summer, mid-June seems like the perfect time for a quick 1- or 2-night getaway…just enough to take a breather from the craziness of all our Kindred Farm spring dinners and events and refresh us to get back at it. This always falls around Father’s Day.
This year, we kicked off Father’s Day weekend with one night on Saturday at our friend’s houseboat on Center Hill Lake. Then first thing Sunday morning, we headed with our little family of four for a 24-hour city adventure in Chattanooga.
Two years ago, we also went on a Father’s Day weekend in Chattanooga, and I wrote all about it here. We love this city - it’s so artsy and chill! At the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Chattanooga has a definite mountainy nature vibe, which we love, and the whole city is focused around the Tennessee River. It’s small enough that it doesn’t feel super busy or chaotic but has enough of an urban feel that it’s totally different than the rural and small towns near where we live in Tennessee.
This year, we wanted to revisit a few places we enjoyed last time and also try some new gems! We only had 1 full day, but I can say with confidence that we packed in as much as we could!
As soon as we arrived in Chattanooga, we had brunch at Feed Co. Table & Tavern. It was good, not great. I did enjoy the fried green tomatoes. Super noisy restaurants with TVs everywhere just aren’t my jam, but I know some people love that vibe!
After that, we stopped by the Chattanooga Whole Foods, which is one of our absolute favorites of all the Whole Foods we’ve been to. It’s small, cozy with dim lighting and low ceilings, and it only has a tiny inconspicuous area that’s for Amazon packages, which is more than I can say for all the other Whole Foods I’ve been to in the last few years. The Chattanooga Whole Foods feels like Whole Foods did 10 years ago.
Then, it was off to check in early at our hotel. We adored staying at the Westin Chattanooga last time, but in true Steven Bailey style, my husband wanted to try something new on this trip, and since it was Father’s Day, he got to pick! He chose the vintage 1920’s glam The Read House, a renovated hotel from 1872. I wasn’t sure about some of the online reviews, but we took the risk, and I’m so glad we did! It was truly spectacular at every turn. We all gasped when we entered the lobby with the grand chandeliers, lush fabrics and rugs, high ceilings…and real vintage telephone booths! Some of the famous past guests at The Read House include Winston Churchill, Bing Crosby, Ronald Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, Walt Disney, and even Elvis! It’s fascinating to think of who walked these halls. Apparently there’s also something that went down in Room 311 involving Al Capone. Our room was 2 floors directly above. Crazy!
Our room was huge, with 2 queen beds, gorgeous vintage tile floors in the bathroom, dreamy lighting, and shimmery silver leather headboards. The beds were comfy with soft sheets and pillows. We immediately collapsed into those comfy beds for a quick snoozer before setting out to explore Chattanooga!
Refreshed and hungry, we went back out searching for ice cream. This time, we decided to try out Clumpies and chose their location on the Northshore. We all enjoyed our ice cream on their homemade waffle cones! The outside seating on their back balcony was fun. From there, we walked around the neighborhood filled with lots of lovely trees and strolled through our favorite Renaissance Park for awhile. It’s such a great city park with lots of open spaces for all ages with a splash pad, giant lawn where people were playing sports and games, and nature trails for walking or biking. For much of the time, you’re walking along the Tennessee River. KUDOS to you, Chattanooga, for keeping your city parks so clean, safe and inviting. I even saw a game warden with binoculars looking out for people making violations on the river shore. Steven was like, “Oh, I KNOW you love seeing people enforcing the rules!” Ha! I so do! But seriously, I think it contributes to why the city is such a well-kept, inviting place.
We kept walking through Renaissance Park past the marshes and giant hills we saw last time to one of our shopping areas. We went into Rock Creek for some fun outdoor clothes shopping and The Learning Store where the girls bought some trinkets with their own money, and I got spa socks and a spa mask to use later at the hotel. 💆🏻♀️ Once again, well done, Chattanooga - even the public restrooms in Renaissance Park were super clean!
After that, we had worked up an appetite for dinner and decided to try out Wooden City Chattanooga, which had excellent reviews on Google and Yelp.
YOU GUYS.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
I’ve only written like 5 Google reviews in my life, but I just had to write one for them! This says it all…
“Our first visit to Wooden City on Father's Day was absolutely INCREDIBLE! My husband is a private chef who cooks for a lot of high profile people, and he was SERIOUSLY impressed by every dish we had. Every dish - every element of every dish - was thoughtfully prepared with care and artistry. Excellent cocktails, too. The Spritz is one of the best cocktails I've had. The artisan pizza is legit. The salmon tartine was absolutely gorgeous. Even the bed of rice under the chicken schnitzel was done in a unique way - it tasted like it had been simmered in lemony broth with fresh herbs. Delicious! Our 12-year-old said it was one of the best meals of her life. :) Our server, Alexandria, was knowledgeable about every single item on the menu and had the perfect casual, fun, kind demeanor. Then we found out it was her SECOND DAY working there. She deserves a raise! :) To top it all off, we had a bunch of leftovers to take home, and I left my paper bag on the vanity in the restaurant bathroom. I raced back 20 minutes later to try to retrieve it, because I had so been looking forward to having those leftovers later. The host at the front of the restaurant said, "Oh, we thought you'd be back! We've been saving it for you!" Then he got it from the back and brought it out to me. 👏🏽 Restaurants that do their work with such excellence deserve for others to know about it. We can't wait to come back the next time we're in Chattanooga!”
Since I know you’re going to wonder about the cocktail I loved, I got The Spritz - peach, blood orange, amaro, lemon, sparkling rosé. So simple, but so perfect. The girls also enjoyed their herbal mocktails. 🌱
It was seriously one of the best meals I can remember in a long time! Bonus: we got to sit outside in lovely summer weather, and we got to celebrate Steven, an incredible father who walks so closely in his daughter’s lives and teaches them about grace, adventure, beauty, friendship, and just how to live WELL.
After dinner, we were already right next to the Tennessee Aquarium, so we decided to walk around this lovely area. There’s a long creek in the middle of the sidewalk that’s meant for wading and splashing. It goes on forever, like a real creek that winds and twists through the entire area outside the aquarium. Then, it starts descending down steps and waterfalls until it reaches the end near the river.
We didn’t go this time, but another must-see that we visited last time is the “weeping” water staircase called The Passage, which follows the Cherokee Trail of Tears. There are beautiful dedications to the Cherokee along the walls.
Finally, it was time to return to our hotel to enjoy the indoor pool. I don’t love indoor pools, but the one at the Read House had waterfalls at one end, which made it better!
On the way through the maze-like hotel floors to find the pool, we stumbled upon The Silver Ballroom, which was straight out of a period film set. LB said, “It looks like it’s from the movie Anastasia!” It reminded me of the ballroom where they have the coronation day party in Frozen. Stunning!
We finally went back to our room for the evening and collapsed. The best day! Chattanooga, you never disappoint. Can’t wait to return. 💛
