Rock On, Chattanooga! A day trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee There's lots to see and do in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a former industrial town on the Tennessee River, which is now a model to cities around the country for urban redevelopment. Today, it boasts modern tourist attractions in the revitalized downtown area, which have become known throughout the region. The Tennessee Aquarium is the largest fresh-water aquarium in the world, with exhibits that follow aquatic life from a trickle of a stream, to the rush of a river, and on to the Gulf of Mexico. Across the street is an Imax Theatre, Creative Discovery Museum, and many other attractions which have been constructed in recent years to boost an economy forced away from its industrial roots. There is however, a hidden tourist agenda, left over from days gone past-attractions which have been around since the early part of the century. A good day can be spent exploring these attractions, most of which are located on Lookout Mountain to the west of Downtown Chattanooga.   Lookout Mountain has Solid Place in American History Lookout Mountain has a strong foothold in the history of the American South. It is here where Union Troops forced Confederate Troops on a foggy day in the spring of 1864 to begin retreating towards Atlanta during the "Battle above the Clouds." Once Union Troops occupied Lookout Mountain, they stayed for a few days at Cravens House. Today, you can visit this National Historic Site and tour the home where the Union troops, lead by General Sherman, planned their Campaign for Atlanta, a series of battles over the summer of '64 which forced Confederate Troops to retreat to Atlanta and eventually surrender. Lookout Mountain was the beginning of the end. Years later, when Americans began their love affair with the auto and the open road, Lookout Mountain established itself as a tourist destination. Not far off U.S. Highway 41, running from Wisconsin, through the Midwest, and on into Florida, it became a tourist magnet for vacationers with exciting and unique attractions. In addition to Cravens House, there are three exciting destinations which have become American classics: Rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. Today, Lookout Mountain has been preserved in all it's breathtaking splendor. A special package allows visitors to take in all the attractions on Lookout Mountain for one convenient discounted price of $23.50. Takers on this package also get preferential treatment at some attractions, passing lines of hot, sticky, smelly tourists who are waiting to purchase tickets.   See Rock City If Graceland is the Mecca of Elvis Fans, Rock City is the Mecca of Road Trip fans. For most of this century, farmers throughout the South have had their barns painted by the good folks of Rock City, who leave behind the message "See Rock City" on the roof. While Lady Byrd Johnson's personal political agenda to clean up America's highways has eliminated most of these barn billboards, there are still a few around the country, protected by Historic designations. These few get a fresh coat of paint from time to time. Today, bird houses scatter the South, painted like red barns with "See Rock City" on the roof. Most Yankees, however, will never get this historical connection to these popular bird houses, available at the Rock City Gift Shop for $30. To understand Rock City, you must first understand the geological history of the Chattanooga region. Once on the coast, hoards and hoards of years ago, it had the climate similar to the Bahamas. However, after a few tectonic plate shifts, the area ended up in the middle of the American South, and Lookout Mountain was exposed to the elements. The softer stuff has eroded away, and what is left are interesting and unique rock formations at the top of Lookout Mountain. Garnet and Frieda Carter took claim to, or purchased a large estate on top of the mountain. Mrs. Carter, apparently having nothing else to do, constructed a trail in the late 1920s through all these interesting rock formations to amuse guests, and thus, Rock City was born. What really set Rock City apart from other areas where there are interesting and unique rock formations is how they have enhanced the natural beauty of nature by adding gnomes, aluminum sign labels, and fairy tale settings. The self-guided tour, which allows you to determine how long you wish to gawk at the splendor of it all, takes about an hour. The gnomes really add a whimsical feel to the tour, while the aluminum signs set you up for some wonderful photo opportunities that beg captions like, "This is Tommy squeezing through Fat Man's Squeeze" (Fat Man's Squeeze, you can guess, is two rocks that are so close together, a fat man might have to squeeze to get through.) It is impossible to miss any photo opportunity on the tour as you are handed a map to guide you (Just in case you're not sure which direction the trail-with a short wall on each side-might turn.), which also has 24 "photo opportunities" listed on it-one convenient roll. You'll either love or hate the fairy book settings. If you've been to a Disney theme park before, breeze on by, or you might be offended by the fluorescent paints under the black lights. Snow White closer resembled in my mind the wicked step mothers from Cinderella than a beautiful princess. Be prepared for log jams in narrow, dark walkways, as tourists who prefer the three attractions on Lookout Mountain for $23.50 to Disney's $49.50 one-day pass stop to gawk at each and every fairy tale setting, and there are lots of them. You'll see Fairy tales you can't even remember the name to. At the same time, one must respect attractions like Rock City for the preservation of long-forgotten fairy tales-the ones not long enough to become 90-minute Disney animated movie. The vision of fairy tale preservation has its roots in America's roadside attractions, and it is a vision Walt Disney borrowed when building his entertainment and theme park empire. Rock City is an inspiration to entrepreneurs around the globe, and has us saying, "Rock on!"   The Amazing Incline Railway "America's Most Amazing Mile" is Lookout Mountain's Incline Railway. The steepest incline railway in the world, Lookout Mountain's is also the safest, promotional materials claim. Feel comfort in the fact we felt safe and free of fear during our entire 30-minute trip down and back up the mountain. The Incline Railway has played an integral role in the history of Lookout Mountain. Originally, the incline railway was to serve a growing community atop the mountain, making transportation up and down the mountain easier. The railroad allowed several hotels to operate on top of the mountain for several years, although all are gone today, victims of fire and mis-management. Today, specially built cars transport tourists to a scenic overlook. We suggest driving to the scenic overlook, and viewing it while you wait to get on the train. That way, you can descend the mountain, remain seated, and return to the top. If you start at the bottom, you'll feel obligated to exit the train so you won't miss what is a $9.00 view, and you'll have to wait in a line just as long as the bottom to return to your car. The long wait gives you plenty of time to mix and mingle with other tourists, if you please.   Breathtaking Ruby Falls Certainly the most spectacular attraction on Lookout Mountain, save this attraction until late in the day, at least after 6 in the evening. Ruby Falls is the world's largest underground waterfall, named for the wife of the gentleman who discovered the natural wonder. Tourists descend into the cave by an elevator. Once down there, the tour takes about an hour and there are no rest room facilities. Ruby Falls is not the place to go if you've recently had potato chips containing olean. Once in the cave, you wait until three elevators of tourists have arrived before you begin your guided tour. With your group, you walk into the mountain quite a distance, stopping from time to time to observe unique formations, or hear more about the history of the cave, all the way, building excitement and anticipation. Once at the end of the cave, the guide takes you into a dark cavern. Once the tour group is all assembled in darkness, thunderous space-odyssey type music booms over the roar of falling water. At a crescendo in the music, the waterfall illuminates in a rainbow of colors. The guide then walks you around and under the waterfall, allowing you to look up at water coming from blackness high above. I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats. From there, the tour group exits the cave, which takes about ten minutes. The elevator returning you to the surface conveniently drops you off on the gift shop, where more cedar plaques are available.   Pardon me boy, but is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? Coming off the mountain after a day of breathtaking splendor, we chose to end our evening with dinner at the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo. Now a Holiday Inn Hotel, the Chattanooga Choo Choo is located at the former Chattanooga train station. In it's industrial hay-day, Chattanooga was a transportation gateway, linking the North and the South. In the late 1800s, the first passenger train set out from Cincinnati for Chattanooga, and it was dubbed the Chattanooga Choo Choo, which inspired the popular song with the same name sake. While the hotel complex consists of modern hotel facilities, it includes the train yard, where sleeping cars have been transformed into hotel rooms. You can also dine at one of two restaurants in dinning cars which are situated along the track. Cars are also available for special events. While the food was nothing special, you certainly couldn't beat the ambiance. Before heading home, don't miss the perfect photo opportunity in front of the locomotive steam engine, the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Check out more photos from our day in Chattanooga.