This week marks three years of living in Chattanooga. How crazy is that?! I moved here in 2015, fresh out of grad school, didn’t know a single person and was some combination of excited and terrified. Fortunately that fear didn’t last long, and I am more than proud to call myself a Chattanoogan.
After living here for three years, it’s easy to see that there are so many wonderful reasons to visit Chattanooga.
I’m back to the blog after a wonderful (and much needed, if I’m being honest) break and vacation. Time off seems to come when it’s needed the most!
Y’all, I love England. I studied abroad in London my junior year of college, and my family had traveled to London a few years before that. I’d been wanting to go back since my study-abroad and I finally made it happen!
If Chattanooga isn’t on your travel list for 2018, then it needs to be. The New York Times and Lonely Planet even say so! With spring arriving, summer fast approaching and the weather warming up, this is the best time of year to visit the Scenic City.
One of the reasons I love spring and summer in Chattanooga is that there is just so much to do. From special events to sports matches, the farmer’s market to enjoying brunch or dinner outside, it’s just a wonderful time of year in this city.
If you’ve never been to Chattanooga, Tennessee, now is the time to add it to your “cities to see” list.
When I moved to Chattanooga in July 2015, I had no idea what was in store for me. I remembered visiting this city several times when we lived in Atlanta, but I didn’t remember much beyond seeing Beauty and the Beast at the Tivoli Theater and eating a few Moon Pies.
If you come to Chattanooga today, you’d never know that, in 1969, Walter Kronkite declared it the “dirtiest city in America.” You’d never guess that the smog was once so bad that people had to drive with their headlights on. You’d never know just how dirty the Tennessee River used to be.
I love taking weekend trips, both to new places and to places I know very well. One of my favorite places to visit is Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up in the Atlanta area–northwest of the city, the be exact–and still have several close friends in Atlanta; since I live so close now, there’s no reason for me not to visit! There’s always something going on for me to check out.
Of course I love exploring new spots in Atlanta, but one of my favorite areas downtown is Centennial Olympic Park. It’s so easy to spend one day downtown and do a lot just in this area: the World of Coca-Cola, the CNN Center, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, to name a few. And if the weather is nice, it’s a great spot for a picnic and a stroll, or maybe a ride on the SkyView Ferris Wheel.
The Georgia Aquarium–America’s largest aquarium!–is one such highlight of downtown Atlanta and Centennial Olympic Park. My family was lucky to visit the aquarium shortly after it opened in November of 2005; it’s been one of my favorite tourist destinations ever since. Each time I’ve visited since, there’s always something new and amazing. It’s home to some of the biggest habitats in the country–which they need to house their whale sharks and beluga whales!
Planning #summer travel? Check out @GeorgiaAquarium! #SeaLionExperience #GA10thAnniversary Click To TweetWander through the four areas–Cold Water Quest, Tropical Diver, Ocean Voyager, and River Scout–and see hundreds of animals in their habitats. I never tire of seeing the African penguins and river otters. They’re just so cute!
The Georgia Aquarium celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year. With an anniversary comes a new set of awesome events, shows and developments, just in time for spring and summer getaways!
I can’t wait to check them out myself.
Sea Lion Experience // Sea lions aren’t just at Sea World anymore! These flippered friends arrived earlier in March and debuted several weeks ago. Check out the California sea lions on the SunTrust Pier 225 and learn more about how they survive in the wild. Sea lions are so cool and full of antics of their own.
4D Funbelievable Theater // This new 4D experience combines 3D with high-definition projection and special effects for an immersive adventure. It’ll make you feel like you’re right there with the animals. It’s great for the whole family!
New AT&T Dolphin Celebration // Want to watch these majestic creatures show off their athleticism and grace? The Dolphin Celebration is an amazing showcase of dolphins’ beauty and intelligence, and their rapport with their trainers. There’s plenty of audience participation, and you might even get splashed a little.
And of course, make time to visit all the sections and see all of the amazing animals at the aquarium. All of the new shows and features, plus the four sections, definitely make for a great afternoon at the aquarium. You might even run into a few aquarium friends in the main concourse. Personally I could spend all day just in Ocean Voyager and Cold Water Quest.
Have I convinced you to visit the Georgia Aquarium yet? Or to go back as soon as possible? Stop in for an aquatic adventure—it’s located at 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, Ga., 30313. If you have time afterward, stroll over to the World of Coca-Cola or Children’s Museum for the rest of the afternoon. There’s no shortage of activities!
I’m already planning my next weekend adventure. Who wants to join me?! I’ll try not to take too many selfies with the animals. But I’m not making any promises…
Since a young age, I’ve had an understanding of travel and visiting new places. I’ve talked on the blog before about how often my family moved when I was growing up. We moved six times before I entered high school, among North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. I then moved to Virginia for college, North Carolina for grad school and Tennessee for my first job.
For many years, my dad traveled a lot for work. My mom and I tagged along for some of those trips, and we also went on some great vacations in the summers. Each of those trips was a unique experience that couldn’t have happened elsewhere.
Moving frequently and my family’s vacations fueled a desire to travel and explore new places than I might not experience otherwise. Admittedly I don’t get to travel extensively often, but I know that when I do, I always take full advantage of the trip. Travel doesn’t have to be extensive, but more on that later.
There’s so much more out there than what I see in my everyday life. I spent years in school reading about how other people live in other places, and now I want to see those people and places in action. From their cuisines to their lifestyles, there’s always something to learn and gather from seeing other places.
I used to joke that I “suffer from chronic wanderlust.” While I don’t think it’s quite to that degree, I do have a strong desire to see other places. Feeding my “wanderlust” doesn’t necessarily require going somewhere long and far away. I can drive an hour or two down the interstate in any direction and get my fix.
Moving so much as a child has me conditioned to always want to be on the move. We never lived anywhere for longer than five years at a time, until we moved to Pennsylvania this last time. And to be honest, we really didn’t think we’d be there for longer than about five years.
I wouldn’t go straight to saying I get “bored” in one place too quickly, but it doesn’t take long for me to want to go somewhere new. If I were meant to stay in one place, I would miss out on so many other adventures and opportunities for new experiences. We desire to see the world through other lenses; therefore, we must travel.
Later this summer or fall, I hope I can take my first solo trip to a city I’ve never been to before. San Antonio or New Orleans, maybe? I’ve never been to Texas or Louisiana, period.
Whatever “personal” means to you, that is. I love my little Southern bubble–in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina–but there’s so much outside of my little bubble(s) that I have yet to see. Even each of my visits to Georgia is different in some way.
The idea of “sonder” says that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as the life you’re living. I don’t know who coined that term, but it’s almost mind-boggling to think about. No two people live identical lives, in the sense that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. Each person I see walking up and down Market and Broad Street downtown is living a life as complex as my own, and the same goes for each person I saw in the Dominican Republic, or Alaska, or Germany. Yet in a way, all of our lives weave together to create a certain experience.
Sometimes I feel like people equate “traveling” with going to another country or somewhere super far away. Or maybe some people think that it “doesn’t count” as traveling if you don’t go somewhere exotic or unfamiliar or romantic. While I’ll never say “no” to a trip to Europe or the islands, I firmly believe that you don’t have to travel far to find a new experience.
I don’t know about y’all, but there are some “must-see and must-do” things in the U.S. I haven’t even come close to accomplishing in my life. There are just as many places and sights in the state of Tennessee–and in the wider Southeast and in the entire country–that can be just as exhilarating, inspiring and magnificent as those outside of the States.
If you have the opportunity to travel, take it. No matter how far you venture or how long your journey, there is always the chance to see a new place, meet different people and take in a unique adventure. There’s a lot we can learn from seeing and experiencing a place other than what we call our own, even if that journey takes you just twenty miles down the road.
Why do you travel? What has been your favorite trip you’ve taken? Where would you like to go next?
