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Chatanooga Choo-Choo Hotel

Chattanooga's proudest accomplishment is that it pulled itself up from the embarrassing label of America's dirtiest city in 1969 to the list of Top Ten Best Cities in the US today. Indeed, it is truly a beautiful city. However, determination, faith and a collective belief that it could be done accomplished this incredible feat.

A thumbnail sketch of Chattanooga in the 1970's would find a miserable smog choked city where TNT factories and steel foundries poured their pollutants into the sky and water. The sky was a thick brownish-orange and cars had to turn on their headlights to see through the smog. Workers brought a clean shirt to wear when they arrived at work because the shirt they wore on the way would be soot covered by the time they got there. Without a doubt, it was a filthy, depressing city.

The city's vanguard looked at this hopeless situation and took action. First, they empowered a new Air Pollution Control Board comprised of unpaid citizens instead of industry representatives. The Board required filters for smokestacks and banned visible auto emissions; in others words, they were told to clean up their act or get out. By 1989, Chattanooga was one of the first cities in full compliance with federal air quality standards.

With this achievement came more confidence and the people of Chattanooga rallied around their goal in the form of Vision 2000 where citizens gathered for a series of 20 community meeting welcoming input and ideas for improving the city. For financial resources, they turned to private investors. It was an enormous task; every inch of the city was in desperate need of repair or renovation. The riverbanks were littered with old coke furnaces and slag heaps; 18,000 jobs were lost in a 10 year period, and people were abandoning the city in record numbers.

Today, Chattanooga barely resembles its past. Fresh air, clean streets and pedestrian plazas displaying interesting sculptures by local artists. Children run through the water sprays that shoot straight into the air in front of the new freshwater aquarium. A fleet of clean running electric buses transport people around the city for free. Nearby is the Creative Discovery Museum with its new 3-D IMAX THEATRE and several distinctive neighborhoods .

CHATTANOOGA CHOO-CHOO, WON'T YOU CHOO-CHOO- ME HOME!

We checked into the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo-Choo and I couldn't wait to investigate the premises. The Chattanooga Terminal Railway Station was scheduled for demolition, but was saved by concerned citizens and was opened once again in 1973 as a vacation complex. Chattanooga investors formed the Choo-Choo partnership and poured 4 million dollars in renovations and became a part of Holiday Inn. The freestanding Grand Dome towers 85 feet above the expansive lobby instantly impressing guests and visitors. The designers maintained the Victorian ambience in its décor throughout the hotel, inspiring the imagination to drift backwards to a more formal era of tradition and protocol.

Off to the left of the lobby, I could see several polished brass chandeliers topped with large white globes hanging in a row from the ceiling. Stepping onto the plush crimson carpet, I entered the snug Victorian Lounge for a cool drink.

I passed five restaurants in my explorations: The Garden Restaurant is a large bright, cheerful family dining area decorated in white lattice and thick, green plants; the Station House serves up steak and entertainment by singing servers; for a more decorous dining experience, patrons can dress up and spend a leisurely evening at Dinner in the Diner, which is a gourmet dinner in a dining car.

Following the railroad tracks, I discovered a very beautiful garden that cut a path down the middle of vintage train cars. For a very unique experience, book a stay in an authentic train car sleeping parlor furnished with antique Victorian reproductions. Reserve early for this popular accommodation.

Back to the lovely gardens guarded by two stone lions… Sitting in one of the white gazebos, I listened to the peaceful water garden and gazed past the evening torch lights that cast a soft-lens look over the flowering cherry trees, rose bushes, Japanese maples and antique fountains.

During the day, there was so much to do. Still on the premises of the Choo-Choo, I enjoyed a trolley ride around the 24-acre complex. Then, I took the controls of the original Chattanooga Choo- Choo steam engine and had the opportunity to see an authentic, wood-burning engine car.

Three swimming pools equipped with waterslides, waterfalls, spas and Jacuzzis were a great temptation; however, first I had to stop at the Sidewalk Ice Cream Shop for a creamy, cold, cone, the Candy Factory for some maple fudge, and then peruse the ten little shops all in a row.

Boarding a quiet electric bus, I set out to see the Bluff View Art District located on top of a cliff overlooking the Tennessee River. The vision of a local physician and his wife, Bluff View was slowly transformed from an area of various service shops to a district of fine restaurants, cafes, five-star inns and a haven for artisians.

Chattanooga has a lot of firsts.

Davenport Hosiery Mills manufactured the first nylon hose in 1939.

It has the deepest commercial cavern (1000 feet) at Ruby Falls.

Miniature golf was invented in 1929.

Two local attorneys bought the first franchise bottling rights from Coca-Cola for only $1 and established the Coca-Cola bottling plant. Prior to this, all soda had to be purchased from a soda jerk at a drugstore or diner.

It has the highest overland bungee cord jump in the world and the oldest jumper.

The first gold record awarded by the music industry was presented to the Glenn Miller Orchestra for the song, Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

Chattanooga is now a vibrant city, alive with the spirit of its caring citizens willing to make an investment in where they live. It's a lesson we all could learn from.

Pack Your Bags:

Holiday Inn/Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel (423) 266-5000

Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau (423) 756-8687

Bluff View Art District (423) 265-5033

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