Thursday morning broke with the sunrise visible from our comfy room at the Doubletree.
Thanks to some friendly and well-informed locals on the free shuttle, we found out one of the best breakfasts in Chattanooga was at the City Cafe Diner.
It is a bright, cheerful place open 24 hours a day.
I've always thought you could trust these places where your server doesn't even need to write your order down. Rather than making them more forgetful of your order, it seems they take even more care. The food and service were commendable. Thus, I commend them to YOU if you should visit Chattanooga.
This was Thursday, and we set it aside for the traditional "tourist traps" that this area had long been known for. We purchased the combination tickets for the "Big Three": Ruby Falls, The Incline Railway, and Rock City. From a historian's point of view, I was fascinated with all three, because each has a story to tell. All three have drawn people to Lookout Mountain for generations, just as they now drew me and Judy.
First up was Ruby Falls, pictured here on vintage travel brochures. Look familiar?
Read this display and you'll see how the discovery of Ruby Falls captures one's imagination. Just think of disappearing through a crevice for 17 hours and being rewarded with such a find. Better yet, the explorers lived to tell about it!
Borrowing freely from our brochure:
Read this display and you'll see how the discovery of Ruby Falls captures one's imagination. Just think of disappearing through a crevice for 17 hours and being rewarded with such a find. Better yet, the explorers lived to tell about it!
Borrowing freely from our brochure:"Begin by descending 260 feet into historic Lookout Mountain by elevator. Your tour guide will lead you along the cave path where you'll discover many unique geological wonders like Cactus and Candle, Onyx Column, Frozen Niagara, and Ruby's Drapery. Near the end of your journey, you'll hear the thundering roar of breathtaking Ruby Falls, 1120 feet underground. Ruby Falls is the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public!" By the way, Ruby was Mr. Lambert's wife!
Most of you have been in caverns before, so I won't show you all the stalactites and stalagmites, etc. But I have to show you me and Judy in front of Ruby Falls. My photos don't do it justice, but it was magnificent.
We proudly add this to the list of spectacular waterfalls we have visited (Judy had also been here as a child). Our tour guide, who made the entire visit highly enjoyable, shared a couple of facts that amazed me. Geologists believe that the water for Ruby Falls comes from underground streams all along the plateau which makes up Lookout Mountain. A professional diver has actually been raised to the top of the waterfall, entered the narrow channel of water, and explored at least TWO MILES without finding the source of this water. So the saga continues.
Most of you have been in caverns before, so I won't show you all the stalactites and stalagmites, etc. But I have to show you me and Judy in front of Ruby Falls. My photos don't do it justice, but it was magnificent.
We proudly add this to the list of spectacular waterfalls we have visited (Judy had also been here as a child). Our tour guide, who made the entire visit highly enjoyable, shared a couple of facts that amazed me. Geologists believe that the water for Ruby Falls comes from underground streams all along the plateau which makes up Lookout Mountain. A professional diver has actually been raised to the top of the waterfall, entered the narrow channel of water, and explored at least TWO MILES without finding the source of this water. So the saga continues.
Upon emerging at a point higher up on the mountainside, we climbed the Lookout Mountain Tower and were treated to this view of the city below. Climbing the high stairs to the lookout platform was just one of many times I felt a little woozy from the heights on this trip. I told you!
Nearby was the upper station for the famed Incline Railway. Thanks to a book we bought about the history of Lookout Mountain, I view this mechanical wonder as much more than a tourist trap now. Practically speaking, this railway (or its predecessor) was constructed and in operation by 1887. This was long before the advent of the automobile, and made access to the mountain more feasible for both tourists and locals. Even though there were two roads up the mountain, they were dirt and were no picnic with horse and buggy.
The design and engineering are essentially the same as the original incline, though the trolley-like cars have been updated every few decades. The original cars were open-air, but as the attraction became year-round, enclosed cars with tilted seats and viewer-friendly windows became the norm. At the turn of the century, this was the favored way to reach a four story luxury hotel, the Lookout Mountain Inn. It was over 100 yards long, boasting such amenities as beautiful oak woodwork, fine dining rooms and parlors, a bowling alley, and its own electric and gas plant. A photo in the book I bought shows the hotel on a bleak winter day. It describes its ghostly appearance, which conjures up images of "The Shining's" Overlook Hotel for me.
Billed as "America's Most Amazing Mile," the railway's track reaches a breathtaking grade of 72.7% near the top. This makes it the steepest passenger railway in the world. As with Ruby Falls, for me to learn the history of this attraction meant as much as the actual experience of riding it.
This already full day was not over yet. The famous Rock City was next, but it demands a post of its own. Check back soon.
Nearby was the upper station for the famed Incline Railway. Thanks to a book we bought about the history of Lookout Mountain, I view this mechanical wonder as much more than a tourist trap now. Practically speaking, this railway (or its predecessor) was constructed and in operation by 1887. This was long before the advent of the automobile, and made access to the mountain more feasible for both tourists and locals. Even though there were two roads up the mountain, they were dirt and were no picnic with horse and buggy.
The design and engineering are essentially the same as the original incline, though the trolley-like cars have been updated every few decades. The original cars were open-air, but as the attraction became year-round, enclosed cars with tilted seats and viewer-friendly windows became the norm. At the turn of the century, this was the favored way to reach a four story luxury hotel, the Lookout Mountain Inn. It was over 100 yards long, boasting such amenities as beautiful oak woodwork, fine dining rooms and parlors, a bowling alley, and its own electric and gas plant. A photo in the book I bought shows the hotel on a bleak winter day. It describes its ghostly appearance, which conjures up images of "The Shining's" Overlook Hotel for me.
Billed as "America's Most Amazing Mile," the railway's track reaches a breathtaking grade of 72.7% near the top. This makes it the steepest passenger railway in the world. As with Ruby Falls, for me to learn the history of this attraction meant as much as the actual experience of riding it.
This already full day was not over yet. The famous Rock City was next, but it demands a post of its own. Check back soon.
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