Tag: Tennessee

While Chattanooga's 100-plus parks and dozens of miles of hiking trails are certainly enticing draws, its culinary offerings, growing arts district, and family-friendly attractions make the city a compelling getaway for all kinds of visitors.

It’s not as well-known as Tennessee’s other ‘villes, Nashville and Knoxville, but the state’s fifth-largest city is worth visiting for its reliably pink sunsets and a compact, walkable downtown district chock-full of independent shops, bars, and a central urban park.

I moved to LA about a year ago, and it’s the first time I’ve lived outside of Tennessee. My hometown of Memphis is so interesting. It's like a big city, and it has a legendary musical heritage, but the contemporary scene is small. Because it’s a B market, the kind of music coming to Memphis when I was growing up was country, rap acts, or the third run of a pop tour.

Nearly a century ago, brothers John and Oscar Noel decided to build the tallest building in Nashville on their family’s downtown lot, introducing a 12-story luxury hotel—fittingly dubbed the Noel Hotel—to the rapidly growing area. For more than 40 years it thrived, hosting the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. After being purchased by a bank in 1972, its doors were closed to overnight guests—that is, until 2017, when it reopened with a refreshed name and look. Enter: Noelle.

“Graceland or Sun?” my friend asked. I had to ponder that one for a moment. “Sun,” I finally replied. We drove a few blocks and reached one of the most hallowed addresses of my life: 706 Union Avenue, Sun Studio. I could almost see a youthful Elvis Presley nervously hanging around outside, trying to get the courage to go in and record a ballad to give to his mother.

Brian Griffith grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he says Chinese food in the 1990s meant sweet and sour pork or shrimp fried rice that came in waxy takeout boxes. Now, after years of cooking in cities from Copenhagen to San Francisco, the chef has returned to his home state to open Choy, a chic Chinese-American eatery in Nashville designed to evoke mid-20th century Shanghai.

The first Gibson instruments, mandolins designed as an after-work hobby by company namesake Orville Gibson, date back to 1894. Headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitars, now one of America’s oldest musical instrument manufacturers, has produced an extensive collection of electric and acoustic models.

Travelers to this swath of the state will discover local crafts, vintage tourism draws, and even a ghost town along the way.

Formerly a bustling turn-of-the-century train terminal, the Chattanooga Choo Choo has delighted visitors with its Beaux Arts–style grand entrance and unique railroad-themed accommodations since opening as a hotel in 1973. But after 50 years, it was time for a $19 million makeover: Enter the reimagined Hotel Chalet at the Choo Choo.

Spanning 325 bucolic acres, the luxury retreat is powered by a sustainable working farm in Franklin, Tennessee. Perched on the hillsides among the trees are 16 cozy cottages with porches overlooking the lake and 62-room main inn.