By Robert J. Nebel
Editor, Men's Traveler

Somehow my last trip to Chattanooga zipped by me. It was on a busy Friday afternoon. Thankfully, the traffic was OK. There was no construction. Even with those obstacles out of the way, I’m still bewildered how I got there so fast. Perhaps it was the conversations with my daughter. No, she was sound asleep half-way through the trip. My conclusion is that I’m a veteran of this Atlanta to Chattanooga journey. I’ve been visiting here for most of my two decades of living in the Southeastern U.S. There’s good reason to make return trips to this city on Tennessee’s southern border. Every time I come back, there’s something new to experience. The Visitor’s Bureau folks tapped into that observation by calling the town “ChattaNEWga” in recent public relation campaigns.

Modern luxury meets Georgian architecture

I started my rediscovery of Chattanooga with a stay at the Sheraton Read House in the heart of downtown. The Read House features amenities with rooms that have handsome furniture, luxurious bathrooms and digital television with scores of options. When it is said that first appearances are everything, nothing could be further from the truth at the Read House. The moment I walked into the hotel, I was impressed with its classic architecture in the lobby with its paneling and high ceilings. The ballrooms on the mezzanine level are spacious enough to hold corporate events and large wedding receptions.

File: Sheraton/Starwood Hotels
Stately, lovely and exquisite-The Sheraton Read House delivers exceptional service, fine architecture and first-class amenities.

Service at the Read House is world-class. Jacob, who checked us in upon arrival, was quick with an answer to every question my wife threw at him – and believe me, she always has a series of questions when we check-in to hotels. After scoping out more of the lobby, we made the quick trip up a few flights to our room. The minute I opened the door, we were treated to a spectacular view of Lookout Mountain. It was even tougher to leave the room after gazing at such a natural wonder.

CJ from housekeeping was called to our Junior Suite to set my daughter’s fold-out bed. If the housekeeping staff missed you, they are fast in getting to your room or suite to freshen it up at lightning speed.

Parking is a challenge in any downtown area, but Chattanooga makes it easier. The city doesn’t charge for weekend parking, so if you’re lucky, you can park for free on those days. If not, then the hotel offers overnight valet parking with in-out privileges. The fee is nominal compared with most cities. Plus, the valet staff is super-efficient when it comes to taking and retrieving your vehicle.

Since my daughter was along for the ride, she had to test out the pool with me in tow. While it’s not an Olympic-sized pool, it’s a clean, safe shallow pool that’s great for a refreshing swim. The hot tub is large and lukewarm with weak jets so children will tend to use it as their own pool.

If you’re looking for a computer, you’re in luck. The Read House offers guests free use of their PCs and printer in the lobby. Laptop connectivity is also available with a code supplied at check-in.

Finding restaurants throughout Chattanooga is never a problem, but if you don’t want to go too far, check out Porter’s Steakhouse in the building. Quick breakfasts are available at the Starbucks which is across the hall from Porter’s.

On the river


Photo by Caitlin Nebel
The penguins are a hit at the Tennessee Aquarium

While Atlanta has its own aquarium, I prefer the Tennessee Aquarium for the fact that it’s actually near water. Also, this aquarium has far more rotating exhibits and information compared to Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium. From the penguins to the river displays, I always learn something new when I visit. The Tennessee Aquarium is where I saw much of Chattanooga’s revitalization begin years ago. From there, you can walk to scores of restaurants, shops, an IMAX theater, an art museum and a minor league ballpark. City fathers got together in the 1980s and planned this successful venture. The revitalization continues with future lofts planned in the downtown area.

Dinner on the Tennessee

From the aquarium, we planned a Tennessee River tour aboard the Southern Belle boat in the evening. Since reservations are required, we went over to the Southern Belle and booked an evening trip. Chattanooga is so easy to get around; we went back to the hotel, changed into something nicer for the cruise and returned in time to hop on board. I doubt we could accomplish that feat in a bigger city.

We feasted on the ship’s massive amount of buffet food and took in the beautiful night on its decks. With the cool Tennessee breeze and clear night, one couldn’t ask for anything else, but there was more. On the lower deck, there was DJ playing great music and offering up dance lessons. Several passengers engaged in “The Electric Slide.”

Before we knew it, we were back on land ready to explore Chattanooga by night.

Breakfast at “home”

As I was checking out of the Read House, I asked the concierge about a good breakfast joint in town. We had been to Chattanooga several times and enjoyed the offerings at the nearby Chattanoogan Hotel’s dining room, but we wanted something different.

“Try Aretha Frankenstein’s,” the concierge suggested. “It’s in a residential area off of Frazier Road so it’s real cozy.”

Frazier Road is in an eclectic part of town just north of the Tennessee River. I love coming here for the neat restaurants and interesting shops. I quickly discovered that Aretha Frankenstein’s is in an older home on a quiet street with refurbished and some not-so refurbished homes. I parked down the road and walked a bit to get to the house. The trip was well worth it. Once I arrived at Aretha’s front porch, I was in culinary heaven. The smells of breakfast burritos, waffles and pancakes filled the air. It was crowded on this Sunday morning, but waiting for omelettes or breakfast burritos at Aretha’s pays off. Also, this waitstaff and kitchen crew hustles. I appreciate every second of their honest, hard work.

I settled for the Shrimp and Grits. Done up in what Aretha's describes as “Charleston Style,” this has to be the spiciest Shrimp and Grits dish that I ever had. For me, I was delighted. If you’re sensitive, skip it and consider the French Stack which is French toast sprinkled with powdered sugar. I dined outside on their front porch. Nothing beats dining on top-quality food while people-watching.

Aretha’s also serves lunch which offers an array of sandwiches with imaginative names such as The Treehugger, The Marilyn and The Polish.

New to the ‘Nooga

Even though the Read House and the Southern Belle have been around Chattanooga for some time, I never had the chance to experience either on previous visits. There is so much to do here, I know that I’ll have a lot more take advantage of on future trips.