Visiting Chattanooga
Race Headquarters Hotel
We are pleased that the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel will be our race headquarters hotel again this year. And we have reserved a limited number of rooms for the Scenic City Half Marathon and 5K event at the special rate of $85 per night plus tax. The hotel is located on the South Side of downtown Chattanooga at 1400 Market Street. The hotel is 0.6 of a mile from the race/start finish at Finley Stadium.
In order to secure this rate reservations must be made before Friday, February 3rd. For reservations call 800-872-2529 or 423-266-5000 and provide the Scenic City Half Marathon & 5K special rate code of MAR. At the time of your reservation you will need to make a special request for a late checkout time of 12 noon in order to allow all our runners time after the race to check out.
The Choo Choo Hotel will also be the site for packet pickup on Friday, Feb. 24th evening. Packets, bib numbers, and shirts can be picked up from 4PM to 8PM EST in the Crystal Room which is right off the main hotel lobby.
Driving to Chattanooga
Sitting just above the Tennessee / Georgia state line, Chattanooga is a 2-hour drive from Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, Knoxville, and Nashville.
From Atlanta: Head north on I-75. At the I-75 / I-24 split head west towards Chattanooga. Take the Hwy 27 North exit (exit 178) to Downtown Chattanooga.
From Birmingham: Head north on I-59 to I-24. Head east on I-24 towards Chattanooga. Take the Hwy 27 North exit (exit 178) to Downtown Chattanooga.
From Huntsville: Head north on Hwy 72 to I-24. Head east on I-24 towards Chattanooga. Take the Hwy 27 North exit (exit 178) to Downtown Chattanooga.
From Knoxville: Head south on I-75. At the I-75 / I-24 split head west towards Chattanooga. Take the Hwy 27 North exit (exit 178) to Downtown Chattanooga.
From Nashville: Head east on I-24 towards Chattanooga. Take the Hwy 27 North exit (exit 178) to Downtown Chattanooga.
Flying to Chattanooga
The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport offers nonstop flights to nine major cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Detroit, Orlanda, Tampa/St. Petersburg, and Washington, DC.
The airport is served by Allegiant Air, American Eagle, Delta, US Airways, and Vision Airline.
Find out more about the airport at chattairport.com.
Eating in Chattanooga
Chattanooga has a number of great restaurants.
Tony's Pasta in the Bluff View Art District is offering a special carb-loaded Scenic City Half Marathon menu and coupon (click on the coupon to get more details):
Places to See in Downtown Chattanooga
Chattanooga offers visitors a wide variety of activities and attractions. Downtown Chattanooga features many exciting attractions within walking distance of the half marathon and 5k start/finish including:
Chattanooga Choo Choo - The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and Convention Center is located on 24 acres on the South Side of downtown Chattanooga. The hotel has over 360 rooms and several restaurants. There are 48 Victorian Train cars and a steam locomotive that is identical to the one made famous by the Glen Miller song about the Cincinnati to Chattanooga passenger train that operated in 1880. The complex includes a model train museum, botanical garden, retail shops, and an indoor and outdoor pool. The Choo Choo is also adjacent to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority (CARTA) terminal which features free electric bus service to downtown attractions and restaurants.
Ross's Landing, Cherokee Passage & Chattanooga Pier - part of Chattanooga's newly built riverfront and part of the course for the Half Marathon race.
Tennessee Aquarium - explore two distinct aquatic worlds in the River and Ocean buildings. Along the way visit three living forests, pet a sturgeon, walk through a butterfly garden, and hang out with macaroni and gentoo penguins.
Creative Discovery Museum - a hands-on learning experience for children 12 and under.
Bluff View Art District - a historic neighborhood with an art gallery, a bed & breakfast, a coffee house, and several restaurants. For the Half Marathon runners, when you run up the small steep hill (only about 30 yards) at about mile 9 you have arrived in the Bluff View Art District.
Southern Belle Riverboat - cruise the Tennessee River aboard a traditional riverboat.
Tennessee Riverwalk - a 10-mile greenway running along side of the Tennessee River from downtown Chattanooga to the Chickamauga dam. A portion of the Half Marathon is run on the Riverwalk.
Hunter Museum of American Art - overlooking the Tennessee River, the Hunter houses one of the South's finest collections of American art. The Hunter Museum will be right after the Half Marathon 2 mile mark/water station. You can admire the beautiful historic and modern architecture of the museum complex while you run up the Riverside Drive hill.
Chattanooga African American Museum - learn about African American history in Chattanooga.
Places to See in Greater Chattanooga
Just outside downtown, visitors can also check out:
The Incline Railway - the world’s steepest passenger railroad, the Incline Railway takes you straight up Lookout Mountain where you can take in breathtaking views of the city and the surrounding area.
Rock City - home to over 400 species of plants, flowers, and shrubs, as well as the world-famous Lover's Leap, Fairyland Caverns, and Mother Goose Village.
Ruby Falls - a 145-foot waterfall inside Lookout Mountain.
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum - take a ride aboard one of the museums restored trains through a pre-Civil War tunnel through Missionary Ridge.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park - visit the nation's oldest military park with battlefields atop Lookout Mountain and in Chickamauga, GA.
For More Information
To learn more about Chattanooga please visit:
