Chattanooga was once an important train transportation hub, giving us the “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” which was both a train route and the first-ever Certified Gold song in the world. People in most of the United States, and certainly in the South, don’t really travel by train anymore, but you still need to know how to get to and around Chattanooga! Here are the best tips for getting around Chattanooga, Tennessee.
It’s a Two-Hour Drive from Nashville, Knoxville, and Atlanta
Chattanooga is located in the southeast of Tennessee, in the Eastern Timezone (points west are in the Central Timezone). The Scenic City is just a two-hour drive from Nashville, Knoxville, and Atlanta. It’s a doable day trip if you’re into that, or a great weekend getaway if you’d prefer to stay awhile (which is what I recommend).
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It’s Moderately Walkable
For a Southern city, Chattanooga is quite walkable. If you’re coming from a very walkable city, like DC or Boston, you might think it’s not all that walkable. The reality is, you can walk to lots of sites, but you’ll likely want a car for some excursions like Lookout Mountain and Rock City. You will have to pay for parking much of the time, but having access to a car will make some things easier.
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Take the FREE Buses
My toddler daughter and I visited Chattanooga without a car, and since I didn’t want to tote my car seat around all day, we couldn’t take an Uber or Lyft either. I usually love to walk wherever I want to go in a city, even with her attached to me in the wearable carrier, but because we were staying at the Chalet Hotel at the Choo Choo, we were a bit far from some of the things we wanted to see and do. We took the Route 33 Downtown Shuttle several times over the couple of days we were there, and it was super helpful! We also took the Route 15 St. Elmo/Incline shuttle to the Lookout Mountain Incline and back.
All the FREE buses pick up near the Old Terminal Building, which is also just steps away from the Chalet Hotel, so it was very convenient for us. This FREE service really came in handy every day! Check out the routes here: CARTA Chattanooga.
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Schedule Your Ride Share
If you plan to fly into Chattanooga Airport and not rent a car, you can take Uber or Lyft wherever you want to go. One catch… Sometimes it takes a while for a ride share to come. Like, 40 minutes to an hour! But sometimes they come quickly. Locals will definitely tell you to start your Uber trip about 30 to 40 minutes before you need to be picked up, but when I tried that, someone came immediately, and I wasn’t ready! So then I cancelled and started looking for one when I actually needed it, and one came pretty quickly. Granted, this was 4:30am on our last day when we needed to get to the airport. I was glad that one came fast, but the catch was that the price jumped to double what it was the first time. Yikes. So, next time I’ll try scheduling the Uber for when I need it. And that’s what I recommend to you!
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Get a Weekend Parking Pass
If you will be driving, it’s going to be super helpful to get the city’s Weekend Parking Pass. It’s $25 and valid from Friday at 6:00pm to Monday at 6:00am. And trust me, you’ll get your money’s worth. Parking is somehow at a premium in Chattanooga, and you’ll pay for it everywhere you go! Having the Weekend Parking Pass will definitely save you money and effort. Get more information here: Parking and Transportation in Chattanooga.
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You’ll Cross the State Line for Rock City
Planning to go to Lookout Mountain and Rock City? Great! They’re pretty close together… But they’re also in different states! The Lookout Mountain Incline is in Tennessee, and Rock City is in Georgia. This is no problem if you’re driving yourself, but if you’re taking Uber or Lyft, you may not be able to get back across the state line! There is some strange rule about Ubers being able to drive you across the state line into Georgia, but not back across into Tennessee. I’m not sure why a Georgian Uber couldn’t drive you back across into Tennessee, but literally everyone warned us about this. So I’m passing it on to you!
Read on: Staying at The Chalet at the Chattanooga Choo Choo
Want more? Check out my dedicated United States Page!
