Around Soddy-Daisy
Worth the drive, home before dinner — about an hour or less each way.
Around $7 admission — confirm with the center
Bessie Smith Cultural Center
The Chattanooga African American Museum and performance space honoring blues legend Bessie Smith — exhibits, history and occasional concerts.
Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-5 PM; Saturdays Feb 1-Sept 30, noon-4 PM; Oct 1-Jan 31 by appointm…
Free
Prentice Cooper State Forest — Ritchie Hollow Trail
A 30-foot waterfall in Prentice Cooper State Forest, reached by a moderately strenuous loop on the Ritchie Hollow Trail.
A real hike - about 5.4 miles round trip on the Ritchie Hollow Trail, over 1,200 feet o…
Free
Cloudland Canyon State Park
A dramatic canyon on Lookout Mountain with two named waterfalls — Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls — reached by about 600 stairs.
Open 7 AM-10 PM daily. The Waterfalls Trail to Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls is abou…
$20 to fill a cup (cup and clippers provided)
Signal Mountain Nursery
Cut your own bouquet from the nursery's flower fields — $20 fills a cup, cup and clippers provided.
Open during nursery hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM, Sat 9 AM-5 PM. Nursery recommends arrivin…
Free
Foster Falls Recreation Area
A 60-foot waterfall in South Cumberland State Park, with a swimming hole below and a short overlook trail.
Free parking. Open sunrise to sunset - no night hiking. The overlook is an easy 0.4 mil…
Free
Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness
Two named waterfalls, Laurel Falls (80 ft) and Snow Falls (35 ft), along a rugged gorge trail near Dayton.
Trailhead is at the end of a gravel road (Richland Creek Road, off Back Valley Road nor…
$16 conservation fee per reservation
Lula Lake Land Trust
A 120-foot waterfall on Lookout Mountain, open only on select weekends by reservation.
Reservations required - book ahead at lulalake.org. Open the first and last weekend of …
$10 adult (16+), 15 and under free
Point Park
Sweeping Chattanooga overlook and Civil War battlefield site, part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
Open daily 8:30 AM-5 PM. A sweeping overlook of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River fro…
$43-45 adult, $33-35 child (3-12), varies by day - cheaper booked a day ahead
Rock City Gardens
Rock formations, gardens and the famous "See 7 States" overlook atop Lookout Mountain.
Open daily, 10 AM-10:30 PM. A walking trail through rock formations and gardens, includ…
$26.95 adult, $25.95 senior (65+), $16.95 child (3-12), 2 and under free
Ruby Falls
The tallest underground waterfall open to the public in the US — a guided cave walk 260 feet down into Lookout Mountain.
Open daily 8 AM-8 PM. Glass-front elevator descends 260 feet into the cave; a guided wa…
FreeWorth the short drive
Prentice Cooper State Forest Trailhead
A sandstone bluff overlook of the Tennessee River Gorge, reached by a moderate ~6-mile round-trip hike on the Cumberland Trail.
Moderate ~6-mile out-and-back on the Cumberland Trail (sources vary 5.9-6.3 miles), abo…
Free
SportSpot
A free downtown pop-up under the Olgiati Bridge with a roller-skating rink, a beginner pump track and courts — open daily, rain or shine.
2026 season runs in two windows: Sept 6-21 (pickleball courts) and Oct 4-20 (basketball…