Fun Walks
Audubon Acres
Admission not posted — check Chattanooga Audubon Society
Audubon Acres900 North Sanctuary Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421Get directions →
A 130-acre nature sanctuary run by the Chattanooga Audubon Society — genuinely one of the best birding and bird-photography spots in the area, with a swinging bridge, a visitor center, and the Cherokee Arboretum on the grounds tying it into the region's Cherokee history as well.
Wading, tubing, kayaking and canoeing are all allowed in South Chickamauga Creek here — a waiver's required and water shoes are strongly recommended, but there's no lifeguard, so it's at your own risk. The creek's steady current makes it a wade-and-paddle spot rather than a standard swimming hole.
Before getting in the water: check the swim water advisory — WaterWays tests E. coli levels here weekly through Labor Day.
Still to confirm: current admission/membership pricing and hours.
Getting around
Not checked yet
5+ miles of trails through woodlands, open fields and wetlands along South Chickamauga Creek, plus a visitor center, gift shop, timeline museum, and a swinging bridge over the creek. Migrating thrushes, vireos, warblers, tanagers and flycatchers; great-horned and barred owls, nesting red-shouldered hawks, and great blue herons, kingfishers and wood ducks along the creek year-round. Also home to the Cherokee Arboretum at Audubon Acres. Wading, tubing, kayaking and canoeing are allowed in the creek (daily admission covers water access, nearly a mile of it) — a waiver is required, water shoes are strongly recommended for the rocky bottom, and there's no lifeguard. The current runs year-round, so it's wading and paddling rather than standard swimming.
This is what we’ve observed, not a formal accessibility certification. Things change — tell us if this is out of date.