This is an amazing city! The perfect city for outdoor activity especially if you love the water! I loved this water as I am the Flat Water Queen! The Tennessee River is Fast and Flat! Stunning scenery with giant rock walls, with a fantastic mix of Old South and New “Living Art”.
They have an outdoor festival October 1-10th called River Rocks. It’s really a festival within several festivals! It starts off with a bluegrass music festival, a wine over water event, a hot air balloon glow, sporting events including, rowers, stump- jumping, trail running, road cycling, rock climbing, bouldering, off road biking, canoeing, kayaking and a WPA sanctioned SUP race with sprint, distance and relay with a large cash prize for the Elite group with equal purse for men and women!

All of these outdoor sporting events draw professional athletes from around the country and perhaps the world!
The city seems to really know how to celebrate it’s natural resources that mother nature so generously has given to this area! The city is into being “Green” as it only seems fit as the flora and fauna of the area is deep!
We stayed at the historical Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. You can stay in train cars that have been converted to rooms or they have a basic hotel. The best part of this place is the lobby. It used to be the train station and it is gorgeous! There is a nice restaurant there as well… The grounds of the hotel are very beautiful and make for some nice photos. It’s kid friendly with a indoor and outdoor pool. The Choo Choo is celebrating it’s 100th birthday this year. There are several beautiful hotels downtown that are all within walking distance of the Main water venue on the Tennessee River. It’s a great walking town, with many wonderful places to eat! The nightlife is happening on Friday nights during the summer with their Nightfall concert series. They closed down the streets, food and beverage venders come in, people mingle and listen to wonderful musicians in the southern night air.

River Rocks Festival is something you will need to stay a week for! There are so many really cool events you won’t want to miss! Check them out at www.riverrockschattanooga.com
I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed the city of Chattanooga in general, but also it is a fantastic place for Stand Up Paddling! You can rent boards, book a sup yoga class, take a lesson through my good friends Michael Phillips and Shane Webb owners of www.suppaddleboard.com

If you are really feeling adventurous you MUST try White Water SUP. I loved it! . The area has rivers with class 1 rapids for beginners all the way to elite class 4/5. Chris Tilghman with www.surfblueridge-sup.com is the man to see for this. These guys are wonderful people who for sure will set you up with a SUP adventure in Chattanooga Tennessee!
This City gets a perfect 10 for SUPing! It offers fantastic Flat Water, scenic paddling, and adventurous opportunities for white water SUP. Nightlife, restaurants, art and culture and obvious awareness for the environment, makes this one of my favorite places to visit and paddle!

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