Chattanooga Is Home

Living at the base of Lookout Mountain gives me so much visual pleasure during the changing of the seasons. Now that fall has arrived, I have been eagerly waiting for the explosion of reds, oranges, and yellows to take over the landscape I see out my back door.

According to weather.com’s fall foliage map, the Tennessee Valley is nearing or at the peak of fall color. Personally, I don’t think the peak has arrived since I still see more green than anything right now. I see a lot of leaves on the ground though, so I am lead to believe due to the dry summer we may not get the great burst of fall colors we have had in the past.

Tennessee was listed on Peter Greenberg’s list of 8 Great and Unusual Fall Foliage Destinations. He called Tennessee a “true foliage state” and mentioned different ways to view the fall colors:

“By road, you can drive along the Cherohala Skyway and the Ocoee Scenic Byway. This is an especially popular time for motorcycles to drive along the skyway or byway. By rail, you can ride the Tennessee Valley Railroad on restored vintage trains in Chattanooga. In Knoxville, you can take the Three Rivers Rambler Train and explore east Tennessee. By boat, you can ride the Southern Belle Riverboat and enjoy lunch or dinner while viewing the fall foliage.”

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Our family has started talking about the upcoming holiday, Halloween, and what kind of costume to concoct for our three year old. We will probably attend at least one family friendly party and take him trick or treating on that Wednesday evening.

Chattanooga has a few goings on to celebrate the creepy and the crawlies and at the same time are all family friendly.

Friday, October 26 the Tennessee Aquarium will be hosting their Sea Monsters Halloween Party. Admission is $6/Member ($14/Non-Member) for children and $8/Member ($22/Non-Member) for adults. Your admission price will allow you to search the Aquarium for Penelope Penguin (don’t let the sea monsters get her!), listen to storyteller Jim Pfitzer, enjoy Lupi’s pizza, and play games. Costumes are welcome!

If you can’t get to the party, check out the other Thrills, Gills, and Chills at the aquarium through the rest of the month.

On Friday and Saturdays, October 19, 20, 26, 27 you can enjoy Boo in the Zoo. This is a fun family Halloween event at Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park. There will be candy, costume contests, pony rides, and games. Admission to the zoo is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for kids, and free for children under 3.

Also, did you know that for this year, as part of the celebration of the Chattanooga Zoo’s 70th birthday, everyone can enjoy $1.00 admission on the 7th of each month. Sounds like a party to me.

Our favorite family museum, the Creative Discovery Museum, is hosting their members only (and member’s guests) Monster Bash on Friday and Saturday, October 20- 21. Go in costume, listen to scary stories, and see some creepy animals.

The 8th annual Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns will be held Saturday, October 20 from 2 to 9 p.m. at the Chattanooga Nature Center. Admission is CNC Members-$10 per adult, $8 per child, Nonmembers-$12 per adult, $10 per child, Children 3 & Under - Free. Families can enjoy the petting zoo, pony rides, kids costume contest, games for toddlers and even an opportunity to watch the Tennessee vs. Alabama football game on television. There will be pumpkin carving, storytelling, a bonfire for cooking s’mores, live music, hayrides and an outdoor showing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.”

[tags]Chattanooga, Chattanooga Halloween events, Creative Discovery Museum, Chattanooga Nature Center, Chattanooga Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium[/tags]

Today is the Primary Election in Hamilton County. This primary is for the special election for Tennessee’s 10th District state Senate seat.

I am not so political that I enjoy debating issues or even mentioning the issues. But, I do go and vote. And if you live in the Chattanooga area, so should you!

You can see sample ballots on the Hamilton County Election Commission’s website. Polling places for district 10 are as follows:

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Tis the season for Fall Festivals. It is a time where families can enjoy being outdoors amongst a backdrop of oranges, browns, pumpkins, and face painting. Sometimes hay bales are involved.

This week’s featured festival is the Ronald McDonald House Autumn Children’s Festival. It will be held on Saturday, October 6th and Sunday October 7th at the Tennessee Riverpark. There is no admission fee and parking is free as well. Games and activities cost anywhere from 50 cents to $3.00. Festival goers can enjoy jumping in giant inflatables, going on pony rides, making arts and crafts, seeing fun magic shows, playing carnival games, enjoying the petting zoo, eating free Mayfield ice cream plus some health, wellness and educational activities.

All proceeds from the fun benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Chattanooga.

Chattanooga’s local Ronald McDonald House® was founded in 1990. The house serves as a “home-away-from-home” each year for 600-700 families of critically injured and seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals in Chattanooga. The cornerstone programs are the 26-bedroom Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room located inside T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a mobile dental clinic providing free dental care to children ages 5 – 21, those without dental insurance or enrolled in TennCare. Ronald McDonald House Charities also offers 40 $1,000 scholarships to area high schools’ seniors. For more information, please contact Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga at 423.778.4300, or visit their website at www.rmhchattanooga.com.

[tags]Chattanooga, Chattanooga Fall Festival, Ronald McDonald House, charities[/tags]

Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 1st. St. Elmo will once again have their tour of homes from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. More details to come as they are available.

[tags]Chattanooga, St. Elmo, St. Elmo Tour of Homes[/tags]

This past Sunday I took some me time to head out and shop for a birthday present. I headed out to Frazier Avenue to take advantage of the unique and fun shops on the North Shore. I love to browse the shops like New Moon Gallery, The Big Much, and Blue Skies. Stopping in for some Clumpies ice cream or a coffee from Mudpie usually enhances the experience even more.

30 Frazier Ave
Chattanooga, TN
(423) 266-8010

On this particular day my only stop was actually Blue Skies. Their unique collection of stationary, hand made items, and jewelry make it the perfect collection to find one of a kind gifts for almost anyone. In the back corner, there is a fun section for kids and babies complete with large U.S floor maps and Robeez.

I was able to purchase one birthday gift, one Christmas gift, a little something for me (a moleskin!), and some cards, all under $75.

If someone were wanting something unique and a pleasant shopping experience without the hustle and mayhem of Hamilton Place Mall, then I suggest Blue Skies. The Frazier Avenue shop is at the top of my list to visit this upcoming holiday season.

[tags]Chattanooga, Chattanooga shopping, Blue Skies, unique gifts, Chattanooga unique[/tags]

Welcome October!

I have a fondness for October because it seems that fall has finally arrived, the leaves really start to turn, and pumpkins inexplicably make their way to my house. The cooler weather is welcome, and the chilly nights allow me to snuggle under the covers and get a good night’s sleep. It also seems to be an invitation to our dogs to try and sneak into our bed for some extra square inches under our covers.

Rock City’s
Enchanted Maize
271 Chattanooga Valley Rd
Flintstone, GA

One of my favorite Chattanooga area activities for fall is Rock City’s Enchanted Maize. For $8.50 ($6.50 for kids 4 to 12) you get to get lost in a maze of corn nestled at the foot of Lookout Mountain. The maze has two paths to explore, with questions at specific junctions to help aid you in your journey.

Last year our family took a Sunday afternoon to get lost and we were in there for somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half. It was fun, though it was a bit hot for the afternoon. After we stumbled out of the path, we toured the rest of the grounds. Fuller took a ride on the cow train, we had some snacks, and took some pretty pictures. (We didn’t take a hay ride due to allergies. But it looked like fun!)
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Last week I spent Saturday morning walking for Alzheimer’s at Coolidge Park/ the Walnut Street Bridge. Alzheimer’s claimed the life of my Pop Pop and I thought I should do something to help. It was a great experience, helping the local Alzheimer’s Association with their fundraising. There are Memory Walks going on all around the country to help raise funds for research and assistance for those suffering from this disease. I took lots of pictures (of course!) that you can see here.

I set a goal of raising $250 and as of today I have $230. If you are inclined to donate for this cause, please feel free to do so. My donation page is here.

Fall in Chattanooga brings comfortable weather for these types of fund raisers.

Tomorrow, September 30th, is the Chattanooga region’s Race for the Cure. The Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure is a major fund raiser for breast cancer. “Up to seventy-five percent of the net income from each domestic Affiliate Race stays in the local community to fund breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects.”

Registration for the race is currently closed, but you can donate online or go watch and support the participants tomorrow. The race begins at 2 p.m. (5K Competitive Race, Run, & Walk) and at 2:30 is the fun run and walk (1 mile). The race route goes from McKenzie Arena, up Riverside Drive, down the Riverwalk, and back to McKenzie Arena.

If you know of any other charity events coming up in the next few months, please contact me and I will be happy to help promote them.

[tags]Chattanooga fundraising, Race for the Cure, Memory Walk, Chattanooga Memory Walk, Chattanooga Race for the Cure[/tags]

Clothesline Show
The Sessions House
113 Ochs Highway
Friday September 7
5 p.m. Artist Reception
Saturday September 8
11 a.m. until 7p.m.
Sunday September 9
1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Last time the Sessions House (113 Ochs Highway) was open to share the art of eleven talented women, I was able to spend about an hour there. But even in such a short time, I was overwhelmed by the creativity that was displayed in various mediums- pen and ink, etchings, oil on canvas, and photography (to name a few). I had an excellent conversation with photographer Maria Cardillo and enjoyed just being in the presence of all things creative. When I went home, I was thrilled to have purchased two pieces of art to give as gifts. One was an etching from Linda Thomas and the other a pen and ink drawing from Kelly Wilkes.

This weekend I am making plans once again to support our local artists this weekend in a different setting than a traditional gallery. The women of the Clothesline show are sharing their creations. The artists line up has grown to 14 and I am itching to see what will be displayed.

If you are wondering what the Sessions House is, all I can tell you is it is the home of Jim and Laura Pettit. It is situated at the bottom of Lookout Mountain, under a magical canopy of trees and foliage that makes me feel as though I was in a remote cabin hundreds of miles from civilization. In reality you are about two seconds from the business district of St. Elmo.

The Sessions House transitions well as a gallery, since the Pettit’s have allowed every single room and porch space to be used to display the artwork. Feel free to bring your children to relax on the lawn and enjoy meeting the artists.

Friday there will be an artist’s reception beginning at 5 pm. Saturday the Clothesline will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. And Sunday you can visit from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

[tags]Chattanooga art, women’s art, Clothesline, Sessions House[/tags]

The UTC Mocs football team sprang back into action tonight in their season opener against the Carson-Newman Eagles. Unfortunately the game was a loss at 29-17.

My husband took our son to see some of the game, to support the local college team. Tickets were about $22 for general admission (one of those was a kids priced ticket). Since the attention span of an almost three year old is about the same as a house fly, they left after two touchdowns but before Antonio Miller’s injury.

At the end of the Mocs Basketball season, I wrote about ways to combat apathy in the UTC sports programs. Since tickets are cheap (and there will be coupons in the 2007-2008 Kids First Coupon Books) I think our family will make efforts to be at several of the home games supporting the home team.

I hope other Chattanoogans do the same. If you are wondering when you can catch the UTC Mocs football team, here is the rest of the schedule:

Saturday, September 8
Jacksonville State at Jacksonville, Ala.
3:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 22
Georgia Southern at Statesboro, Ga.
7:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 29
The Citadel at Finley Stadium
6:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 06
Arkansas at Little Rock, Ark.
7:00 p.m.

Homecoming Saturday, October 13
Western Carolina at Finley Stadium
6:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 20
Furman at Finley Stadium
12:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 27
Elon at Elon, N.C.
1:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 3
Western Kentucky at Finley Stadium
2:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 10
Wofford at Finley Stadium
2:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 17
Appalachian State at Boone, N.C.
3:30 p.m.

Go Mocs!

[tags]Chattanooga, Chattanooga sports, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, UTC, Mocs, UTC football, college football, UTC football schedule[/tags]