Ruby Falls Part 2...and More!

So after you finish the underground tour at Ruby Falls you head back up on an elevator, but they send you up even higher. Of course they want you to enjoy the gorgeous views, and then you get to see the River. But they also have restaurants, a gift shop and a play ground and zip line up top. Leah wanted to zip line desperately, but she wasn't old enough...maybe next time. So the girls played on the playground for 30 minutes or so. Then we headed into the gift shop where they picked out a souvenir and they got a push-up pop for a snack.

It was a gorgeous day and it wasn't quite 5 o'clock yet. The last thing we wanted to do was head back to the hotel. So back downtown we went. It was in the 70's and we were loving it. We just parked and walked downtown for a bit, through a flea market and then over towards the river. They have a wonderful playground so we let the kids run and play for a little bit longer. You would have thought they would have been wiped out, but they just kept going and going and going! Around 6:30 we ordered a pizza and then headed back to the hotel. Quick dinner and then swimming in the hotel pool! Needless to say, they were wiped out after that!

It was a really great trip. There were still several things that we would have loved to do, if we'd had more time. Chattanooga, we will definitely be back!

Ruby Falls Part 1

So remember how I said on Friday afternoon there was a 2 hour wait for the Incline Railway, well on Saturday afternoon the wait was just a tad shorter to get into Ruby Falls. But it was well worth it! What a neat experience. We stood in line for about 90  minutes. Once you get into the building it all makes perfect sense. They are loading everyone into an elevator...yes, one! And they take you several thousand feet down into the ground. Once they have three elevators full down at the bottom you start a tour. Again, I should have taken notes...but the geologist that did the exploring came to find this amazing waterfall. His wife's name was Ruby, hence...Ruby Falls. I think the girls were expecting to hear about them finding rubies during the exploration. Oh well! The tour was really great and informative. The tour guide was very friendly and funny...it made the wait worth it. Of course, they have a light show they turn on when you get to the waterfall...the girls weren't cooperating when Mitch was taking my picture with them, Boo...oh well, it's still a keeper!

Point Park, The Battle in the Clouds

Visiting a Civil War Battlefield with my kids was not something I ever thought I would do. I mean, I didn't love it when my dad dragged us all over Tennessee and Mississippi when I was a kid. But when you take the Incline Railway and the park is there....like literally right there, you may as well check it out. And I have to say, I enjoyed it way more as an adult. Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga was the site of the Civil War Battle in the Clouds. We heard about how difficult it was for them to point the cannons facing down, and how difficult it was for the soldiers to climb. The South was able to hold them off for a while, but eventually the North overcame. Leah was very curious about which side was the "good" side. I told her she is going to have to start talking to her Papa the Civil War expert. It was a good learning experience, although, looking over the edges made me nervous more than once.

Incline Railway

Oh how I wish I'd listened better or taken notes!!! We tried to do the Incline Railway on Friday afternoon but it was a 2 hour wait. So we made sure we got there pretty early on Friday morning. We were actually able to walk right onto a train and had front row seats. It was pretty amazing. The trains were designed and built in a the 20's at a specific angle for going up the mountain. It was pretty crazy. And we just kept climbing higher and higher. Once we got to the top of course we had to look around. The views were amazing. And it was the scene of the Battle in the Clouds for the Civil War. But that's another post. We had a successful trip down too! We had to wait about 30 minutes or so, but again...front row seats for the ride down!

Dinner in Chattanooga!

So Mitch and I have become somewhat of "foodies". And it's rubbing off on the girls. We didn't look for restaurants with 5 star reviews on Yelp. We like to try places off the beaten path. The first night in Chattanooga we went to a stir-fry place. And the easy thing to do would have been to let the girls order off the kids menu. But we have created adventurous eaters. We had them create their own stir-fry. Kiersten was apprehensive but she ended up cleaning her plate. Hers had lo-mein noodles, sausage,  sweet peppers, broccoli and oranges. I don't recall the sauce, but I was proud of her for giving it a go. Hattie was a little more safe, noodles as well, with Chicken, broccoli, carrots and peppers. She had a sweet and sour sauce. But then there is Leah. She is the most adventurous of all. She did lo mein noodles with Calamari and shrimp and scallops with lots of vegetables and she made a peanut/chilli sauce. She is starting to like a little kick...just like her dad. She loved it! Even after she learned what Calamari was.

Mitch ordered a margarita for us to share. We earned it! It had been a long day and a lot of walking! When Kiersten saw us drinking it together she asked if she could take our picture. I asked her why? She said because when you have two straws in the same drink it means you are in love. So how could I say no to that!

On Saturday we opted for some good ole' Barbecue from a local joint called the Purple Daisy...it wasn't the best we'd ever tasted but it wasn't the worst either. Leah got ribs. She loves them! We've created a foodie monster!

Tennessee Aquarium

When we finished up at Rock City we headed downtown. I LOVED the city. It was so clean and not crowded and every one we met on the sidewalk was courteous and kind. It was exactly the kind of place I would want to live someday. You  know, unless of course I get to live in Arizona again :)

Anyway, the Tennessee Aquarium was very cool because they had two different exhibits. One was for Ocean aquatic life and the other was for River aquatic life. It was educational and of course the girls loved it. The penguins are always a favorite. Leah can actually name a few of the different breeds and they love all the touch exhibits. There were Chocolate Chip Starfish, which I had to remind them that they touched them before in the Mall of America Aquarium up in Minnesota.

As usual, Mitch had a great time talking with the girls about all the different species of fish. Especially in the river exhibit. It gave him a chance to talk about fishing too. Some times having a super Scientist Daddy around comes in handy!