High Point Climbing and Fitness

Here's my twelve year old son's impression of our time at High Point.

My whole family went to High Point Climbing and Fitness for our Gotcha Day, to celebrate the day we adopted my little brothers. High Point is a great place to climb. It has a lot of climbing walls, and it’s not too expensive. High Point is the perfect place to go if you are a young child or a strong adult. The best things about High Point are that it’s a big place, it’s in a very convenient location, and it has many different levels of climbing. Our family stayed there for about three hours and everyone enjoyed climbing the whole time.

PICNIC? no 

SWIMSUIT? no

COST? 

                       Adult    $16

Child 10 & Under /Personnel/Senior$14

                Plus $5 each for climbing gear

If you have an aquarium membership, there is a discount. There are also coupons available through school coupon booklets.

PLAYGROUND? It is one big play ground!

AUTHOR'S RATING? four out of five stars!

HOURS? 10am-6pm

Closed Major Holidays

High Point Climbing and Fitness is in a huge building. It has an entrance room, a kid room, a pit, a bouldering area, and lots of other walls. The pit has the highest walls because they start lower. The kid room has at least fifteen walls and a small bouldering area. Last, but not least, it has several outside walls climbing up the side of the building. All of these things are bigger, taller, wider, and more spacious than they even seem. When I was there, I climbed walls in the kid room, the pit, and even the outside walls. I think my favorite was the outside walls because they’re so tall but not as hard as the ones in the pit.

High Point is right in the middle of Chattanooga. There is a parking garage right above it and restaurants all around it. For dinner the night we went, we ate at a pizza place called Mellow Mushroom that was right next door. There is even a movie theater about a block away. Best of all, the building is just the right shape for lots of climbing walls. If you live or visit anywhere in Chattanooga, it is an easy drive because it is in the middle of everything. High Point couldn’t be in a better place or have a more convenient building.

High Point has all kinds of different levels of climbing. There is a room of fun and easy climbs just for kids. In the front room there are some climbs that are easy but challenging for beginners. The really challenging climbs are in the pit and behind the pit. Outside the walls are tall and they have easy and hard climbs. There is also an extremely hard bouldering area for ages 14 and older. The climbs are graded from 5.5 (easy) to 5.13 (really, really difficult). Every climb has a different level but everything is still really fun. The hardest climb that I did, I used rocks from both a 5.10 and 5.11 climb.

High Point is one of the best climbing places ever. It has huge rooms with plenty of space. It’s right in the middle of downtown Chattanooga, and it has a lot of easy, medium, and difficult walls to climb. The oldest person in our family who climbed is 38 and the youngest is six, and everyone who climbed loved everything they did. I enjoyed it so much that even though it’s only been three weeks since I climbed there, I want to go back again as soon as possible. 

Note from mom: All climbs are belayed (you and your child wear a harness that clips in). A few of the climbs are manual belay (you have to have help from someone who can hold your belay line) but most of the climbs are automatic belay with a motorized pulley at the top. This makes the inevitable falling (and the trip down when you're done) safe and fun.

{map for High Point Climbing and Fitness}

Tellus Science Museum

On I-75 70 miles outside of Chattanooga, in the middle of seemingly no where, there is an interesting building off to the right that for many years I either wondered about or just ignored. Finally our family checked it out, and it is amazing! We've been many times since then and have been members of it or a reciprocal museum for 5 years now.

PICNIC? yes! 

SWIMSUIT? no

COST? 

Adults: $14 + tax

Children (3 – 17): $10 + tax

PLAYGROUND? not really, 

but the "My Big Back Yard" room is very play ground like

AUTHOR'S RATING? five out of five stars!

HOURS? 10am-5pm

Closed Major Holidays

We love that the scale of the exhibits when you are in the parking lot and when you first walk in is

BIG.

We love the dinosaurs (although we often remind ourselves that, even though the information on the dinosaurs speaks as if the scientists are absolutely sure of their dates and facts, all they can do is make some educated guesses.)

Don't miss the panning for gems room that is located on a hallway branching off the transportation room. We didn't visit this our first time and really missed out! You get to keep a little bag of the real gems that you find! Behind the gems room is a dinosaur dig room where you can keep one fossil that you find. 

The transportation room goes from bicycles and buggies to space and aeronautics. We love it!

There are great picnic tables (under a huge pavilion) outside for picnics, and we often end our morning at Tellus enjoying food brought from home out there. 

{map for Tellus Science Museum}

The Jump Park

If you're looking for a special place to have a party or just a rainy day way to get all those sillies out of your kids, The Jump Park is a winner! There are two foam block pits, a fun slide, rock walls, and the floors are covered with trampolines!

 PICNIC? no

SWIMSUIT? no

COST? One Hour: $8/6 and under; $12/ages 7 and up

$5 for parents 

(kids 6 and under must be accompanied by an adult.)

Two Hours: $15/6 and under; $20/ages 7 and up

$10 for parents

{Special Deal: Week days from 9-10am adults do not have to 

pay to go in with their younger ones.}

PLAYGROUND? YES!

AUTHOR'S RATING? four out of five stars

HOURS? Mon-Thurs 9am-9pm

Fri and Sat. 9am-12am

Sunday 11am-9pm

{Map for The Jump Park}

Chattanooga Choo Choo Model Train Museum

The Chattanooga Choo Choo is not just a song or an icon of our fun city; 

it's also a great place to eat, play or hang out!

I've heard several people say that the Model Train Museum there is one of those hidden gems of the city--come and check it out!

You also might want the Chattanooga Choo Choo if you're looking to sleep in an old railcar, be sung to by a waiter, or walk in lovely formal gardens.

PICNIC? I don't see why not. I don't think I would go full out picnic, but hanging out in the gardens and having a picnic snack would probably be fine.

SWIMSUIT? no

COST? Model Train MuseumDaily at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm: $5/adults; $3/ages 3-12

Trolley Ride: $3/person

(Daily at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm)

PLAYGROUND? no

AUTHOR'S RATING? five out of five stars

HOURS? 

Sunday - Friday:  1pm - 6pm 

Saturday:             10am - 8pm

From its earliest days, Chattanooga was a river town. But in 1849 the first train arrived, and Chattanooga also became a town of the rails. In 1871 the luxurious Stanton House was opened to cater to the traffic of those rails. After its heyday the Stanton House was neglected and finally leveled in 1906 to make way for the Terminal Train Station, opened in 1909.

This train station bustled until the 60s and then closed entirely when the last passenger train passed through Chattanooga in August of 1970. It wasn't long (just 3 years) until The Chattanooga Choo Choo was opened as a hotel. Cincinnati Southern's engine was brought in to be the official Choo Choo and the bustle of the old railway days surrounds her in the yard of the hotel.

I've given the Choo Choo my highest rating because of its historical place in our city and its variety of entertainment and hotel options. Do you need train pictures of your toddler? A fun date idea? A fancy place for out of town friends to stay? A morning outing for your train-loving son? Shops? Garden background for prom/engagement pics? All of that and more can be found at the Choo Choo!

The Model Railroad Museum has a representation of Chattanooga, her attractions and her resources.

My kids favorite part of the model museum was the few interactive parts of the display. You could push a button to make the Incline Railway run or a lumber jack chop down a tree. They were enthralled!

{map for the Chattanooga Choo Choo}

Towing and Recovery Museum

International Towing and Recovery Museum

If your child is at all interested in trucks, this is the Chattanooga museum for you!

I really didn't know what to expect from this museum that we pass nearly every day and had never investigated.

It is an interesting place!

 PICNIC? no

SWIMSUIT? no

COST? $10/adults; $6/ages 6-14

PLAYGROUND? no

AUTHOR'S RATING? four out of five stars

HOURS? 

Summer Hours (March. 1-Oct.31)

Monday - Saturday 9 - 5 (Last Tour @ 4:15 PM)

Sunday 11 - 5 (Last Tour @ 4:15 PM)

Winter Hours (Nov 1-Feb.28)

Monday - Saturday 10 - 4:30 (Last Tour @ 3:45 PM)

Sunday 11 - 5 (Last Tour @ 4:15 PM)

Closed Major Holidays

The kids REALLY enjoyed the operational, interactive tow truck. I think we could have played on it, taking turns with the controls for hours!

In the gift shop, there are a few old trucks for you to enjoy as well as the interactive tow truck. If you need to purchase a model truck, a truck shirt or a matchbox car, this might be a good time to get in a few of the sights of the museum for free. Come enjoy and interact just in the gift shop for a bit!

But if you're in the mood for some BIG TRUCKS, buy a ticket and head to the back of the museum to tour their trucks.

And check out the wall of toy trucks!

This museum is a kid-friendly place, but explain to your children that most of the trucks in the museum are not to be touched and you'll have a great time looking and marveling at them!

{map for International Towing and Recovery Museum}

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

On Saturday, our family celebrated our first Adoption Day. (Hooray!) We want to celebrate that day well, and the best way I could think of to celebrate was to do something fun in our town that we've never done before.

Enter the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

We took the Missionary Ridge Local service beginning at the Grand Junction Station.

PICNIC? yes

SWIMSUIT? no

COST? $17 for adults and $11 for children age 3-12.  There is no charge for children age 2 and under. 

PLAYGROUND? no

AUTHOR'S RATING? four out of five stars

HOURS? find complete schedule HERE

It was great to get so up close and personal with the fully-refurbished, beautiful 1910 locomotive. 

The kids loved finding our seats on one of the three train cars--also refurbished with loads of history. (The one we rode in still had a dividing wall for when the train cars were segregated.)

The very best part was that we got off at the East Chattanooga restoration shop and got to see the locomotive engine turn on a turntable. It is hard to put into words how impressive and beautiful that was! When this turntable was new, it was so well balanced that it could be turned by four men. It's still well-balanced, but today it turns with a small engine. 

After a quick tour of the restoration shop, it was back to the train for the return trip through a tunnel and over bridges back to the Grand Junction Station.

Oh! And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the two biggest kid-related events for TVRM:

Day Out With Thomas

Thomas the Tank Engine (as close as you're going to get to the real thing) actually pulls the train.

and

North Pole Limited

Ride the train in the evening to see Christmas lights, hear Christmas stories and have a special Christmas guest.

Don't let the location fool you; it's just a hop and skip from downtown!

{MAP FOR TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM}

Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center

The Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center is quite a mouthful, but it's true to its name and has plenty to entertain! 

Our family simply calls it the "Nature Center," and we like to duck in here for a quick walk to see the red wolves or take a drive around the Reflection Riding Loop or take an hour or two for a canoe ride. 

PICNIC? yes

SWIMSUIT? not really, though you might get a bit wet on a canoe ride!

COST? $10 adults, $7 kids

I highly recommend a year family membership if you have intentions of going more than once. At $65, it helps the Nature Center meet their costs and gives your family unlimited access to enjoy the area!

PLAYGROUND? yes, a small one

AUTHOR'S RATING? five out of five stars!

HOURS? daylight to dark

I rarely give a pay-for-visit park a five stars, but this is one exception. I love the fact that there are so many different kinds of things to do, and I appreciate that, especially as a homeschooling family, we have 317 acres at our disposal to explore and guides to help us learn as we do so!

There is a short board walk kind of hike out to the "Discovery Forest Treehouse," which can be rented for parties, but is just fun to explore as you walk around the short hike.

The Discovery Forest Tree House

Paddler's Perch is an adventurous way to experience the Nature Center at night. With an enclosed room and a composting toilet, you can camp above Lookout Creek in style! $35 for 2, $10 for each extra person, 8 person limit

(members or those paddling down the Tennessee River Blueway only)

Speaking of paddling...

After watching a short video (if it's your first time), and checking out your gear, you can hike down to the creek, unlock your canoes, and get going!

While paddling or hiking, keep a lookout for great wildlife discoveries!

Don't forget to enjoy the quiet, natural beauty!

If you don't turn off the path towards the canoes and Paddler's Perch, but keep walking, you'll come to a wonderful tiny bit of zoo hidden away in the woods. It is here at the Wildlife Wanderland that the nature center keeps the red wolves that are on loan for the US Fish and Wildlife Services. These wolves are endangered and the Nature Center is breeding them in hopes of raising numbers--we were able to see the tiny puppies that were born a few years ago, and it was pretty neat!

Our favorite animal at the Nature Center is the Bobcat. He came to the Nature Center after being kept illegally as a pet, and he usually comes around if you call for him. It's fascinating to see him look so much like a house cat but be so much bigger and stronger. He kind of emenates power.  

Wherever you are at the Nature Center, expect surprise visitors!

Back in the welcome center, there is a little exhibit for their red wolves, 

and a large exhibit of C. E. Blevins Nesting Birds art work. These lovely nest and egg replicas are worth walking through and gasping over!

My kiddos love the "come and touch and see" attitude of the Nature Center!

Behind the welcome center there is a park with a small "playscape".

And of course a few snakes; no nature center would be complete without them!

There is so much more than I have pictured at the Nature Center! Check out their classes, their tours, or their camps. Look up their availabilities for meetings or weddings. Play in their bamboo forest; admire their cabins and lakes; ride horses! 

{MAP FOR REFLECTION RIDING ARBORETUM AND NATURE CENTER}