I used to say fall was my favorite season. But growing up in Florida, I always got frustrated when the weather wouldn’t cooperate to make it actually feel like fall. It’s hard to enjoy getting lost in a corn maze, taking a hay ride, or visiting a pumpkin patch when it’s 90° outside. Not to mention, the leaves don’t really change colors in Florida. I have had several opportunities in the past to visit Tennessee during fall, but it has never worked out for me to see fall colors. It either ends up being too early or too late to see the leaves change colors, and it’s always annoying. I have considered taking a weekend to go up north just to experience a “real” fall, but being colorblind, one of my fears is that I won’t really notice the different colored leaves, and then the trip would’ve been a waste. But this year, my sister Audrey had a volleyball tournament in Dayton, Tennessee, during what is considered the best time of year to see fall colors, so I couldn’t let this opportunity pass by. I scheduled a couple days off work and left for Tennessee the week of Halloween. The only problem… this is 2020, and Hurricane Zeta was predicted to hit right as I left work to drive up to Tennessee. Luckily, I got off work at noon due to the hurricane and only had to drive up in the outer bands of the storm.
The following morning I woke up early to explore Dayton before the volleyball games started. I headed over to Swinging Bridge Park and then headed into the historic downtown area where the Rhea County Courthouse is located. This was the location of the Scopes Trial in the 1920s when a teacher was accused of teaching evolution to his class in school. There was never any real evidence that he taught evolution, which led many to believe it was all set up to bring national attention to the city. I walked around the courthouse area where the ground was covered in colorful leaves, something I had never been able to see before!
The weather was perfect as well because the hurricane brought a cold front in with it. After several volleyball games, I went to Laurel Snow State Natural Area and walked part of the Cumberland Trail with my family. The hike followed a river through a beautiful area with a rock wall on the other side. It’s a really nice park that I’d recommend visiting if you’re in the area.
The following day I did another hike and then attended some volleyball games before leaving Dayton for Chattanooga. My first stop in Chattanooga was Lookout Mountain. Here, I visited Point Park, part of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, operated by the National Park Service. This was a strategic location during the Civil War where the Confederates were able to see the Union Army approaching from miles away.
There is also a trail here which leads to Sunset Rock. I walked the beautiful trail along the side of Lookout Mountain, and Sunset Rock had the best view of Lookout Valley. I stayed here for a while before leaving to check into my hotel. One other place to note is a place called McKay’s Chattanooga, which is a used book store that has tons of used books/movies/video games/etc for really cheap prices. I didn’t take pictures here, but I thought it was good enough to get mentioned. While at the hotel later that night, I realized that I didn’t have a strong desire to stay in Chattanooga another night. The other things I would’ve liked to see/do would’ve been boring going alone, plus I didn’t want to spend all day Sunday driving back home just to go right back to work the next morning. So I made the decision to cut my trip short and head home on Saturday instead. Saturday morning I woke up early because my scheduled tour of Ruby Falls started at 8:00.
I had passed the “See Ruby Falls” signs 100s of times over the years but never stopped to actually see Ruby Falls, so I decided to book a tour to finally see it. Due to Covid, this has to be done online ahead of time. And there was a beautiful sunrise over the valley below when I arrived. I headed inside for the tour, and because I scheduled the first tour of the day, I only had 5 other people in my group. Usually, the cave becomes crowded with multiple large groups fighting for space, but since there were no other groups to deal with, my tour went very smoothly.
We were able to take our time and get pictures of everything we wanted to. The tour starts with an elevator that takes you down into the cave. You walk half a mile through the cave to Ruby Falls, which is the tallest and deepest underground waterfall in the US. It’s a beautiful waterfall, and I was able to get great pictures because there was no one there to get in my way. If you decide to go to Ruby Falls, I highly recommend waking up early for the first tour! I had also heard in the past that Ruby Falls is too touristy, but I didn’t think it was. Again, that might have been because I went so early.
Right after my tour, I wanted to make one last stop before driving home. A certain section of downtown Chattanooga (near Cherry and Market Street) is known for a local rumor about “Underground Chattanooga” which interested me. During the 1800s, the city was frequently flooded by the Tennessee River. Legend states that a new city was built on top of the old one in order to prevent future flooding. Many say this isn’t true because there are no official records of this project ever taking place. However, the evidence is everywhere. You can see the tops of arches along the sidewalk. These were not decorative additions to these old buildings but actual doorways that are now buried beneath the road.
Each of these old buildings has a basement, and many of these basements have bricked-over windows and doorways from when the basements were street level. Because private businesses own these buildings, it’s hard to get permission to enter these basements, but you can find many videos of it on YouTube. To add to the legend, local archaeologists have gone beneath the road in one area and recorded that there is enough room to stand between the current road and the ground. The current street is supported by rusting iron beams, which leads many contractors to worry that it will eventually collapse. While there are no official records of an “Underground Chattanooga,” the evidence seems to point to its existence, and many are interested in what might be found down there.
I had a great time in Tennessee seeing fall colors for the first time and visiting sites I had been wanting to visit for a while. But I’m glad I made the decision to return home early, especially after I saw signs along the interstate telling drivers to expect delays on Sunday, November 1st, the day I was originally supposed to drive back. And for those wondering, Audrey’s team placed second in their division in the Nationals tournament. Thanks for reading!
Tyler's Travels 