Chattanooga Tennessee anyone?

The civil war part is very worth while. They have a lot of info parks there just about the war. Battle grounds ect. Most free. Forget about the aquarium as there is a very nice one in Gatlinburg. Enjoy your trip. Larry

If your a civil war buff Chickamauga Battlefield is a great place to visit. You could take in the aquarium in the morning and then drive out Missionary Ridge to Rossville and follow the road to the battlefield. A good day altogether. Your impression is right about the falls. The top of Lookout Mountain has a lot of tourist trap venues and would take up more money and time than you want to spend.
However, if you are coming from Michigan, Chattanooga is a long way out of the way to get to the Smokies.

The Tennessee Valley Rail Road Museum is really nice. You can ride behind a real steam train. www.tvrail.com I think.

I don't understand part of this. You want to stay away from a tourist trap but you are going to Gatlinburg?

Don't understand why you would want to drive 2 hours out of your way to see another city? Stay in the Smokies! Fun stuff in PF and G-burg or head accross the mountsins to Cherokee. There will be PLENTY to see and do in the Smokies!

Thanks for the responses.

As you can imagine, there are no historic civil war sites in Michigan. Although we will be 3 hours away from Chickamauga Battlefield when at the Smokies, it will be the closest we are ever going to be to civil war sites. And when you've driven 12 hours and gone through 4 states, what's 3 more hours to do something very unique. Or at least unique to those Michigander's.

Also, I have a friend that went to both the Gatlinburg and the Chattanooga aquarium and said that the Gatlingburg isn't worth the cost of admission compared to the Chattanooga. Apparently Chattanooga was rated the top in the nation. Again, not sure how great it is because we have never been there.

I don't want to do both aquariums, but I figure if I want to see the battlefield, I can please the kids with the aquarium and maybe we'll all learn a little something. ;-)
We have a week of vacation in Tennessee, so this should take up 1 day and we will still have 6 more days to explore the Smokies.

When in Chatt. be sure to ride up Lookout Mt and go to Point Park. Great Civil war park where they fired down off the mountain. You can also ride just down the road to Tunnel Hill and see the location for The Great Locomotive Chase. The General locomotive in the chase is located a little further south in Kennesaw Ga.about 60 miles below Chatt.

If you want to go to CHATTANOOGA GO. We used to live there and it's a beautifull water front downtown along the river. First class aquarium and well worth seeing. When we go back to visit we always stay at the Holiday Travel Park near town. Go and do what you want to do and enjoy.

http://www.chattanoogafun.com/

http://www.chattacamp.com/

If you like taking a drive thru scenic country, check out the Cherohola Skyway just NE of Chattanooga. Drive it down to NC and back. Lots of places to pull off for scenic views, and there's a federal campground up there too.

Chattanooga is well worth the visit. The downtown area has a lot to offer. I didn't see where you mentioned how old your children are, but the TN aquarium has a lot to offer for all ages. The river front offers lots of relaxing outside free activities. Coolidge park is just across the Walnut Street Bridge which is only open to pedestrians. The park offers water fountains for children to play in and a carousel. There are lots of restaurants in the immediate area within walking distance. Some interesting shops along the North Shore as well.

The Chickamauga Battlefield is a wonderful park to visit. I would recommend it if you are not going to have another opportunity to experience a Civil War battlefield or historic area. As someone else mentioned, Point Park would be a nice visit as well. All within short distance of each other. Ride the Incline Railway to the top and take the short walk to Point Park.

If you are coming in the spring, you will have plenty of time to google all the suggestions offered by your forum friends and make great plans for your family.

I hope you have a great trip!