Partial list of area museumsCreative Discovery Museum321 Chestnut St.756-2738www.cdmfun.orgTennessee Aquarium1 Broad St.265-0695www.tnaqua.orgInternational Towing & Recovery Museum3315 Broad St.267-3132www.international towingmuseum.orgHunter Museum of American Art10 Bluff View267-0968www.huntermuseum.orgChattanooga African-American Museum200 E. M.L. King Blvd.266-8658www.caamhistory.orgChattanooga History Center615 Lindsay St.265-3247www.chattanoogahistory.orgDragon Dreams Museum & Gift Shop6724 East Brainerd Road892-2384www.dragonvet.comHouston Museum of Decorative Arts201 High St.267-7176www.thehoustonmuseum.com
Part of the appeal of visiting downtown Chattanooga is that you can park your car at the hotel on a Friday night and not have to climb back in it until checkout time Sunday.
There are plenty of restaurants, museums, a minor- league ballpark, shops and things to look at or visit to keep a visitor entertained for a couple of days, tourism officials say.
"And it's not just that they can walk, but it is the experience and adventure they experience while they are walking," said Katrina Craven, public relations and marketing director at the Hunter Museum of American Art.
She said visitors walking from the Tennessee Aquarium to the Hunter or to AT&T Field or Coolidge Park get to experience the Walnut Street Bridge, the 21st Century Riverfront, the Passage, the Holmberg Pedestrian Bridge with its glass panel flooring, public art pieces and a variety of other visual stimuli.
"Getting there is an experience in and of itself," she said.
Thom Benson, communications manager with the aquarium, said special programming gives visitors a reason to stay longer. Options include the new Chattanooga River Market in the aquarium plaza with its live musicians and art vendors, as well as events like Nightfall and the Chattanooga Market at First Tennessee Pavilion.
"Chattanooga is more than a two-day destination," he said. "When you have extras like Nightfall and the River Market, it is giving them a reason to stay over an extra night because it makes it a fun-filled adventure."
Of course, local and traveling visitors don't just come to Chattanooga to walk around. They also visit the attractions, and having so many close together is a big bonus, Ms. Craven said.
"What we hear is, 'I love how convenient this downtown is, and I love the experience of seeing the aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum and the different things.' "
Up on Power Alley, Lookouts owner Frank Burke said tourists are a small, but important, part of his business. AT&T Field serves another purpose for downtown, he said.
"It appears what we do more than attract tourists is we keep people downtown after 5 o'clock," he said. "That means they are visiting restaurants and shops."
The Hunter, Ms. Craven said, has worked hard to make the museum a more "visitor-focused place rather than an object-focused" attraction. She said that the museum averaged 53,000 visitors for the years 2006-2009.
"Technology has blown up," she said. "We have guided tours by cell phone, and the website gives detailed information. But Facebook and Twitter have really opened up a dialogue opportunity with our visitors. It gives the visitor a chance to talk back, and we are able to react to that."
New this year at the aquarium is an expanded Backstage Pass option. For an extra charge, visitors will get the chance to go behind the scenes to see how the aquarium works, complete with a hands-on experience and an animal encounter, Mr. Benson said.
The Ocean Journey is offered in the morning, and the River Journey is done in the afternoon. Both last about 45 minutes.