Rock City

Rock City Gardens is one of the South’s oldest and most popular natural attractions. Just six miles from downtown Chattanooga, Rock City is an enchanted, 4,100-foot walking trail showcasing soaring rock formations and lush gardens that include over 400 species of wildfl owers and plants.

Other features include the Swing-A-Long Bridge that spans nearly 200 feet and the lookout point at Lover’s Leap where you can “See Seven States” while standing over the 140-foot waterfall that cascades down Lookout Mountain. Half a million people from all over the world visit this nostalgic attraction each year, making memories worth repeating.

The attraction opened in 1932 by Garnet and Frieda Carter, and was made known partially due to the barn advertising campaign Carter initiated. A sign painter named Clark Byers was hired to travel the nation’s highways and offer to paint farmers’ barns in exchange for letting them paint three simple words: See Rock City. The distinctive black-and-white signs appeared as far north as Michigan and as far west as Texas. The advertising soon began to produce the desired effect and, by the close of the 1930’s, more travelers than ever had seen Rock City Gardens.

Rock City was named Travel Attraction of the Year by Southeast Tourism Society in 2010. Rock City has many special events throughout the year, including the monthly Fireside Nights at Starbucks, Shamrock City for St. Patrick’s Day, EarthDayz in April, Southern Blooms Festival in May, Summer Music Weekends, Rock City Raptors Birds of Prey Shows, Blowing Springs Farm featuring The Enchanted MAiZE, Blowing Screams Farm featuring Forest of Fear and GhostRide, Rocktoberfest and the Enchanted Garden of Lights.

Rock City Gardens strives to serve as a leading cultural entertainment innovator. The visitor experience proves relevant to the traveler as well as the lifelong Chattanoogan. By partnering with local artisans, along with the growing festival and event calendar at the attraction, Rock City provides high level quality and variety to guests.

Rock City is open daily for self-guided tours from 8:30 a.m. to dusk. Other features include Starbucks, formerly Cornerstone Station, the remodeled Big Rock Grill, assorted gift shops and the ever-popular Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village. In addition to Rock City Gardens, See Rock City, Inc., also owns and operates the Battles for Chattanooga Museum (battlesforchattanooga.com) and Grandview Conference Center (meetatgrandview.com) on Lookout Mountain, and Rock City’s Enchanted Cornfi eld Maze in Flintstone, Ga. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit the website, www.seerockcity.com.