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City Beat: The future is here, but where will we go?

Musician Vince Gill, left, is the ambassador for Songbirds Guitar Museum. He was joined by Curator David Davidson and President Johnny Smith during a news conference March 9 to mark the venue's grand opening.
Musician Vince Gill, left, is the ambassador for Songbirds Guitar Museum. He was joined by Curator David Davidson and President Johnny Smith during a news conference March 9 to mark the venue's grand opening. Musician Vince Gill, left, is the ambassador for Songbirds Guitar Museum. He was joined by Curator David Davidson and President Johnny Smith during a news conference March 9 to mark the venue's grand opening.

By Barry Courter 3 min read

The city’s Southside continues to grow and flourish, and we got a big taste of that this past week.

The area around Main Street has seen a tremendous renaissance over the last decade or more, and events like MainX24 (Dec. 2, 2017) have done a great job of showcasing the creative people who live and work in the area, as well as the cool places to eat and shop that exist there.

photo Barry Courter

So, in that sense, this past week was more about continuing to grow, but it was still a chance to look a little bit into the future, especially as it relates to the Chattanooga Choo Choo and the development there.

In a year when “Chattanooga Choo Choo” is celebrating its 75th anniversary as the country’s first gold record, representing more than 1 million copies sold, the tourist attraction/hotel is looking to become the anchor for a new wave of growth.

There was a special VIP gathering at the newly opened Songbirds Guitar Museum and guests got to hear a mini concert by David Bromberg and Vince Gill in addition to checking out the more than 540 guitars.