Chatt Town Cool Down celebrates the city as an ‘official river town’

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Outdoor Chattanooga Director Gail Loveland Barille hopes to inspire more people to engage with the Chattanooga riverfront during the inaugural Chatt Town Cool Down event this August. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Outdoor Chattanooga Director Gail Loveland Barille hopes to inspire more people to engage with the Chattanooga riverfront during the inaugural Chatt Town Cool Down event this August.

By Sam Still June 1, 2023 3 min read

Summer in the Scenic City is hot and humid, almost unbearably so at times — which makes getting on the water one of the best ways to spend the season.

Take the opportunity to cool off during the dog days of summer at Outdoor Chattanooga’s inaugural Chatt Town Cool Down event Aug. 25-26.

Chatt Town Cool Down is the evolution of Outdoor Chattanooga’s Paddlefest, which launched in 2022.

Last year, Paddlefest was centered around a community paddle event on the Tennessee River. This year, Chatt Town Cool Down will again feature that 5.4-mile paddle from the Tennessee Riverpark boat ramp to Ross’s Landing. But this year, the expanded event will include more land activities such as live music, food vendors and more.