Riverdance restaurant opens in John ‘Thunder’ Thornton’s River Gorge Ranch
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Riverdance is a restaurant just beyond the gates of the River Gorge Ranch community. Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Riverdance is a restaurant just beyond the gates of the River Gorge Ranch community.
By David Floyd 7 min read
GUILD, Tenn. — The breezeway leading into a new restaurant atop Aetna Mountain has floor art depicting 43 miles of the Tennessee River from Chickamauga Dam to Nickajack Dam.
The inlaid artwork is illuminated by bright lights and identifies 28 points of interest along this stretch of the river, including Maclellan Island, Ross’s Landing and Moccasin Bend. It terminates in a sweeping view of the surrounding countryside.
“I could have built a PGA 18-hole golf course cheaper than what I’ve got in this restaurant up here,” developer John “Thunder” Thornton said from the front row of a sports utility vehicle, sunglasses perched on his nose. “But I don’t particularly care for golf, and I’m not any good at it. And not everybody plays golf, but everybody’s got to eat.”
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / The Tennessee River is seen just beyond a fire pit at Riverdance, a restaurant just beyond the gates of the River Gorge Ranch community in Marion County.Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / A mural depicting the Tennessee River from the Chickamauga Dam to the Nickajack Dam trails outside Riverdance, a restaurant just beyond the gates of the River Gorge Ranch community in Marion County.Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / The Tennessee River is seen through trees in the River Gorge Ranch housing development in Marion County.Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / A painting of an osprey by Carolyn Cooper is seen in Riverdance, a restaurant just beyond the gates of the River Gorge Ranch community in Marion County.Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / A finished home is seen in the River Gorge Ranch housing development in Marion County.Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Riverdance is a restaurant just beyond the gates of the River Gorge Ranch community.Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / The dining area of Riverdance is seen.
The eatery, called Riverdance, is one of the first buildings motorists see as they climb the winding road that leads to River Gorge Ranch, a gated housing community in Marion County. It will anchor a commercial hub at the neighborhood’s entrance that’s about 25 minutes from Chattanooga.
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