Chattanooga is up against seven other cities in the Top Adventure Town contest by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine in its 10th annual Top Adventure Towns Contest.
In voting that runs through Sept. 7, the magazine's readers select their favorites to ultimately choose the region's best towns for outdoor adventure in four categories: large (population 75,001+), medium (population 16,001-75,000), small (population 3,001-16,000) and tiny (population less than 3,000).
The contest is the latest recognition of the region's fun factor and outdoor recreation options. In July, the Tennessee Aquarium came in fifth in USA Today's 10 Best Reader's Choice awards to determine the nation's premiere aquariums.
In October, Chattanooga's natural attractions and public spaces landed the city on the top 10 list of best small cities in the U.S. in Condé Nast Traveler's 2019 Readers' Choice Awards. The Scenic City came in at number eight, tucked between Greenville, South Carolina, and Monterey, California. Charleston, South Carolina, topped the list.
Top Adventure Town contest
Vote for Chattanooga weekly through Sept. 7, 2020, by visiting BlueRidgeOutdoors.com/TopTowns.Other cities up against Chattanooga in the competition are Asheville, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; and four cities in Virginia: Lynchburg, Richmond, Roanoke and Virginia Beach.
In March 2019, Chattanooga was ranked among the top 100 best places to live in America in a study by Livability.com of more than 1,000 U.S. cities. And In both 2011 and 2015, Chattanooga was voted 'Best Town Ever' by readers of Outside magazine.
In the Top Adventure Town contest, the Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine team narrowed the field to 100 contenders for 2020. The towns are mountain biking meccas, whitewater havens, climbing paradises, hiking nirvanas, booming craft beer epicenters and live music hubs, according to an announcement from the magazine.
In the third round of selection, 32 towns remain in four categories, with Chattanooga going up against cities in Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina in the large category. The four winning towns will be featured in the November issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine.
The contest includes towns in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. In 2019, Roanoke, Virginia took home the top spot in the large town category, while Knoxville was a runner-up.
Contact Mary Fortune at mfortune@timesfreepress.com or (423) 757-6653. Follow her on Twitter at @maryfortune.