Chattanooga Accolades

Chattanooga was included in Outside Magazine’s Best Mountain Towns in the U.S. (2022).

Southern Living Magazine included Chattanooga as one of The Best Places for a Dreamy Retirement in the South (2022). 

Chattanooga was recognized as one of the top five growth markets for the meetings industry in December 2021 by Knowland in USAE News (2022).

Alongside Dozen Bakery for Tennessee, Niedlov’s Bakery & Café’s bread was named The Best Bread in Every State by Food & Wine Magazine (2022).

The Tennessee River was named USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice for the Best Urban Kayaking Spot (2022).

Hutton & Smith Brewing Company was recognized by Southern Living Magazine as one of The South’s Best Breweries (2022).

The Washington Post named Chattanooga as one of the 10 Great Cities in The United States for Outdoor Adventures (2022).

Chattanooga was recognized as one of The South’s Best Cities on the Rise (2022) by Southern Living Magazine.

Travel + Leisure named Chattanooga one of the Best Places to Travel in June 2022.  

Trazee Travels named Chattanooga as one of the Top Destinations for National Beer Day (2022). 

Treetop Hideaways was named one of the 17 Best Glamping Spots in Tennessee (2022) by Travel + Leisure.  

North Chick Blue Hole in Chattanooga was named the Best Natural Swimming Hole in the State (2022) by Southern Living.  

Chattanooga is one of the 15 Best Tennessee Vacation Spots (2022) by Trips to Discover.  

Calliope’s whole branzino dish was recognized as The Best Meals Our Editors Ate This Year (2022) by Food & Wine.  

Yahoo! Life named the Tennessee Aquarium on of the Top 10 Best Aquariums in the U.S. for Under The Sea Adventures (2022).  

Chattanooga was picked by travel experts as one of the 25 Most Underrated Cities in the US (2022) by Bobo & Chichi.  

Martin Luther King District was named one of the Best Food Neighborhoods in the U.S. (2022) by Afar.  

Chattanooga was named USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice as one of the 10 Southeast Mountain Towns for a Fall Getaway (2022).  

The Hunter Museum of American Art received five 2022 Southeastern Museums Conference Awards, one for publication design and four for the use of technology.   

Via Travelers named Chattanooga as one of the 16 Best Halloween Cities to Visit (2022).  

Chattanooga was recognized as one of the 5 Best Places to Climb in the Southeastern US (2022) by Lonely Planet.  

The Read House Hotel made Thrillist’s list of The Most Haunted Hotels in America (2022.) 

Fall in Chattanooga lands the 15 Best Places to See Fall Colors in the US (2022) by Kids Are A Trip.  

Birmingham Parent named Chattanooga one of the 11 Best Day Trips from Birmingham (2022). 

TripAdvisor names Chattanooga the Top Trending Winter Destination for U.S. Travelers (2022).   

Outside Magazine named Chattanooga’s Blk Out Retreat and Boulderfest as one of The 29 Best Outdoor Festivals in 2023 (2023) by Outside Magazine. 

Road Affair recognized Ruby Falls as one of the 20 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (2023).  

Chattanooga was recognized as one of the top five growth markets with the highest month-over-month growth for the meetings industry in December 2022 by Knowland in Business Travel News (2023). 

Chattanooga was named one of the Best Places to Travel in 2023 by Forbes (2023). 

IRONMAN Chattanooga was ranked 1st in Best Overall Swim, 2nd in Best Overall Satisfaction, 5th in Best Overall Bike, 5th in Best Overall Finish Line, and 5th in Best Overall Venue by VinFast IRONMAN Athletes' Choice Awards - North America (2023). 

IRONMAN Chattanooga was ranked 1st in Best Swim Course by the IRONMAN Athletes’ Choice Awards (2023).  

Fodor’s Travel named the Tennessee Riverwalk as one of 15 Best River Walks in the USA (2023). 

What Others Are Saying

“…Chattanooga has emerged from Nashville’s shadow to become a primary destination. Once known as a railway hub, today the city is better known for its outdoor activities, culture and affordable restaurants.” – Travel Channel 

It’s tiny, quirky Chattanooga. This funky town on the river has a huge art scene and, with that, a more welcoming, diverse environment than other Southern cities. – USA Today  

Zillow also backed this up when it tested the city's internet speeds and ranked Chattanooga as one of the best metros for remote workers. – Travel + Leisure 

…Chattanooga features real honest-to-goodness mountains and a beautiful river carving curves through downtown, and that’s just one reason why you should jump in your car to go see the River City. – Thrillist 

From fantastic restaurants to bizarre museums, there are plenty of reasons to take the short road trip to Chattanooga. - Thrillist 

In Chattanooga, the city has dedicated itself and a significant part of their public budget to sprinkling whimsical works of sculpture and murals around the city to provide a pleasant surprise around almost every corner during a stroll around the city center. – Thrillist 

Chattanooga is blessed with some fantastic outdoor spaces for hosting musical, culinary, and cultural events, so it doesn’t take much for them to throw up a stage and some fencing to create festival grounds.  – Thrillist 

Thrillist: “Chattanooga flies under the radar but keeps a lot up of aces up its sleeve -- its outdoorsy, affordable, and a dammed delicious place to spend a weekend.” (2018)  

A mountain town hitting the culinary heights – Thrillist 

Chattanooga’s sandstone boulders and cliffs surround the city and provide climbers with a lifetime of challenging lines. - Southern Travel + Lifestyles 

“Chattanooga is a scenic ѕоuthеrn сitу with a blеnd of ѕlоw-расеd charm аnd еxсiting оutdооr fun that арреаl tо any tуре оf viѕitоr.” – The Travel 

This midsize city is easy to navigate, and a nice outdoor spot to relax in is never too far away. – Travel + Leisure  

Chattanooga offers all the entertainment of city living, while its location in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains lends itself to plenty of outdoor adventures. – Travel + Leisure