Chattanooga was named one of Outside magazine’s top U.S. mountain towns in 2022. This is no surprise, because Chattanooga’s autumns offer a wide variety of things to do, such as walking the Tennessee Riverwalk and Walnut Street Bridge, hiking one of the 50 nearby trails within a 30-minute drive of downtown, biking along the Tennessee River, rafting, paddling and hang gliding over the bright foliage. The Tennessee River was named the best urban kayaking spot by USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice. All that activity making you hungry? Recently, bread from Niedlov’s Bakery & Café was named The Best Bread in Every State by Food & Wine magazine. How about a bit of history? The Hunter Museum of American Art will continue to celebrate its 70th anniversary with a selection of works from an private collection.
For sports fans, the TSSAA Girls’ Soccer Championships and the Bluecross Bowl will be held this fall for the second consecutive year. Chattanooga is also ramping up its lodging options with new properties, such as the Avid Hotel, Element by Westin and two soon-to-open TownPlace Suites. Highlights of the fall/winter event calendar include the October Days at Rock City, every Saturday and Sunday during October; Chattanooga Oktoberfest (Oct. 8– 9); Chattanooga Motorcar Festival (Oct. 14–16); the Collegedale Appel Festival (Oct. 22–23); Future of Freight Festival (Nov. 1–3); and the Rock City’s Enchanted Garden Lights (Dec. 18–Jan. 1).