Three days of rain over Chickamauga Lake ended in a spectacular sunset, just in time for the arrival of Keith and Diane from Michigan City, IN.
We introduced them to Chickamauga Lake with an afternoon cruise to Amigos for Mexican food.
We got an early start the next day at the 20th Annual Chattanooga Octoberfest.
The Wurstbrats Oompah Band rocked the Chicken Dance to kickoff the festival. Written in the late 1950s by Swiss accordion player, Werner Thomas, the tune lures even the klutziest wallflowers onto the dance floor because it makes everybody look ditzy.
When Octoberfest got crowded, we headed downtown to see Chattanooga Union Station, which was rebuilt after a fire in 1908. The first Chattanooga Choo Choo arrived via the Cincinnati Southern Railroad in 1880 and was the first passenger service in the South. The original engine rests on the tracks behind what is now a 24-acre hotel and vacation complex.
We left the Choo Choo to take a whirl on the 1894 Dentzel antique carousel across the Tennessee River in Coolidge Park. it’s a buck-a-ride on the fantasy glide and not to be missed.
Coolidge Park was hosting the Skyhounds World Canine Disc Dog Championships this year and we watched the talented K-9s perform after our merry-go-round spin. We finished festival-day with burgers and brews on our lakefront patio. Keith and Diane’s visit was short, but we got them back on the trail to Florida with good memories of Chattanooga, TN.