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OTHER PLACES (AND BOOKS) YOU MIGHT ENJOY
Ghostly Books and CDs
For more of Chattanooga's ghosts, check out HAUNTED CHATTANOOGA, by Jessica Penot and Chattanooga Ghost Tours, Inc owner Amy Petulla. Hear even more of Chattanooga's haunted history, including stories about Hale's Bar, Chickamauga Battlefield, Memorial Cemetery, South Pittsburgh Hospital, Lookout Valley and St Elmo, and many more! Published by History Press. HAUNTED CHATTANOOGA, is available now locally and through your favorite online booksellers, including barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. The best price we've seen was $12.40 at an Amazon Marketplace seller.
Haunted Chattanooga is also a great present for turning someone who thinks they don't like history or reading, into a reader. As one of our readers puts it, "I just finished the book. I loved it! To tell you the truth, I'm not much into reading. When I bought Haunted Chattanooga, Sunday evening, I couldn't put it down. I fell asleep. I took it to work with me. yesterday and read during my breaks. Then finished it early yesterday evening. I even went back and read a couple stories to my kids. Your book is addicting!"
Also, check out Death's Dream Kingdom, by my fabulous coauthor, Jessica Penot. She is an award-winning author, and I could not have asked for anyone better to work with. Check out her blog! !! Our guide Vincent Phipps has a CD of spooky stories out. Check out Spooky-Nooga! Christmas Celebrations in Chattanooga
It is almost that time of year again- time for winter holiday celebrations! While Chattanooga Ghost Tours, Inc does not do tours every night in winter, we will do tours any night except Christmas by reservation in advance, as long as you have at least 4 people. We wanted to share with you some of the city's holiday celebrations, as well, however. My favorite is Grand Illumination and Christmas on the River, which will be taking place November 25 at Ross' Landing. Featuring dancing by the incomparable Choo Choo Kids, singing, a lighted boat parade, fireworks, and of course, the Big Guy himself, its the best free fun to be had. My second favorite is Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights. We have found it a fabulous place to take Christmas Card photos. There are also innumerable Christmas parades and other holiday entertainment. You can read about more events here.
Places to Enjoy in Chattanooga
If you need a snack or drink before the tour, drop in at The Ice Cream Show, in the same plaza where we start. They also sell various soft drinks, teas and coffee drinks. The Mexican Hot Chocolate has just a touch of cinnamon- yummy!
After the tour, try City Cafe, whose sample cake (several layers in one cake, each a different type of cake) is one of my favorite desserts in Chattanooga, plus huge portions on all their food.
If you love desserts and are in Chickamauga (for example, if you've been hunting for Ole Green Eyes in Chickamauga Battlefield), stop in at Chocolate Therapy Cafe on Gordon Street. Folks rave about their chocolate cobbler.
If you enjoy local history, take a walk with Chattanooga Sidewalk Tours.. They have both a daytime Dynamo of Dixie Tour that starts at the Read House, and an evening Bluffs & Bridges Tour, that includes the Bluff View Art District, Walnut Street Bridge, and Coolidge Park. Try checking out Raccoon Mountain Caverns, ranked as one of the top five caves in the country. Raccoon Mountain has its own ghost, which you can read about, in the upcoming book Haunted Chattanooga (available October 2011). They have even had some success lately in communicating with him! Make sure to ask about Willie when you go. For those with children, the Chattanooga Zoo, billed as "the best little zoo in America," is a delightful stop without being too long. They have recently opened their Endangered Animal Carousel, with some of the most amazing carousel animals you have ever seen, all carved by the folks at Horsin' Around, Chattanooga's own carousel carving school. Also, the Creative Discovery Museum, right off our tour route at Chestnut and Fourth, is a wonder for children ages 2-12! The kids will spot the large ship, built to be accessible for all to play on, in the front glass. For something truly unique to Chattanooga, check out the International Tow Truck Museum, at 3315 Broad Street. If you're looking for some free fun or places unique to Chattanooga, we'd suggest checking out the following: The Spaceship House. This is a unique private home that is worth the trip to drive by. Simply take I-27 N to the Signal Mountain exit, and follow that road up the mountain. The Spaceship House is on the left of the curves before you reach the town. Thanks to a sharp turn, you can see it from both front and back. Watch the hang gliders at Lookout Mountain Flight Park, which boasts that it has 5 times more pilots than any other school in the country. If you're REALLY brave, you can take a tandem flight there for around $200. Check out the beautiful outdoor Virgin of the Poor shrine in nearby New Hope, TN. The phone number is 423-837-7068. It is worth the trip.
Haunted Places to Stay in Chattanooga
For those adventurous souls who want to stay in a haunted place while here, there are at least 3 options of which we are aware. The Delta Queen riverboat is now docked in Chattanooga as a hotel, and they do rent out their haunted cabin. I believe the rack rate for that room is $179.00 per night, but not certain.
Or for the budget ghosthunter, many internet sites say the Super 8 Motel in Ooltewah has a haunted room. However, due to the nature of the motel, they have had alot of turnover, and their employees may not even be aware of this particular feature. : )
The Read House does rent out its room 311, and we have been told by our guests that during the off season, you can get the room if it is empty at the last minute at a substantially reduced rate. There are conflicting reports about whether it or the room currently numbered 313 (now used for a storage closet) is the original room 311, but guests have reported paranormal activity in both.
Other Ghost Tours
We love ghost tours, and are happy to share info about the ones we have been on. These are the tours we have experience with:
For those travelling elsewhere in the state, if you are in Nashville, you might check out Nashville Ghost Tours; we liked it alot. We understand they have also opened tours in DC and St. Louis; they are sure to be entertaining.
If you are in Memphis, the folks who operate the walking ghost tour there, Backbeat Tours, also have a bus tour called The Mojo Tour, where musicians take you (with plenty of audience participation) on a musical trip of the highlights of the city. It was unique and VERY fun; check it out!
We have not personally been on Appalachian GhostWalks - Haunted Vacations Ghost and History Tours http://www.AppalachianGhostWalks.com, but some of our guests have enjoyed their tours, and they have pasted many great comments on their website. They operate tours in various places in NE TN and Virginia.
Paranormal Research Of the South East (P.R.O.S.E.) is now doing investigation-type ghost tours at Hale's Bar. They graciously took me there recently, and shared some of the EVPs they got there. It was very interesting!
In Georgia, Dalton Ghost Tours seasonally operates a reinactment-type ghost tour, with actors. We learned some new things about locations we previously THOUGHT we were familiar with on this tour. Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama also has actors portraying the ghosts on their ghost tour, which is only offered one night per year, usually on their Kids' Day in the spring. (This is not to be confused with their fake haunted house they put on each fall.) One of our party got several orb photos on this tour.
Also, for those of you who have been waiting for a walking ghost tour in downtown Atlanta, you are finally in luck. We went on a tour with the owner of Dark Side Tours, which has only been operating since summer 2009, and really enjoyed it. Ask to go with Liz, the owner.
Links to Other Ghost Sites
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