Chattanooga, TN

Welcome to Chattanooga Tennessee!! A last minute weekend trip allowed us the opportunity to check out some of the area attractions. While the Marriott we stayed in was a bit disappointing - the featured social hour included a bowl of chips and some peanuts, and don't even get me started about the breakfast bar (which is normally a great benefit of staying at a Marriott). However the town did offer some unique and fun opportunities for the kids. Our favorite unique restaurant experience was the Mellow Mushroom. They feature pizza, calzones and some great looking sub sandwiches and salads. The pizza was great! Good crust, seasoning, the right amount of cheese and toppings and the salad was pretty tasty too. We tried both the Greek and Chef and enjoyed the fact that they do offer both full and half sizes. The atmosphere is very casual with TVs featuring sports. Our only complaint was the smoking section that sort of overlooked the nonsmoking booths - ick.

Ratings 1=Best Ever, 2= Pretty Good, 3= So,so, 4=Not So Much, 5=Not Worth It

Kid Friendliness Factor: 2
Worth the Money Factor: 1
Level of Fun: 1

The Chattanooga Children's Museum was great fun for the kids. We were disappointed that the museum was not part of the reciprocal network of museums for our membership so we had to pay, but it was worth the money. The water works section is huge which the kids love and there is a great climbing area - big enough for the parents to play too. There was also a great music section where the kids could try out different instruments or push buttons to make them play songs. We spent about an hour in this section alone. Overall alot of fun for the kids - the hardest part is to keep them moving along :)

Ratings 1=Best Ever, 2= Pretty Good, 3= So,so, 4=Not So Much, 5=Not Worth It

Kid Friendliness Factor: 1
Worth the Money Factor: 1
Level of Fun: 1

The Tennessee Aquarium - the big draw for the area, ended up being our least favorite. It is a great facility, but unless you really like looking at lots and lots of fish for many hours, it really gets old very quickly, especially with kids. There are 2 buildings. One focused on the Ocean and the other on the River. Throughout the Ocean building - our first building - the kids were fully engaged in the experience and enjoyed the stingray pond where they could pet the stingrays. Unfortunately after that one interactive experience, the rest of the tour was just looking. By the time we got to the River building most of the fish were looking similar despite the different parts of the world that the various fish came from. While I can't say anything really bad about the Aquarium, I do think its a one time attraction.

Ratings 1=Best Ever, 2= Pretty Good, 3= So,so, 4=Not So Much, 5=Not Worth It

Kid Friendliness Factor: 2
Worth the Money Factor: 3
Level of Fun: 3

The Parthenon - Nashville,TN

"EXCUSE ME...PLEASE GET AWAY FROM THOSE ROPES. THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR PROTECTION. PEOPLE HAVE BROKEN THEIR ANKLES CLIMBING NEAR THOSE ROPES!" yelled the PR director for The Parthenon Museum in Nashville, TN as my two children and their 2 cousins were playing near the benches in the exhibit. Mind you the kids weren't playing Red Rover or jump rope with the ropes or even really playing on them. They were following around my 2 year old who was walking over to the benches on the other side of the "safety" ropes that "protected" everyone from the 1 1/2 inch step between the exhibit area and the sitting area. Oh yes there were some cool pieces of art and the re-creation of the Parthenon and all its glory was cool, but this was the most memorable part of the trip by far.

Overall not a great place to take small children. Better for the older observer who can spend time reading all of the placards and observing the works. Fortunately it is only $5 per adult and free for kids 4 and under.

Ratings 1=Best Ever, 2= Pretty Good, 3= So,so, 4=Not So Much, 5=Not Worth It

Kid Friendliness Factor: 5
Worth the Money Factor: 3
Level of Fun: 4