Last weekend we took a quick day trip to “See Rock City” as painted barns all over the state have long encouraged passersby to do. We were expecting it to be a cheesy tourist destination, but it’s surprisingly scenic and not a bad way to spend an afternoon
Rock City is in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, just south of downtown Chattanooga. Ruby Falls is also a popular attraction there and probably beautiful, but the claustraphobic 2nd Grader and I couldn’t bear the thought of paying to be in “America’s deepest cave” for an extended period of time all in the name of fun.
One of the big claims about Rock City is that you can see seven states from a particular lookout area near the top of the mountain. I can’t tell you where those state lines fall, but the view is nice regardless. And, if you choose, you can dine at a little outdoor cafe on the cliff overlooking all seven states below.
Since it’s mid-July the afternoon was humid and hazy, but I imagine the lookout views are spectacular on clear mornings and most definitely in the fall.
One of the first attractions at Rock City is an area along the walking trail called Fat Man’s Squeeze because of the narrow passage between rock formations on the way down the trail. The Preschooler, who insisted it was “Batman’s Squeeze,” panicked about the whole situation. To be fearless in so many other ways, she was completely freaked out by the thought of getting stuck and had to practice deep breathing to get through this spot.
Once everyone made it through the squeeze, the girls were excited to see this area called Fairyland Caverns:
To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about walking into a pitch dark cavern with tons of touristy strangers, but the fairyland scenes were less creepy than I thought they might be. A talented sculptor spent hours upon hours crafting very detailed scenes based on European folklore and fairytales that come to life in the dark.
There is a section at the end of the cavern called Mother Goose Village full of scenes from the most popular nursery rhymes. The girls insisted I take a picture of nearly every scene, but my camera skills in blacklight situations are limited. This is a glimpse into the room where the village begins.
Once we were back outside, the next highlight was the Swing-A-Long Bridge.
For those who implicitly trust all the people in their party, there is also a beautiful stone bridge overlooking a huge drop-off with stones that only come up about as high as an average person’s waist. The oldest child would have walked straight across, my middle child wouldn’t have dared walk on it, and the youngest would have threatened something heart-stopping while on it, so we just took a picture of that one and moved on.
By far, the scenic highlight of the day was the 140-foot waterfall at Lover’s Leap:
For those who aren’t afraid of heights, there is a little viewing ledge to walk out on and snap a picture. I can’t stand heights and only allowed my people to go near the railing but not to the railing. You’ll notice, the 2nd Grader opted out of the photo altogether.
Going places with the 2nd Grader is kind of like traveling with an 8-year-old chaperone. She alerts us to any and all potential dangers and keeps up with everyone in our party at all times. Her main concerns are, in this order: “Why are we here?, Is this even safe?, Do they have snacks?, Where’s the gift shop?”
For those with a more adventurous spirit who can’t get enough of heights {like the 4th Grader and the Preschooler}, there is also a climbing wall where you can test your mountain climbing skills for $5. If you make it to the top and ring the bell, you can climb again for free.
I imagine the views from the top of the wall are spectacular, but only the 4th Grader can confirm that.
All in all, Rock City proved to be a fun marvel of nature that I’ve ignored for years. There were several other garden areas to explore and activities one can do {gold panning, a birds of prey show, etc}, but the afternoon heat deterred us from staying much longer.
Surprisingly, the whole attraction is pet-friendly and encourages visitors to bring their dogs or cats. We thought for two seconds about taking Rosie, but then remembered she loses her mind when she sees other dogs, birds, squirrels, or men — all of which were likely to be spotted on this outing. And so, she will have to “See Rock City” at a later date. For now, she is plenty busy seeing what she can see in her own driveway and doesn’t know what she missed.
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