Kim White was having car trouble, but the issue wasn’t a result of wear and tear on her vehicle. Rather, her dealer said she wasn’t driving enough. White, the president and CEO of River City Company, lives in downtown Chattanooga. She walks to work, buys groceries at Greenlife, and travels on foot to her bank.
From shopping, to eating out, to seeing a doctor, nearly everything she does is either a short stroll or a quick shuttle stop away. There are months when she doesn’t even fill her car with gas. “Downtown living is fantastic. I have so many more hours in a day. I don’t need to watch the traffic reports in the morning, and wrecks on the ridge cut don’t affect me,” she says.
White is experiencing what local suburbanites can only dream of while stuck in traffic during their morning and evening commutes: life in the heart of Chattanooga – life where the symphony plays, where new movies screen down the block, and where bridges offer a scenic view for morning, midday and evening walks. “I start my day walking a four-mile route with my dog through my downtown neighborhood. I get to see world-class art and watch the sun rise over the Tennessee River. How fantastic is that?” she says. Several local organizations and companies think that’s really fantastic, and have put together a self-guided tour to allow outlanders to sample life in downtown Chattanooga.
Called Day Trip Downtown, the event is scheduled to take place November 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and November 20 from noon to 6 p.m., rain or shine. The self-guided tour will feature access to recreational and cultural activities, sneak peeks at various housing options, discounts at local restaurants and shopping opportunities. Tickets for the tour will cost eight dollars apiece through November 18. During the event, tickets will cost $10 each. Tickets are available online through the Day Trip Downtown Web site (www.daytripdowntown.com), at local BB&T branches, and at Blue Skies, Ice Cream Show, Merchants on Main and Shadowbox Paperie.
People taking the tour must exchange their ticket for an event armband before starting the tour at either CARTA’s Shuttlepark Northshore on Frazier Avenue, Shuttlepark North at the Visitor’s Center, or Shuttlepark South at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Parking and free shuttle service will be available throughout the event. Ticketholders will also be given a brochure pointing the way to the stops on the tour.
What’s on the tour
One of the highlights of the tour will be the open houses. These will include: a Harrington Place condominium on the Southside; a Museum Bluffs Parkview condominium; a One North Shore condominium; a Terrace at Frazier condominium; two single family residences on the Southside, including one in Jefferson Commons and another in Southside Village; and a townhome on Walnut Street. Each residence will be decorated for the holidays.
Between visits to the different residences, day trippers will be able to eat meals and purchase refreshments at 25 local restaurants, coffee houses and desert stops, each of which will be offering something for free or at a special price. Nearly 40 downtown retailers, salons and art galleries will also be offering discounts. The comprehensive tour will also include special deals at several local attractions, including the Tennessee Aquarium, Creative Discovery Museum, Hunter Museum of American Art and more. People attending Day Trip Downtown will also be able to turn the event into a weekend getaway by taking advantage of special deals at five downtown hotels.
River City Company and the Home Builders Association of Southern Tennessee worked together to make Day Trip Downtown possible. Media sponsors include Comcast, The Pulse and Hippie Radio 106.9.
About River City and HBAST
River City is downtown Chattanooga’s economic development company. The organization was created as a non-profit in 1986 to implement a 20-year blueprint for the city’s riverfront and downtown development. It currently works to promote the benefits of Chattanooga through downtown growth and development, from creating housing and entertainment venues to encouraging private investment.
The Home Builders Association of Southern Tennessee is a not-for-profit trade association comprised of builders, developers and associated firms engaged in home building, remodeling and light commercial construction. The organization assists its members through governmental representation, education, networking, information and other services. Together, these organization hope Day Trip Downtown will encourage more people to choose life “in the middle of it all.”
“Whether it’s tasty cuisine, boutique shopping, limitless entertainment, outdoor recreation, or a choice of housing options with the latest creature comforts, downtown Chattanooga delivers a fresh, hip and convenient lifestyle all its own,” reads a blurb on the Day Trip Downtown Web site.
For more information about Day Trip Downtown and the six distinct districts that make up downtown Chattanooga, visit www.daytripdowntown.com.