Rock City is the Perfect Day Trip From Atlanta

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With our current pandemic, I feel like road trips are more the way to go. Which is why I will be writing a bit more about them now. While I was living in Atlanta I was fortunate to be able to visit lots of surrounding areas on the weekends for little mini road trips. Rock City was one of those. And let me just say, I totally fell in love with this place. It’s so beautiful. And definitely worth your time. It’s amazing that it’s only about a two hour drive from Atlanta! We went for the day and had the best time! Rock City really is the perfect day trip from Atlanta, Georgia.

What is Rock City You Might Be Asking?

Rock City is located on Lookout Mountain about 6 miles from downtown Chattanooga. It’s a great place to get lost in. There are various caves, lookouts, bridges, gardens and even a semi Disneyland like room towards the end of the visit. You can do wine tastings here (it’s really good!) and eat amazing funnel cakes with a view. I loved this place so much!

How To Get Here:

We drove and it was an easy drive from Atlanta. We both love podcasts so we popped one on (We love The Dollop!) and enjoyed our drive through the beautiful trees.

Once you arrive there is free parking and a Starbucks across the street! We stopped in and grabbed a drink before our adventure. Also the drive up here is stunning! So many gorgeous houses and we went last autumn so the trees were all changing. So lovely!

What To See At Rock City:

Grand Corridor.

The main path will first lead you through the Grand Corridor. It’s really beautiful. You’ll get a glimpse at just how beautiful this trek is going to be.

Lover’s Leap!

This was definitely my favorite spot. Not only was it absolutely beautiful, but it also had a very romantic story. Legend has it that a Chickasaw warrior named Sautee loved a Cherokee woman named Nacoochee. They loved each other in secret while the two tribes were at war. When the lovers were discovered, Cherokees sent out a raiding party which captured Sautee and hauled him to Lookout Mountain. They then threw him off to his death. Nacoochee was heartbroken and leapt off the cliff to be with her love.

You can also see 7 (yes 7!) states from the viewpoint here. There’s a restaurant where I grabbed a funnel cake too – yum!

Fat Man Squeeze.

I loved Fat Man Squeeze! It’s so much fun and it gets pretty tight towards the end!

Rainbow Hall.

Rainbow Hall is a cave you can walk through with painted windows that allow for beautiful light to come in. It’s really a gorgeous sight to see.

Swing Along Bridge.

For those of you like me who love suspension bridges, this is the place for you! (Although actually the suspension bridge park in Vancouver is for you, but that’s another story) ;). This is such a great addition to this already wonderful place.

If you’d rather not go across the bridge, there is an alternate path.

Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village.

This place definitely screamed Disneyland to me. It’s very cute and I loved all the Mother Goose tales made to shine brightly under all the black lights.

What To Bring:

Bring a camera to take lots of photos and some comfortable shoes. I’ve been eyeing these hiking shoes for a while now adidas outdoor Women’s Terrex EASTRAIL Hiking Boot, Grey Four/Black/Clear Mint, 8 M US.

Where To Eat:

If you’re driving up from Atlanta then I highly recommend Sugar Ribs on your drive back. We had an amazing dinner here with a beautiful view from the patio. I’d definitely go back there. I loved the potato nachos!

Ruby Falls.

Another perfect day trip from Atlanta, if you leave at an early hour like we did, is Ruby Falls! We did Ruby Falls first on our way to Rock City, which I’m glad we did because I liked Rock City better. Ruby Falls is really interesting and pretty, but I don’t need to do it again. While Rock City I’d happily go back to.

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I hope you enjoyed this road trip idea from Atlanta. It’s also probably a great road trip idea from Nashville as well. If you’d like to read more about things to do in Georgia, check out my 24 Hour Savannah Guide and my Guide to Staying in the Getaway Cabins. I hope you too will venture to Rock City, the perfect day trip from Atlanta.

Also if you decide you’d like to spend the weekend in beautiful Chattanooga, here’s a great guide to do just that!

Happy Traveling Loves! 🙂

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