The boys were able to wake up when they were ready to do so and not a minute earlier which was what they've been wanting all week. It did mean it took us awhile to get going but that was ok. We all just enjoyed a more leisurely pace :-) Besides, we could finally start the day with M & M pancakes specially made for Jason and Reilly. Hmmm good!
Then we were off to do more on the waterfront in Chattanooga. We chuckled because we parked in the same parking structure we've used twice before this week and actually ended up in the same space as the last time. Our first goal was to get tickets for a boat trip down the river but oh my, it was Saturday and the line was out the door. Quite a change after seeing so few people down there earlier this week. But there was still space for the 1:00 cruise so we purchased them and then checked out the River Walk which actually extends for several miles along the riverfront. We never got past the waterfall stairway where Carolyn and Jason slipped off their shoes and had fun going up and down in the cool water. Lots of families were doing the same thing. It really is a beautiful spot.
Afterwards we walked over to the Cheeburger Cheeburger restaurant which specializes in burgers built to your choice (with an amazingly long list of free toppings) and shakes (the list is 3 columns long of flavors!) The 50's style decor just adds to the fun of the place along with the terrific food.
On the way to the boat dock, we walked through the mall area around the aquarium buildings just enjoying all the scenery and art fair booths lining the area. This section of Chattanooga is really neat - and definitely a place that draws lots of people looking for a good time. There are trees and gardens, pools and fountains and interesting waterfalls. And lots of shady spots to sit and just enjoy the views.
The "cruise" we chose was on the hydrofoil run by the aquarium. It provides a 2 hour tour several miles down into the "grand canyon" of the Tennessee River which is how they refer to the section of the river with mountain on both sides. A naturalist on board provided a running commentary on the wildlife of the area as well as covering some of the history and physical traits of the area. The boat itself could go over 50 miles an hour and took advantage of that fact to give us a fun ride with several sudden stops that sent spray flying into to the air on either side of us. It also is capable of doing a 360 degree turn simply pivoting around so we got a demonstration of that too with the captain causing it to happen with a small hand held tool.
After the cruise, we returned to our car again past all the neat offerings on the mall and passing a couple of unique things including this brick bench at a bus stop and the pizza guy the boys are by. The restaurant itself had awnings that looked like bottle caps off of a Coca Cola bottle and in fact had that name on the top of each.
At the parking garage is this bike "rack" where you can "rent" a bike for an hour or more to ride around the area. Other pickup and return spots are all over the area. Kind of a neat way to get around this beautiful waterfront area
The boys enjoyed some more time at the pool when we returned but not for long as dark clouds came in followed by heavy wind, thunder and lightning and a hard rainstorm. That just encouraged us to return to the RV for supper and several games of Skip Bo and Farkle before calling it an evening.
I love the waterfall stairs. How cool. The boat ride looks great too.
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