Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga sits in a dramatic topographic bowl where the Tennessee River bends sharply through Moccasin Bend, surrounded by Lookout Mountain to the southwest and Signal Mountain to the northwest. The Tennessee Aquarium on the riverfront is among the largest freshwater aquarium complexes in the world. Lookout Mountain, site of a Civil War battle above the clouds, now hosts Rock City Gardens, a trail through massive sandstone formations, and Ruby Falls, a 145-foot underground waterfall.