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Tennessee

Underwater and Outer Space: Chattanooga With Your Grandchild

Program No. 17691RJ

Learn all about Chattanooga and beyond as you and your grandchild ride a historic train, experience a space simulator, visit an underground waterfall and spend a night at an aquarium!

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Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

6 days

5 nights

12 meals

5B 3L 4D

Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Chattanooga, TN

History, Train Ride, River Boat Cruise, Choo Choo Terminal

Chattanooga, TN

Horsin' Around Carving School, Coolidge Park, Space Center

Chattanooga, TN

Rock City and Ruby Falls, Sleepover at the TN Aquarium

Chattanooga, TN

Behind the Scenes TN Aquarium, Duck Boat Land to Sea, Music

Chattanooga, TN

Wrap-up Session, Program Concludes

Chattanooga, TN

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At a Glance

This adventure with your grandchild will launch you far beyond the borders of Chattanooga and into your imaginations as you play and learn together. Become an astronaut for a day at the Challengers Space Center as you fly a simulated space mission. Imagine you’re a conductor or an escaping outlaw as you climb aboard an old-school train for a ride on the rails. And transform yourself into a fish or favorite marine animal as you sleep among your finned friends during an aquarium sleepover! After a week of science, history and a little make believe, you’ll head home with unforgettable memories under your belt!

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to two miles a day over uneven terrain and including stairs.

Best of all, you’ll…

Ride the rails across Chickamauga Creek, and sleep among the sharks at the Tennessee Aquarium.
At the Challenger Space Center, get “launched” into space and conduct research in a real Space Lab.
Hear tales of notorious outlaws, Civil War soldiers and Native American warriors, and discover an underground waterfall at Lookout Mountain.

General Notes

Program is for grandchildren ages 9-12.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Justin Strickland

Justin Strickland has been fascinated by trains his entire life. His first "railroad" job was with the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway at the age of 15, where he eventually became a conductor. Justin has also worked with the Southeastern Railway Museum, Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. He authored the only book dedicated to the Terminal Station in Chattanooga and has been interviewed for the railroad documentary "Tracing the Tracks."

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Justin Strickland View biography

Maury Nicely View biography

Maury Nicely is a lawyer and historian in Chattanooga, Tenn., and author of the “Chattanooga Walking Tour & Historic Guide” and the “East Tennessee Walking Tour & Historic Guide.” Maury has served on the boards of Chattanooga History Center and Cornerstones, Inc., Chattanooga's historic preservation organization.

Carol Burton View biography

Carol Burton attended Dalton State College, where she began her 16 years as a Road Scholar coordinator with its Center for Educational Adventure. Married to her childhood sweetheart, she grew up in Hampton, Va., and moved to Georgia in 1970. Carol said she was born with a love for animals and volunteers with her local humane society.

Tom Morley View biography

Tom Morley’s musical career spans thirty years and a host of genres. He's played Celtic, bluegrass, classical, swing, Americana and country honky tonk, earning a gold album for his work with “new traditionalist” country artist John Anderson. Classically trained with a degree in music education, Tom's followed his passion for Irish traditional music for the past two decades. Tom teaches privately and at fiddle workshops and string camps around the U.S., including Boston's Fiddle Hell Gathering and the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Suggested Reading List (3 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Underwater and Outer Space: Chattanooga With Your Grandchild

Program Number: 17691

Chattanooga Landmarks (TN): Exploring the History of the Scenic City (The History Press) [Paperback]

by Jennifer Crutchfield

Chattanooga's history and heritage are embodied in the historical sites, structures and groundbreaking feats of engineering that have defined the city from its beginning. Many of the Scenic City's most important landmarks are still preserved. Yet with so many fascinating historic sites and storied destinations, seeing them all is no easy task. Fortunately, Chattanooga Landmarks offers a helpful survey of the most historically significant sites in the city and the surrounding area. Join Chattanooga local Jennifer Crutchfield as she guides you through the city's historic wonders, both natural and man-made. From the top of Lookout Mountain down to the banks of the Tennessee River and through downtown, Chattanooga Landmarks covers the breadth of the historic sites that make this Tennessee city a landmark all its own.

My Tripp to Chattanooga

by Linda Winters, Micki Brawley Amos

Told through the eyes of eight-year-old Micki as she relates her adventures in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She takes you to an aquarium and an amusement park; to an underground waterfall and a Civil War Battlefield; on a fast ride down the River Gorge and a fast slide down a hill on a piece of cardboard; a walk across a glass bridge and a stroll along a train depot. She rides a Duck and holds a creepy, crawly hissing cockroach; and much, much more.

Chattanooga's Terminal Station (TN)

by Justin W. Strickland

Long before Glenn Miller made the world-famous "Chattanooga Choo Choo" an American icon, Chattanooga was already a bustling railroad community. By the beginning of the 20th century, passenger trains overwhelmed Chattanooga's two railroad depots and a larger station was needed. The solution was Terminal Station, which rivaled most Southern depots in size, expense, and aesthetic beauty. Providing transportation to cities throughout the country, the terminal made its mark as the gateway for rail from the agricultural south to the industrial north. Following its closure, the terminal was reopened as a renowned hotel and entertainment complex in 1973, becoming one of Chattanooga's many exciting attractions. Images of Rail: Chattanooga's Terminal Station follows the history of this depot in both stories and photographs.

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Underwater and Outer Space: Chattanooga With Your Grandchild

Enroll with Confidence

Protecting the Environment

At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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