09.11.2024

Today’s Forecast

87º | 4% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 7:21 a.m. | Sunset 7:53 p.m.

💰 Local tourism by the numbers

Hamilton County tourism generates over $1.73 billion

“Hamilton County’s continued growth in tourism highlights the incredible efforts of our community and its dedication to remaining a premier destination.” — Chattanooga Tourism Co. President + CEO Barry White. | Photo by Steadfast Images via Chattanooga Tourism Co.

Residents know that Chattanooga is a pretty happening place — have you seen our events calendar? But the Scenic City also welcomes millions of tourists every year.

The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development just released the findings from its 2023 Economic Impact on Travel Report, which offers an analysis of spending + visitation patterns from domestic and international travelers.

You can check out statewide tourism numbers with this handy interactive dashboard — but we’re going to dive into the data specifically for our region.

Hamilton County ranked No. 5 for visitor spending compared to all 95 counties. The county generated ~$1.73 billion in direct visitor spending (dollars visitors exchange with businesses) — marking a 6.36% increase from the previous year.

The report estimates that 6,456,519 tourists visited for the day + 4,285,806 visitors stayed overnight in Chattanooga last year.

Impact on Hamilton County residents:

Visitor spending generated $179.37 million in state + local tax revenue
If not for the taxes generated by tourism, each county household would pay $1,205 more in taxes (the statewide average savings per household is $1,161)
Visitor spending directly supported 12,770 jobs

NOOGAtoday | STIR — Tourists seem to be big fans of the Scenic City’s food + beverage scenes (we are, too).
|
Photo provided by Chattanooga Tourism Co.

Direct visitor spending by industry:

$574.4 million | Food + beverage
$399.3 million | Transportation (ground + air)
$390.2 million | Lodging
$190.1 million | Amusement + recreation
$178.6 million | Retail

On an average day in Chattanooga visitor spending generated:

$4.75 million | Expenditures
$1.24 million | Labor income
$299,459 | State tax collections
$191, 972 | Local tax collections

Bonus: Don’t miss out on the opportunity to weigh in on how tourism impacts you as a resident or local business owner with Chattanooga Tourism Co.’s surveys.

Events

Wednesday, Sept. 11

Noontunes | Wednesday, Sept. 11 | 12-1 p.m. | Miller Park and Plaza | Free+ | Spend your lunch break outdoors enjoying games, food trucks, and a live music performance by Jimmy Allgood.

Thursday, Sept. 12

Redefining Work-Life Balance | Thursday, Sept. 12 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Floor Five of The Edney Innovation Center | $23 | Learn tools for juggling work and life + preventing burnout in this interactive workshop.

Friday, Sept. 13

Night Market | Friday, Sept. 13 | 6-9 p.m. | Parkside Hall | Free+ | Join in on the Friday the 13th festivities with a market featuring 20 vendors + music spun by DJ MCPRO.

Saturday, Sept. 14

Lower Meadow Wildflower Walk | Saturday, Sept. 14 | Times vary | Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center | $18 | Take a guided hike while looking at the meadow’s blooms.
Open House | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Overlooked Materials | Free+ | Enjoy activities and sip on free Double Cola + Ski soda while learning the history of this locally-based company.
5th Annual Sunflower Festival | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Chattanooga Green | Free+ | Spend the afternoon in the park enjoying crafts, food, face painting, and shopping from vendors.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Plan Ahead

🎉 Celebrate 70 years with this fun run + community festival

Two women posing in t-shirts for the Run for Hope event

Did you know? Scenic Community Credit Union (SCCU) offers educational resources on financial wellness. | Photo provided by SCCU and Bethel Bible Village

Lace up your sneakers and start thinking about your favorite face paint design (ours is a red wolf, of course).

Why? Because Scenic Community Credit Union and Bethel Bible Village are celebrating 70 years of service with a fun run + free community festival on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Bethel Bible Village Campus.

Here’s what’s in store for this action-packed celebration:

For the early risers

The Bethel SuperHeroes Run For Hope starts at 8:30 a.m. Dress up like your favorite superhero and register in advance for the 5K or one-mile walk. Yes — kiddos are encouraged to participate.

Sleep in and join the party later

Following the completion of the race is a whole host of activities for the community to enjoy, including:

Live music
Food from local food trucks available for purchase, including Chef Chasty Seafood + Culture-Licious
Kid-friendly activities like bounce houses, face painting, games + Touch-A-Truck
A professional soccer clinic
Door prizes + more

The festival is free and open to the public.

Cheers to 70 years

News Notes

Today Is

September 11, also recognized as National Day of Service and Remembrance and Patriot Day. Plan ahead for the 2024 Chattanooga 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb + 3.43-mile walk at AT&T Field on Sunday, Oct. 6, honoring firefighters and first responders who sacrificed their lives.

Development

A residential project in Hixson has won approval by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission. If approved by City Council, 325 single-family homes + 105 townhouses could be built off of Highway 153 — resulting in one of the largest development projects in the area. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Outdoors

In honor of National Public Lands Day, the Chattanooga Parks & Outdoors Department will host free activities on Saturday, Sept. 28. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can go for a walk and talk with Nooga Naturalist, support trail stewardship, and test your mountain biking skills.

Festival

In case you missed it, the Bacon & Barrel Festival returns to First Horizon Pavilion on Friday, Sept. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. Grab your tickets to sip on whiskeys from around the world, enjoy signature bites from local restaurants, and listen to live music.

Cause

The Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America has teamed up with MoonPies for its fourth annual selling campaign to raise funds for local groups. The fundraiser will run through November, and you can find booths at local area Elder’s Ace Hardware, Food City + Tractor Supply. (Local 3)

Concert

Calling all Dolly Parton fans. Local band Southern Drawl will perform a night of Parton classics at Songbirds on Friday, Sept. 13. To accompany the performance, Bluegrass Grill will be serving up food to those who purchase dinner tickets. See what’s on the menu. (Local 3)

UTC

UTC’s Department of History will host the Southern Labor Studies Association conference from Thursday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 22. During this time, scholars, labor activists + community members will explore the history and dynamics of labor in the South. (University of Tennessee Chattanooga)

Noogan

Hamilton County Water & Wastewater Treatment Authority Executive Director Michael Patrick was recently awarded the 2024 Golden Manhole Award by Clean Water Professionals of Kentucky & Tennessee. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of wastewater collection systems. (Chattanoogan.com)

Edu

Picture this: You create designs for imaginary beers — and get a job. That’s what happened to Kaitlyn Whalen, a ChattState graphic design graduate who now works for Oddstory Brewing Co. See her story.*

Arts

What’s new at the Hunter?

“Impact Zones” now on view at the Hunter

Look closely to see species native to Tennessee. | Photo provided by Hunter Museum of American Art

... you won’t find it within the galleries.

“Impact Zones,” created by North Carolina artist + naturalist April Flanders, is on view in the museum’s historic mansion stairwell and east art lounge. Flanders used printmaking, vinyl, and papercutting in her work to create multi-layered, large-scale pieces unique to the museum.

The installation is comprised of two parts:

Leaves + seed pods | References the critically endangered American chestnut tree
River ecosystem with native + invasive species in our local waterways | References the relationship between native organisms + forces that disrupt the natural balance

Bonus: There’s a hands-on interactive space in the east lounge where visitors can make their own contribution to the installation — meant to mimic the ever-changing Tennessee River ecosystem.

You can check out the installation now through August 2025.

The Buy

We’ve found the best game watching gear for your comfiest, rowdiest, most on-theme football season yet:

🏈 This chip and dip serving set is perfect for game night.
🏈 Impress guests with this novelty football ice cube mold for cocktails.
🏈 Create an instant couch cup holder with this no-spill drink holder.
🏈 Opt for a bamboo couch arm tray to hold snacks and drinks.
🏈 Shop this “Pardon the noise, we’re okay — it’s just football season” doormat.

More worth The Buy

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Kristen

From the editor

Last week, we asked our readers what they thought was the best game day food. The results are in, and chicken wings came out on top with 53.2% of the votes. If you haven’t already, I recommend trying the smoked wings tossed in Carolina Gold barbecue sauce from Feed Table & Tavern — they’re my personal favorite.

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