This will be a busy weekend, Nooga. The Armed Forces Day Parade will take place tomorrow morning, Kane Brown will perform at Finley Stadium Saturday night, Mother’s Day is Sunday, and on top of all that, it’s graduation weekend for all three of our local colleges + universities.
UTC | Fri., May 6 + Sat., May 7 | Friday at 2:30 p.m. + Saturday at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. | McKenzie Arena
Chattanooga State Community College | Fri., May 6 | All day | Main campus gymnasium
Covenant College | Sat., May 7 | 3 p.m. | Chattanooga Convention Center
Wondering where to escape the graduation crowds? We’re here to help.
Chattanoogans waiting until it’s safe to return to State of Confusion. | GIF via Giphy
🎓 Morning
This weekend, it’s probably best to skip out on those popular downtown brunch spots — Daily Ration, Rembrandt’s, and Frothy Monkey will likely be packed with visiting family + friends.
Bonus: Two local sandwich shops, Mindy B’s Deli + River Street Deli, also serve NYC-style bagels, so you can head in before the lunch crowd to get breakfast sandwiches.
🎓 Afternoon
While grads show their families the popular sites, head to an event where only the locals will be. Enjoy the sounds of local musicians like Swayyvo at the inaugural Nooga Noise festival, head to the Red Bank Jubilee for food trucks and vendors, or shop St. Elmo vendors at The Woodshop’s Corner Market on 55th.
If you’d prefer to be in nature but want to avoid a crowded trail, try a hike ~45 minutes away from the city at Cloudland Canyon or Fiery Gizzard Trail.
🎓 Evening
Our favorite low-key, hidden-in-plain-sight evening hangouts?JMac’s wine bar (eye the crowds across the street at Universal Joint with sympathy from JMac’s window), Flora de Mel + Calliope (it’s over the state line, but closer to home than you’d think), Dub’s Place (a Red Bank hidden gem), and The Rosecomb’s homey garden.
Use the buttons below to share this story with a graduating student who will need a fun local resource (ahem, us) to navigate Chattanooga in their post-grad years.
QUESTION
Where are our alumni?
If you attended undergraduate or graduate school, where did you go?
St. Owsley/Jerry Garcia Tribute | Thurs., May 5 | 8 p.m. | Wanderlinger Brewing Co. | $10 | Spend Cinco de Mayo jamming out to tunes by Jerry Garcia + enjoying taco specials and Micheladas all night long. 🎶
Storytelling Spaces | Thurs., May 5 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Avondale Center, 1305 Dodson Ave. | Free | Join eight local artists to see their community-inspired projects — and even participate in some interactive work.
Friday
Food Truck Friday Pop-Up | Fri., May. 6 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga, 5704 Marlin Rd. | Free+ | Shop from local vendors to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift. 🚚
World’s Best Mom Market | Sat., May 7 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | The Chattery | Free+ | Shop from local vendors to pick out the ultimate Mother’s Day gift.
The Language of Birds Hike | Sat., May 7 | 9-10:30 a.m. | Stringer’s Ridge | $25 | Explore the language and communication style of birds in this outdoor class. 🐦
We Make Festival | Sat., May 7 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Coolidge Park | Free, RSVP | Artists, students, and anyone with something fun on wheels will line their creations under the Market Street Bridge to celebrate Chattanooga’s creative community. 🏎️
Sunday
Mother’s Day Family Canoe Adventure at Greenway Farm | Sun., May 8 | 2-4 p.m. | Outdoor Chattanooga OutVentures, 5051 Gann Store Rd. | $10 | This family-friendly, leisurely paced paddle takes you along a peaceful creek. 🛶
Daughtry | Sun., May 8 | 7:30 p.m. | The Walker Theatre | $54+ | Daughtry released their newest album, “Dearly Beloved,” in 2021.
We have amonthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Red Wolves players celebrate after a goal from Jimmie Villalobos during the team’s sold out home opener in April. | Photo provided by Chattanooga Red Wolves
With two sellouts in their first three matches of 2022, it’s safe to say that CHI Memorial Stadium is the place to be on Saturday nights. The Red Wolves are back home for three games in the month of May:
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, Sat., May 7, 7:30 p.m.
Central Valley Fuego FC, Sat., May 14, 7:30 p.m.
Greenville Triumph SC, Sat., May 28, 7:30 p.m. (including a Memorial Day celebration with post-game fireworks)
This week, the Chattanooga Police Department launched its mobile app “Atlas 1,” which allows users to submit tips, track active public safety incidents, and connect directly to CPD officers. 📱(NewsChannel 9)
State
Beginning May 3, 2023, federal identification requirementschange as the REAL ID License Act takes effect. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security has already issued more than 2 million REAL ID credentials to date.
Traffic
Today from 1-5 p.m., Broad Street between 7th + 8th streets will be closed for Mayor Kelly’s State of the City Address. Several intersections will be closed near Market Street from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Fri., May 6 for the Armed Forces Day Parade. 🚧 (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Edu
TVA + EPB recently partnered to award$36,000 in STEM grants to 11 schools in the Chattanooga area. Each school won $1,500+ in funding that supports science and math-focused education, providing resources such as coding classes, podcast labs, 3D printers, and more. 🖥️
Four Hamilton County Schools teachers — Marcie Williams, Justin Walley, Vanessa Moss, and Brooke Hopkins — were awarded a total of $17,000 to fund professional development experiences across the world. Nearly 200 HCS teachers have received this grant over the last decade. 🗺️ (Chattanoogan.com)
Community
Red Bank residents Lawrence Miller and William F. Hull recently launched a project collecting images of Red Bank to be featured in a book in partnership with Arcadia Publishing. Red Bank natives can share their photos for the project at the Red Bank Jubilee on Sat., May 7. 📸
Arts
Yesterday kicked off The Enterprise Center’s Storytelling Spaces, a celebration of community art + artists. At these events, eight local artists will exhibit interactive, community-inspired projects at several community centers through Sat., May 7.
Try This
The Chattanooga Zoo will host “Spirits in the Wild,” a night of enjoying an open bar at the zoo, on Sat., May 21. This 21+ event boasts cocktails and food from local restaurants, as well as live music and art demonstrations. 🍷
Travel
Need inspiration on how to use your PTO this year? You can start by requesting a free Visitor’s Guide to Greenville, SC. The city has been getting some major buzz lately, including being named among the 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022 by Travel + Leisure.*
Number
45,000. The number of people who havesolddiamonds + other jewelry risk-free with the experts at Worthy. If you’re not wearing that old diamond ring or luxury watch, Worthy can help you turn it into cash with their fast, competitive auctions. Sign up to try it.*
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This is the Night Pearl — and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to venture on a hunt to find it.
This mission will not be an easy one; no, in order to uncover the pearl you must first try all nine drinks from Night Pearl’s new menu being unveiled today. Only then will you unlock the 10th, secret, off-menu “Night Pearl” cocktail.
Are you ready for the hunt (and the new story-based menu) at this local tiki bar? We wish you luck on your adventure. 🍹
#DYK that your photos and quotes could be featured in our newsletter?
Editor’s pick:Congratulations to all of the 2022 graduates out there. I wanna send a special congratulatory message to our incredible intern, Gabriella, who will be graduating soon AND just found out that she will officially become a Fulbright Scholar. Kristen and I are so insanely proud of you, Gabby (and only a little freaked out that you’ll have to leave us). ❤️
I also feel like I have to address the Gwen Stefani references — I don’t know why, but I guess I have early 2000s pop on the brain.
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