My husband can’t help but make fun of me whenever I search in Google “What to do in…such and such…city” while we are traveling.
When setting my goals for this summer, my biggest thought was to get out and enjoy Chattanooga more. When I worked as a journalist for a local paper, I knew everything happening everywhere and was super in touch with events and programs. Since motherhood and my homemaker status, I’ve lost sight of what’s happening outside my immediate schedule.
To get back in touch with our city, I’ve decided to use the same mindset for Chattanooga as I have with the random cities we travel to, treating my beloved hometown like a new place I’ve never explored before. And in truth, I haven’t explored it like I should over the last decade, so it is almost like a new town.
My in-laws, who now live with us and moved in from out of state, have been exploring the surrounding area and finding neat things to see and do within a day’s drive of home. We can hopefully get to them when the girls are a bit older, but I need to stick to primarily Chattanooga-ish activities with a three-year-old in tow. Between sports, church, and the heat, I tend to be more of a couch potato in our off time than I would like. So, I’ve decided that when we leave home for one activity we have to do, we will try and add on an activity we want to do.
Planning these means more than a bit of searching various online calendars to see what is happening that is family-friendly and ideally doesn’t cost anything or, if it does cost, won’t result in meltdowns when my toddler hears the word “no” more than “yes, let’s buy this thing and that thing and all the things.”
Already, I’ve discovered some wonderful gems, including the many interesting activities at our various library branches and the star viewing with the Barnard Astronomical Society!
Let me know how I can fill out our calendar for summer. These are the websites and searches I do to unearth the most exciting events:
Firstly, Facebook:
I follow many of the various areas in Chattanooga on Facebook: Red Bank, Ooltewah, Hixson, and such. I also follow all the local library branches, the various market pages, the Aquarium and Discovery Center, as well as various moms groups (hello, Chattanooga Moms!), and any other part of the scenes I like, from writing groups to homeschool activity groups. There are many downsides to Facebook, I recognize, but for keeping in touch with what’s happening in your area, I honestly know of no better way.
Outside of the Book of Faces:
- Always start off your search with Google and “Fun things…or What to do in Chattanooga.” This search sometimes pulls up the most recent articles of various events happening and is a fast view into some of the calendars.
- Then get a bit more specific: Fun kids activities near me or summer activities near me.
- Find the Calendars that show most of the activities. (These take some patience to go through as most are slow and a bit clunky.)
Online calendars:
These are not ordered in any specific way; some have more of one type of event than another, but, in general, you can get a good feel for the pulse of happenings in the area via the websites below. Some are helpful in that you can save the event directly from the website into your calendar of choice, or even have the option to subscribe to the calendar so you see the events come in each week.
- Chattanooga Moms
- Visit Chattanooga
- Nooga Today
- Eventbrite
- Chattanooga Pulse
- Downtown Chattanooga Alliance
- CHA Guide
- Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce
- Outdoor Chattanooga
- Barnard Astronomical Society
- Chattanooga Market
- Chattanooga Public Library
- Chattanooga Audubon Society
I am beyond sure there are other helpful sites I’m not thinking of right now, so please comment below and let me know your favorite event calendars to keep an eye on! I hope this all helps to keep your summer active, interesting, and connected!
