We hope to see you at the NASG CONVENTION in CHATTANOOGA. This is a great
place for a vacation for the entire family..
Our Convention Hotel is the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel with
accommodations in Victorian Train Cars or conventional hotel rooms or suites.
The hotel features shops, swimming pools, Gardens, a Trolley, Model Railroad,
and a variety of restaurants. Our convention meetings, exhibits, clinics,
etc. will all be at the hotel. _http://www.choochoo.com/_
(http://www.choochoo.com/)
As an alternative, book your lodging on the Delta Queen Hotel downtown on
the river. Regardless of where you stay, you will want to see this
beautiful old steamboat. _http://www.deltaqueenhotel.net/_
(http://www.deltaqueenhotel.net/)
Bring the Family: Chattanooga is one of the best vacation spots in the
country for bringing the family.
Some of the best attractions, such as the world-class aquariums and an IMAX
theatre, are almost within walking distance of our convention hotel.
Free transportation is available to most downtown attractions from the garage
adjacent to the convention hotel. See this website for details of
attractions including useful tips you should know in advance.
_http://family.go.com/travel
/vacations/tennessee/chattanooga/best-chattanooga-vacation-for-children-282143/_
(http://family.go.com/travel/vacations/tennessee/chattanooga/best-chattanooga-vacation-for-children-282143/)
Learn about:
- Tennessee Aquariums and IMAX Theatre
_http://tnaqua.com/Home.aspx_ (http://tnaqua.com/Home.aspx)
- Coolidge Park and the pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River
- Creative Discovery Museum, a science and nature museum
_http://www.cdmfun.org/_ (http://www.cdmfun.org/)
- Ruby Falls at Lookout Mountain
_http://www.rubyfalls.com/_ (http://www.rubyfalls.com/)
- Tennessee Valley Railroad
_http://www.tvrail.com/_ (http://www.tvrail.com/)
(Ride our convention excursion on Thursday)
- NMRA Headquarters and Library -
(http://www.nmra.org/library/about.html)
_http://www.nmra.org/library/about.html_
(http://www.nmra.org/library/about.html)
Located at the entrance to the Tennessee Valley Railroad. Visitors can
access the library during regular operating hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
ET, Monday through Friday. The library is closed for major holidays and
occasionally for collection maintenance. If you plan on paying us a visit, we
strongly recommend that you call ahead to avoid any potential problems with
scheduling.
- Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
Our Thursday train excursion will include a short stop here.
_http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm_
(http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm)
- Raccoon Mountain Caverns _http://www.raccoonmountain.com/_
(http://www.raccoonmountain.com/)
- Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise
_http://chattanoogariverboat.com/_ (http://chattanoogariverboat.com/)
(Ride our convention luncheon cruise on Friday)
- Minor League Baseball
(See NASG Convention Registration form for a group outing to the
Tuesday night game.)
Other area attractions:
- Hiwassee River Rail Adventure -
_http://www.tvrail.com/pages/hiwassee-loop_
(http://www.tvrail.com/pages/hiwassee-loop)
Enjoy a 50-mile round trip up the beautiful lower Hiwassee River
gorge.
This 3-1/2 hour trip will take you to the top of the famous
"Hiwassee Loop"
where the tracks cross over themselves as they corkscrew up
the mountain
near Farner, Tennessee.
Trains depart from Etoway, Tennessee, which is about an hour's
drive east of Chattanooga.
- Copperhill Special - _http://www.tvrail.com/pages/hiwassee-loop_
(http://www.tvrail.com/pages/hiwassee-loop)
Take an extended excursion through the lower Hiwassee River
Gorge,
over the Hiwassee Loop, and to the joint cities of Copperhill, TN,
and McCaysville, GA. Total 94 miles roundtrip. Lunch on your own
during the layover before returning to Etowah.
- White Water Rafting -
_http://www.questexpeditions.com/chattanooga-whitewater-raft.php_
(http://www.questexpeditions.com/chattanooga-whitewater-raft.php)
Enjoy some of the best white water rafting in the eastern United
States on the Ocoee River, east of Chattanooga
For more Chattanooga visitor attractions, visit this website.
_http://www.chattanoogafun.com/_ (http://www.chattanoogafun.com/)
Plan your trip to visit other sites of interest during your trip to
Chattanooga:
- Layout Open Houses - Refer to the NASG Website for information
on open houses at both highrail and scale layouts that may be
convenient to your trip route.
- Space Museum in Huntsville, Alabama
_http://www.rocketcenter.com/mu/overview_
(http://www.rocketcenter.com/mu/overview)
- Nashville Attractions
- The Hermitage - Home of President Andrew Jackson.
_www.thehermitage.com/_ (http://www.thehermitage.com/)
- Opryland Hotel/Grand Ole Opry - _www.opry.com/_
(http://www.opry.com/)
_www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland/_
(http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland/)
- Country Music Hall of Fame - _http://countrymusichalloffame.org/_
(http://countrymusichalloffame.org/)
This is now a state of the art museum. Plan a minimum of 2 hours,
probably more. Plan ahead for ordering your tickets and for special
tours.
- Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art -
_http://www.cheekwood.org/_ (http://www.cheekwood.org/)
Closed Mondays. Beautiful estate reminiscent of the Biltmore
though on a much smaller scale, but still very impressive.
Plan lunch at the moderately priced Pineapple Room Restaurant.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park / Gatlinburg
This is our most visited national park. Located about 2 1/2 hours from
Chattanooga. I recommend entering through Maryville and Townsend, TN to
avoid the crowds in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
I recommend two special drives:
Loop through Cades Cove, which is entered near the entrance from Townsend,
TN. Go slow and enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
U.S. 441 Highway between Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC. This is one of
the most beautiful and impressive drives in all of North America. From
Cades Coves, you can access the Tennessee end of this drive without traveling
through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge on the Tennessee side of the park are usually
crowded and have a lot of junky tourist attractions, though many families
enjoy visiting there, especially Dollywood. Attendance was way down during
the summer of 2011 due to the economy.
Asheville and The Biltmore - A perfect stopover going to or from the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
We hope to see you at the NASG in Chattanooga, August 7-11. Start
planning now!
- Earl Henry, Nashville Bob Hogan, Madison,
Georgia
