Chattanooga's whole pitch is that there's always something going on. Use the
category pages below, then check the week's events before you head out.
The Walnut Street Bridge (the "Walking Bridge") is the anchor of the
downtown riverfront - a 2,376-foot historic truss bridge spanning the
Tennessee River, connecting downtown (Ross's Landing) to the Northshore.
Grand reopening: Saturday, October 3, 2026 (noon–3pm celebration with
ceremonial walk, live entertainment, and family activities) — re-verified
September 2026 via NewsChannel 9, Times Free Press and Chattanoogan (all Sep 3 2026, plus Sep 7 follow-up). The bridge has been undergoing a major 18-month rehabilitation —
replacing decking and sidewalk boards, repairing steel, ADA improvements,
new lighting, and park restoration — and the project ran a couple of weeks
past its original schedule and several million dollars over budget. The 2026
Ironman (September 27, its 12th year) ran just before the reopening.
Check the official renovation timeline
for updates before planning a walk across.
- Walk it: the bridge is pedestrian-only (bikes and leashed dogs welcome),
with benches, light towers, and wide-open views of the river, the Bluff
View bluffs, and the skyline. A full crossing is ~1 mile round trip with
the riverwalk on each side.
- The loop: Walnut Street Bridge -> Coolidge Park -> Renaissance Park ->
back across the Market Street Bridge, or up the riverwalk the other way to
Ross's Landing. The riverwalk under the bridge continues east for miles.
- History: opened 1891, closed to cars in 1978, saved from demolition
and reopened as a pedestrian bridge in 1993 - at the time the longest
pedestrian bridge in the world
(chattanooga.gov).
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Nearby events: the 4 Bridges Arts Festival
(April, at the First Horizon Pavilion) is Chattanooga's big juried art
festival, and the bridge is the prime spot to watch July 4th fireworks and
New Year's Eve.
- Practical: no parking on the bridge itself - use the downtown garages or
the Northshore (Coolidge Park) side. On hot summer days it's shade-free, so
bring water.
- Parks & Greenways - riverfront, city, county, and state parks
- Outdoors & Hiking - the mountains, the river, the trails
- River, Lakes & Boating - the river, dams, boat ramps, fishing, paddling
- Camping & Overnight - state parks, lakefront, primitive, and RV campgrounds
- Family - aquarium, zoo, museums, parks
- Date Night - dinner + a show + a river walk
- Chattanooga Market - Sunday mornings/afternoons at the First Horizon
Pavilion: local food, produce, crafts, live music
(chattanoogamarket.com).
- Nightfall - free Friday-evening concerts on Miller Plaza in summer
(seasonal; check the current schedule)
(nightfallchattanooga.com).
- Farmers markets - seasonal, several around town, including the
Chattanooga Market and smaller neighborhood markets on weekends.
- Breweries - the Southside/Northshore have a dense brewery crawl; most are
family- and dog-friendly.
- Chattanooga FC - local pro soccer with a real fan base (seasonal,
chattanoogafc.com).
- Chattanooga Lookouts - Double-A (Reds affiliate) baseball at the new
Erlanger Park in the South Broad District (opened April 2026, replacing
AT&T Field) - cheap, family-friendly, and a genuine downtown night out
(lookouts.com, erlangerpark.com).
- 4 Bridges Arts Festival (April) - Chattanooga's premier juried fine art
festival at the First Horizon Pavilion, presented by the Association for
Visual Arts (visitchattanooga.com).
- Riverbend (early summer) - the big multi-day music festival downtown
on the riverfront (riverbendfestival.com).
- Ironman Chattanooga - triathlon weekend on the riverfront in late
summer/fall (2026 race day: Sunday, September 27)
(ironman.com).
- New Year's Eve - the Moon Pie Drop at the Chattanooga Choo Choo
and fireworks over the river.
- Holiday lights & the Choo Choo - the train station's winter light show
(choochoo.com).
Always verify current event dates - use the
Chattanooga events calendar
rather than trusting a wiki for this week's schedule.
Last updated: September 2026 — web-verified (Walnut Bridge Oct 3, Erlanger Park).