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Find Holiday Magic at Ruby Falls

11/29/2016

Meet Santa underground at Ruby Falls!

Christmas Underground returns this holiday season to Ruby Falls! From December 1-18 on Thursdays through Sundays, then daily from December 19-23, take a magical adventure deep within the heart of Lookout Mountain where children discover a secret underground passage to see Santa!

Visit the decorated gemstone mines in this unique setting 26 stories underground. Adventurers go on a journey past the Northern Lights and Sugar Plum Fairy Village, into a tunnel (optional), through an ice cave and to the North Pole where Santa awaits!

This festive event is made for children. Kids will meet Ruby Falls gemstone miners and enjoy interactive fun like panning for gems called "joystone" (which spreads the spirit of Christmas), using the joystone tester and cracking their own joystone geode.

Ruby Falls remains 60 degrees year-round making it the perfect atmosphere to experience nighttime magic during the day. Christmas Underground is in a separate part of the cave from where regular Ruby Falls tours are held. Combo tickets are available for the holiday event and the cave and waterfall tour. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. Admission is $11.95 for everyone ages 3 and up.

Ruby Falls is America’s deepest commercial cave and largest underground waterfall open for public viewing. It features a 145-foot waterfall located 1,120 feet beneath the surface of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. LED lighting is used throughout the castle and waterfall.

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Mountain Shops Holding Open Houses

11/28/2016

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Cindy Stiles at Mountain Escape Spa thinks Rustic House candles or McClain Made jewelry make great gifts.

by Gwin Tugman
Once again, the Christmas season is here, with all of its craziness. To take some of the hassle out of Christmas gift-giving, shop right here on Lookout Mountain!

The Fairyland Pharmacy has added many new items, including a battery-operated luminaire candle with an automatic shutoff, a bottle opener/corkscrew/magnet, a vinrella (a wine bottle with an umbrella inside), folding reading glasses in neon colors, picnic wineglasses, boot cuffs, adult coloring books (which are so hot right now), Gund soft stuffed animals, new Melissa and Doug toys, baby gifts, a big variety of sleds, Vitabath products, hilarious cocktail napkins, the nearly-famous Moo Mixer and lots of stocking stuffers, including travel products of all sorts. It always amazes me how one small store can offer so much variety.

Remember, despite our warm fall, snow will come, and the pharmacy has the best selection of sleds in town. The pharmacy’s open house is December 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there will be a 20 percent storewide discount and delicious food. I know I’ll be there because our granddaughter already picked out half of the Melissa and Doug toys!

The stores at the newly-named Lookout Mountain Village on the Tennessee side also have a big selection of gifts and will offer open houses on December 1 through 3. Yessick’s is the place to go if you want wardrobe accessories. You will find beautiful handbags, as well as lots of beautiful scarves and jewelry, and a new line of soaps that makes wonderful gifts. I found fur throws, lovely paper plates and napkins for the holidays, baby items, and a fiber optic safety leash for your dogs, which is awesome. New items will be arriving all through the holiday season, so be sure and stop by and see what they have.

Lots of new items are arriving daily at the Mountain Escape Spa, including Marigot pajamas and Faceplant Dreams satin and bamboo loungewear. You can also find fuzzy open-toed slippers, nightshirts, and satin sleep masks, as well as fingerless gloves/mittens, candles in brass coffee mugs, popular Royal Highnies products, cashmere scarves and machine-washable slippers for kids and adults indoor/outdoor play slippers. There are many things for the bath or shower, including fizzers for your bath that leave behind a surprise gift and very soft skin. The spa also carries local products, like McClain Made jewelry collection and Rustic House candles. Of course, there are the very popular Frasier fir candles, plus many other items. Expect deep discounts during the open house!

Market on the Mountain offers many new items, including Molly & Me Pecans from Charleston, which come in cinnamon sugar, bourbon, praline and salted and roasted. The Market also carries Betsy’s Cheese Straws and Miss Ginny’s English Toffee, both perfect hostess gifts. Grandma’s Coffee Cake is always great for out-of-town guests and it comes in several new flavors, including pumpkin spice, chocolate, and cappuccino. The Market has large Argentine red shrimp, which are perfect for shrimp cocktail. And, check out the chocolate Yule log; it would be beautiful on the Christmas table (it’s also delicious). The Market will also cater your Christmas dinner, as well as make gift baskets for any occasion.

Don’t forget that you can purchase gift certificates at any of our shops or restaurants. Remember to support our local businesses and save yourself some stress. Merry Christmas! (I heard a rumor that there might be a special visitor in a red suit at the Open House!)

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Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

11/28/2016

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Chris Bailey and Chrisi Hopper put finishing touches on a Christmas tree at Cravens House.

by Candace Chazen
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will sponsor the Historic Cravens House Christmas Program on December 2 and 3. There will a living historical interpretation of how a traditional Christmas could have been observed on this very site. The National Park Service relies on the talents of the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club to make the transformation of the Cravens House a magical Christmas event. Chairwomen Mrs. Glynda Warren and Mrs. Chris Bailey researched extensively to understand the décor of that era, and their findings might very well surprise you.

Instead of rustic decorations, Christmas in America in the 1860s was under the Victorian influence of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, who loved the extremely sophisticated German affects of the day. By the time of the Civil War, families were sending Christmas cards to faraway family members and friends, and these cards, portraying Victorian scenes of Christmases past, were saved and used as paper chains around the tree. Gold and silver garlands, made from foil chocolate wrappers, adorned the tree, and ladies searched their sewing boxes to make silk and velvet ornaments. Fruits were dipped in sugar to provide a little sparkle, and angels were seen throughout the homes, watching over the families. Knitted stockings danced in front of the fireplace, waiting to be filled with oranges, candy and nuts. Along with replicating these realistic decorations, the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club members will cut greenery and flowers native to Lookout Mountain to decorate the Cravens’ House: magnolia; fir; holly; beauty berries; spruce; pine; hydrangea and nandina.

Robert Cravens (1805-1888) was a pioneer Chattanooga industrialist who helped organize the East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company, chartered in 1847. This company consisted of a blast furnace and a foundry with a machine shop for the manufacture of both railroad engines and freight cars. He built the first blast furnace, which was coke-fueled, in Chattanooga, and it still remains operational.
In 1854, Robert Cravens purchased 1,000 acres, where he maintained orchards, grew cotton and built an L-shaped summer home, which he called “Alta Vista” because of its magnificent views. His home became the site for the Civil War’s “Battle Above The Clouds” on Nov. 24, 1863. This historic landmark witnessed some of the most intense and decisive fighting of the Civil War. His home, which was the only remaining Civil War-era structure on the mountain, was used as a headquarters for both armies. On Nov. 24, 1863, Union troops took possession of the Cravens House from the Confederates and it became the headquarters for Gen. W.C. Whitaker’s command. The Union soldiers used the floorboards, siding, walls and ceiling boards for firewood. The monotony of camp life caused many soldiers to stray to less desirable activities, and there was more and more fighting, gambling and drinking in the camp. The house was burned down by a Union soldier in a drunken brawl, but Cravens rebuilt in the style it is today in 1866.

War encampments brought disease, starvation, lack of clean water and death in these cold desolate months for both Confederate and Union soldiers. Soldiers in cold bleak winter quarters were reminded more acutely than ever of the domestic bliss they had left behind by the letters and packages from home during the Christmas holidays.

As the guests of the Craven House step back into the holiday season of the Civil War soldiers and their families, one can imagine the air of profound melancholy that had settled over our entire nation.

The Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club will decorate Craven’s House exquisitely as a “Designer Showcase Christmas House” illuminating the Civil War period. Tickets are free, but limited, and last year many were turned away. To make a reservation, and for more information about this event, please contact the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at (423) 821-7786. Tours begin at 6 p.m. each day, and run every 30 minutes until 8:30 p.m.

You will be captivated by the beauty of the city lights glistening in the distance as you step back in time to experience a vivid glimpse of a Victorian Civil War Christmas.

For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at (423) 821-7786, the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at (706) 866-9241, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.

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Thanksgiving Orders Due Thursday

11/16/2016

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There's still a little bit of time left to place your Thanksgiving meal order with Market on the Mountain! The menu includes favorites like ham rolls and boiled shrimp, roasted turkey and delicious sides like cornbread dressing, cranberry orange relish and more. There are many cakes and pies to choose from for dessert.

Download the order form here. Orders must be placed by Thursday, November 17. Orders can be picked from 3-7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23. For more info, call (423) 821-5150.

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Point Park Waives Admission, Offers Guided Hike

11/7/2016

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Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is pleased to announce the waiver of entrance fees to Point Park, atop Lookout Mountain, on Friday, November 11. Veterans Day will be a fee-free day for all park visitors in honor of U.S. veterans. All park entrance fees, including commercial tour entrance fees, will be waived at all 413 national park sites. This fee-free day provides an opportunity for individuals and families to find inspiration in "America's Best Idea," our national parks. The National Park Service has the honor of preserving many patriotic icons and majestic landscapes that commemorate and honor the service of American Veterans.

Also this weekend, join rangers for a 5-mile, guided hike exploring the "ruins" on Lookout Mountain. The hike is on Saturday, November 12 at 9am, beginning and ending at the historic Cravens House.

Each year, thousands of people escape the bustling city of Chattanooga to hike through the quiet forests of Lookout Mountain Battlefield. However, these quiet woods were once bustling with human activity, and upon close inspection, modern hikers can still find traces of our past along the trails.

This hike will cover nearly 600 feet of elevation change over rocky and uneven terrain. Participants should dress appropriately for the weather, wear supportive footwear, bring water, and are encouraged to bring a day pack and light trail snacks.

For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at (706) 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at (423) 821-7786, or visit park website at www.nps.gov/chch.

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Covenant Theatre Program Presents "Hamlet"

11/7/2016

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This November, Covenant College's Theatre Department promises to enliven Shakespeare's most famous tragedy in a production that roots itself in this timeless text, but invites the audience to interact with the story in new and evocative ways.

When director Claire Slavovsky and lead actor Matthew Mindeman considered whether to produce Hamlet for his senior project, Mindeman initially hesitated to choose such a well-known and challenging play. He came to realize, however, that many people have only read the script or viewed the film—fewer have had the opportunity to see it in person.

Slavovsky hopes that the production can capitalize on the power of live theater to animate this familiar story through engaging an "in-house" audience ― a benefit often lost in this digital age. "Experiencing stories together is an important part of community — it creates cohesion," she says. "Not just the community of the cast and crew, but also the college and even the city." In an age of instantaneously available stories on Netflix and Youtube – often viewed in isolation – she hopes to give the crowd the sensation that they are participating with the story as a group, instead of simply passively watching a story unfold as an individual.

"Especially compared to a movie of Hamlet, I think going to see this production and be present with this production is perhaps more active and engaging than you're used to," says Mindeman. "I want the audience to experience Hamlet fresh for the first time as a story, without the cultural baggage."

While the show will employ techniques that create more of a shared experience for the audience, this production of Hamlet will not seem foreign to those who have read or viewed the tragedy before. The production will be set in the court at Elsinore, complete with opulent royal costuming and swashbuckling swordplay. Mindeman will be joined on stage by Junior Abi Ogle as Ophelia, Senior Rob Schonthaler as King Claudius, and Junior Sammie Brown as Queen Gertrude. English professor Cliff Foreman will appear as the Ghost. Alumnus John Reeder will lead musical accompaniment he composed for the production.

Hamlet plays November 11, 12, and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and November 19 at 2 p.m with $7 tickets for adults and $5 for seniors, students, and staff. Visitors can also attend a final dress rehearsal on November 10 with $5 tickets for adults and $3 for seniors, students, and staff. There will be a discussion panel after the show November 19. To reserve tickets or ask any questions, call the box office at (706) 419-1051 or boxoffice@covenant.edu.

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NormalPalooza is Saturday

11/1/2016

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NormalPalooza is November 5.

Normal Park Museum Magnet School announces the 14th annual NormalPalooza festival on Saturday, November 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests will enjoy live music, fun, games, art vendors and food trucks at the annual fall festival. The festival covers the grounds of the North Chattanooga school's campus and a block of Mississippi, filling the neighborhood with art vendors, food trucks, bands, music and games.

NormalPalooza benefits Normal Park, a zoned HCDE magnet school with a museum-based curriculum and emphasis on integrating arts in education. A frequent "Magnet School of the Year" award winner, the school celebrates experiential learning, art, museum and community partnerships and family engagement. Featuring an art market with dozens of vendors, games and entertainment, the all-day festival has become an annual North Chattanooga tradition, drawing large crowds for an exciting day of fun.

Beginning at noon, Nick Lutsko and the Gimmix will be headlining entertainment, and guests will enjoy performances throughout the day by Normal Park students, bands and dance troupes. Trent Williams and the Menagerie, Lon Eldridge and Lumbar Five will also be performing during the day. Nick Lutsko and his band of Muppet-like musicians won last year's Road to Nightfall competition and the five-piece band performs upbeat and melodic originals in a style that combines energetic folk, indie-rock, funk and a touch of the blues. Lon Eldridge is a traditional musician with a hot ragtime blues sound and a masterful command of americana and jazz. Lumbar Five combines soulful vocals, soaring guitar, a percolating bassline, and a combination of a jazz/rock drummer paired with an out-of-this world percussionist from West Africa.

Adelle's Ice Cream Creperie, Good Dog, Kenny's Smokehouse BBQ, Southern Burger, Tikiz and Dave's Cotton Candy will have food and refreshments available for purchase throughout the day and there are rides and games for all age groups. Thrill-seekers will especially enjoy the Kraken, a 20-foot tall dual lane slide, a giant ship and octopus, this inflatable slide gives riders the thrill and excitement of escaping a ship with the rush of a mega-slide experience. A Bungee Run, Gyro Ride, bounce house and petting zoo will keep entertain all ages and everyone will enjoy the cake walk, sack races, toilet toss, bean bag toss, face painting, hair spray station and Lego station.

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Lookout Mountain
Happenings

Find Holiday Magic at Ruby Falls

Mountain Shops Holding Open Houses

Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

Thanksgiving Orders Due Thursday

Point Park Waives Admission, Offers Guided Hike

Covenant Theatre Program Presents "Hamlet"

NormalPalooza is Saturday

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Find Holiday Magic at Ruby Falls

Mountain Shops Holding Open Houses

Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

Thanksgiving Orders Due Thursday

Point Park Waives Admission, Offers Guided Hike

Covenant Theatre Program Presents "Hamlet"

NormalPalooza is Saturday

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Archives

Stay up-to-date

Contact US

Stay Connected

Lookout Mountain
Happenings