Visitor directory
Hamilton County directory
Chattanooga on the Tennessee River — the Tennessee Aquarium, the Walnut Street Bridge and the Riverwalk — with Lookout Mountain’s Point Park, the Incline Railway and Ruby Falls above it, Signal Point at the southern end of the Cumberland Trail, the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge on Walden Ridge, and Harrison Bay, Booker T. Washington and Chester Frost parks on Chickamauga Lake. On Eastern time — an hour ahead of Marion and Sequatchie next door.
Cities: Chattanooga (county seat) · East Ridge · Soddy-Daisy · Red Bank · Collegedale · Signal Mountain · Lookout Mountain · Walden · Lakesite · Ridgeside
Communities: Apison · Fairmount · Falling Water · Harrison · Middle Valley · Ooltewah · Sale Creek
Official tourism, parks & attractions
Tourism
- Visit Chattanooga (Chattanooga Tourism Co.) ↗The county’s official visitor guide — things to do, events, lodging and dining across Chattanooga and Hamilton County · Virtual Visitors Center (800) 322-3344, Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–5 PM ET.
Parks & outdoors
- Lookout Mountain Battlefield & Point Park (Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park) ↗Atop Lookout Mountain in the town of Lookout Mountain, TN · the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center is open daily 8:30 AM–5 PM ET (closed Christmas and New Year’s Day), and the Point Park gate opens at 8:30 AM ET · Point Park is the only unit that charges: $10 a person age 16 and up · Missionary Ridge, Orchard Knob, Signal Point and Moccasin Bend are free · all units close a half hour after sunset · the Chickamauga battlefield and its visitor center are in Georgia.
- Signal Point & the Cumberland Trail’s southern end ↗On Signal Mountain · Signal Point, a free unit of the national military park, looks down into the Tennessee River Gorge, and the Cumberland Trail begins here, dropping into Middle Creek Gorge past Rainbow Lake to Edwards Point · Signal Point restrooms close Dec 1–Mar 15 (NPS).
- North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park ↗354 Montlake Rd, Soddy-Daisy · about 6,000 acres of gorge on Walden Ridge, with the Cumberland Trail’s North Chickamauga section · ⚠️ since March 23, 2026, for about a year, the Montlake Rd entrance and main trailhead, Blue Hole, the Hogskin Loop, Stripmine Falls and the Cumberland Trail from the main trailhead to Boston Branch Overlook are closed for construction · the Flipper Bend and Barker Camp trailheads stay open with limited parking — check the park page before you go.
- Harrison Bay State Park ↗8411 Harrison Bay Rd, Harrison · about 1,200 acres on Chickamauga Lake, with a marina, a campground and the Bear Trace golf course.
- Booker T. Washington State Park ↗5801 Champion Rd, Chattanooga · about 400 acres on Chickamauga Lake, with fishing, paved trails and overlooks, and an All-Terrain Wheelchair Trail.
- Chester Frost Park (Hamilton County Parks) ↗7872 Causeway Rd, Hixson, on Chickamauga Lake · 228 campsites and yurts, a boat ramp, fishing and a swimming beach with no lifeguard · Ranger Station (423) 209-6894, daily 10 AM–5 PM ET.
- Enterprise South Nature Park (Hamilton County Parks) ↗190 Still Hollow Loop, Chattanooga · paved paths, mountain-bike trails and the Summit Knobs horse trail · park open 7 AM–7:30 PM ET; visitor center Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM ET · (423) 209-5350.
- Tennessee Riverpark & the Tennessee Riverwalk ↗4301 Amnicola Hwy · (423) 209-5370 · the county’s riverside park on the landscaped Tennessee Riverwalk, the paved path along the river into downtown Chattanooga; downtown, the restored Walnut Street Bridge carries walkers across the river to Coolidge Park on the North Shore.
Attractions
- Tennessee Aquarium ↗1 Broad St on the downtown riverfront · a nonprofit aquarium that follows the water “from the mountains to the sea,” with an IMAX theater · hours change by season; check the day’s hours and last entry online.
- Lookout Mountain Incline Railway (CARTA) ↗Lower station 3917 St Elmo Ave in St. Elmo; the cars climb Lookout Mountain to the upper station in the town of Lookout Mountain · back in service after the December 2024 wildfire on the mountain · check the day’s hours online — the last car runs before closing.
- Ruby Falls ↗1720 S Scenic Hwy on Lookout Mountain · a glass-front elevator drops 260 feet into the cave for a guide-led walk to an underground waterfall · timed-entry tickets sell out — book ahead. Rock City, on the same mountain, is in Georgia.
- Chattanooga Zoo ↗301 N Holtzclaw Ave · more than 100 species · open daily 9 AM–5 PM ET (closed Christmas and New Year’s Day) · the Asian Lantern Festival runs Nov 18–Jan 23.
Museums & history
- Hunter Museum of American Art ↗10 Bluff View Ave, on the bluff above the river · American art, with a permanent collection and changing exhibitions · check hours, parking and admission online.
- Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum ↗4119 Cromwell Rd, Chattanooga · restored trains, with the Missionary Ridge Local running through a pre–Civil War railroad tunnel · check the ride schedule online.
- National Medal of Honor Heritage Center ↗2 W Aquarium Way, Suite 104, by the Tennessee Aquarium · galleries and exhibits on the Medal of Honor and its recipients · check hours online (last ticket 45 minutes before closing).
- Bessie Smith Cultural Center ↗200 E M.L. King Blvd · the Chattanooga African American Museum, named for Bessie Smith, the Chattanooga-born “Empress of the Blues” · closed Sat–Mon.
- Creative Discovery Museum ↗321 Chestnut St, downtown · hands-on children’s museum, 10 AM–5 PM ET · closed Wednesdays during the school year.
Government
- Chattanooga Public Library ↗Downtown library and neighborhood branches — see Locations & Hours.
- Hamilton County government ↗County Mayor’s Office (423) 209-6100 · County Mayor Weston Wamp · parks at parks.hamiltontn.gov.
- City of Chattanooga ↗The county seat — city services, parks and the City Council.
Shared with neighboring counties
- Cumberland Trail State Park (TN State Parks) — shared with other counties; listed under East Tennessee (general)
Local resources
- Emergency (police · fire · EMS)911Call 911 for any emergency.
- Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office(423) 622-0022Non-emergency dispatch · headquarters 600 Market St, Chattanooga · Sheriff Austin Garrett ⓘ source
- Chattanooga Police Department (non-emergency)(423) 698-2525Inside the City of Chattanooga · town police non-emergency numbers (East Ridge, Red Bank, Collegedale, Signal Mountain, Soddy-Daisy, Lookout Mountain) are on the 911 District’s list. ⓘ source
- Hamilton County EMS (non-emergency)(423) 622-7777Ambulance non-emergency line (911 District list). ⓘ source
- Hamilton County Emergency Management(423) 209-6911317 Oak St, Suite 302, Chattanooga · storm and disaster information. ⓘ source
- Erlanger Baroness Hospital(423) 778-7000975 E 3rd St, Chattanooga · emergency department; Level I Trauma Center for adults. ⓘ source
- Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department(423) 209-8000921 E 3rd St, Chattanooga · clinics, vaccinations, vital records. ⓘ source
- Hamilton County Schools(423) 498-70203074 Claude Ramsey Pkwy, Chattanooga. ⓘ source
- Hamilton County Election Commission(423) 209-8683700 River Terminal Rd, Chattanooga · Election Day Tue Nov 3: vote at your own precinct; early voting ends Thu Oct 29. ⓘ source
- Hamilton County Veterans Service Office(423) 209-7884455 N Highland Park Ave, Chattanooga. ⓘ source
- Highway emergency (cell)*THP (*847)Tennessee Highway Patrol ⓘ source
Checked Oct 28, 2026 · official sites only · phone numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. In an emergency, call 911.
Area news
Headlines from local outlets · Hamilton County
Hamilton County is moving forward with a more than $100,000 water upgrade at McDonald Farm, land the county bought with the intent of bringing industry to the site.
Read at NewsChannel 9 →County commissioners selected Sherrie Ford on Oct. 28 to represent District 11, filling the last open seat on the Hamilton County School Board.
Read at Local 3 News →Chattanooga leaders are tightening oversight of the city’s Fleet Management Division after an internal audit found more than $1 million spent on auto parts through unauthorized transactions.
Read at NewsChannel 9 →The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga invited data center experts to answer common questions about how data centers are developed and what they mean for the community.
Read at Local 3 News →
Short summaries in our words — tap through to read the full story at the outlet. All area news → · Outlet requests: [email protected]
A short history
The Tennessee River winds through the convergence of several mountain ranges here, and the region was the last stronghold of the Cherokees in Tennessee. The General Assembly created Hamilton County on October 25, 1819, from Rhea County and land the Cherokees had given up by treaty, and named it for Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury under George Washington. At first the county stopped at the Tennessee River; the land to the south, including the site of Cherokee Chief John Ross’s landing in present-day Chattanooga, was added only after the disputed Treaty of 1835, which led to removal and the Trail of Tears. Ross’s Landing became one of the main staging areas for the trek west.
The 1820 census counted 821 residents, clustered at Sale Creek, at Poe’s Crossroads (Daisy) and at the farm of Asahel Rawlings (Dallas). The first courts met at Hasten Poe’s tavern near the foot of Walden Ridge, then at John Mitchell’s farm, then in a log courthouse at Dallas on the river. The seat moved across the river to Harrison in 1840 and to fast-growing Chattanooga in 1870. Railroads made Chattanooga a rail center: the Western & Atlantic arrived in 1849 and the Nashville & Chattanooga was finished in 1854. In the fall of 1863 Confederate forces, after the battle at Chickamauga in Georgia, besieged the city from the surrounding mountains until Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman broke the siege with victories at Wauhatchie and Lookout Mountain and the charge up Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863.
After the war the city survived a cholera epidemic, yellow fever and great floods and grew into a manufacturing center. It became the site of the first Coca-Cola bottling franchise, and the Krystal hamburger, the MoonPie, Double-Cola and Little Debbie snack cakes all began in the county. Adolph Ochs went from the Chattanooga Times to build the New York Times, Estes Kefauver served in the U.S. Senate, and Bessie Smith rose to fame as the “Empress of the Blues.” When TVA’s Chickamauga Lake filled, it covered the old towns of Dallas and Harrison. In recent decades the riverfront was rebuilt around the Tennessee Aquarium, the restored Walnut Street Bridge became a pedestrian walkway, and the Tennessee Riverwalk was built along the river.
Towns & communities
- Chattanooga — county seat on the Tennessee River; the Tennessee Aquarium, the Walnut Street Bridge and Coolidge Park, the Hunter Museum, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the county courthouse
- East Ridge — city on the Georgia line along I-75, next to Chattanooga
- Soddy-Daisy — city at the foot of Walden Ridge on Chickamauga Lake; the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge and Soddy Creek Gorge sections of the Cumberland Trail
- Red Bank — city bordering Chattanooga to the north, on the way up to Signal Mountain
- Collegedale — city east of Chattanooga, home of Southern Adventist University
- Signal Mountain — town on top of Walden Ridge; Signal Point and the southern end of the Cumberland Trail
- Lookout Mountain — town on top of Lookout Mountain at the Georgia line; Point Park, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center and the upper Incline station — Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and Rock City are across the state line
- Walden — town on Walden Ridge, next to Signal Mountain
- Lakesite — small city on Chickamauga Lake near Chester Frost Park
- Ridgeside — small city on Missionary Ridge, surrounded by Chattanooga
- Harrison (community) — on Chickamauga Lake; Harrison Bay State Park — the old county seat of Harrison lies under the lake
- Ooltewah (community) — east of Chattanooga on I-75, near Collegedale and Enterprise South Nature Park
- Sale Creek (community) — in the far north of the county near the Rhea line, one of the county’s first settlements
Our place stories in and near Hamilton County
Go deeper
- Tanasi: the town that named Tennessee — and the TVA waters
- How the World Was Made — a Cherokee account
Neighboring counties: Bledsoe County · Bradley County · Marion County · Meigs County · Rhea County · Sequatchie County · All counties →
Official visitor links
Checked Oct 27, 2026 · hours, fees and events live on these pages.
Videos
Sources
Checked Oct 27, 2026 · We summarize; follow these for the full history. No hours or fees on this page — check official sites before you go.