Chattanooga Getaway

We always love when we get a chance to visit with family and enjoy the sites of Chattanooga.  This trip, Michael surprised us with a hotel stay near Hamilton Place which thrilled us all.  Perfect chance to relax and soak up a few days together.
Our first stop was Granny and Grandpa's house where we saw their newest house guests - baby chicks!  They also had a new chicken house in the backyard where they hope to have some fresh eggs soon.  The boys loved the new additions!

The boys also spent some time with their cousin, Jayce, who is just a few weeks younger than Cade.  They are two blonde peas in a pod and I love it!

The weather was GORGEOUS (cool enough for jeans with a light breeze), so after some farm time, we headed to the city to explore the Chattanooga Zoo.  We had been once before when Cole was three, but this was Cade's first visit.  The zoo is quite small, but with our affiliate discount we couldn't pass up a chance to view some fun animals and soak up the sun.  My favorite by far, was the peacock that pranced around at will.  The boys loved the petting zoo, orangutans, and the reptile house.

Cole wanted to take this pic :)

With it being during the week and still springtime hours, lots of attractions had closed by the time we exited the zoo.  Didn't stop me from taking a few pics though :)  So, we headed to a new Mexican restaurant for dinner (Abuelos...delish!) and then back to the hotel for some movie watching and lounging.

Before heading home, our last adventure was on the Lookout Incline.  We've visited most of the popular Chattanooga attractions on previous visits (Aquarium, Coolidge Park, Choo-Choo, Rock City, Northtown, etc.), so the incline got our vote this trip.  The weather was lovely and the crowd was minimal - only one other couple besides us on the tram.  Perfect!
The history of the railway was fascinating.  Watching the large pulley system work and seeing the way it was cut into the side of the mountain....amazing!

The view...beautiful!

I had no idea there was so much to see at the top of the incline.  We left the 'station' and took a stroll down the street to Point Park.  So much war history to be seen!  We soaked up some of it, played the part with a bit of dress up, and then headed back to catch the next tram down the mountain.

The homes overlooking the bluff were gorgeous.  Wouldn't want to travel that winding road everyday, but man...what a view.

And of course, a Rita's stop...can't pass up a DELISH Mango Gelati!

 Perfect springtime getaway...just what we needed!