A Story of Hope

Nearby, established attractions reveal their own extreme makeovers. The Tennessee Aquarium doubled its size in 2005 with a new saltwater wing. (It formerly featured mostly freshwater fauna. Now it boasts a shark tank, a butterfly garden, and a penguin exhibit.) Creative Discovery Museum expanded with dynamic exhibits for kids. The Hunter Museum of American Art grew into a spectacular metal flower of a building with a new wing designed by ultramodern architect Randall Stout. Inside, its interactive exhibits and plain-English guides have made it easier to "get" fine art. This award-winning building connects with the waterfront via sculpture-lined paths and a stunning bridge of steel and glass that lights up at night, an architectural marvel in itself.

To appreciate the city's transformation, consider its past. In 1969, Walter Cronkite declared Chattanooga the nation's dirtiest city. Soot from the iron mills stained the air. The river was tainted; its banks an industrial wasteland. "All we had was hot pavement with litter blowing across it," remembers former mayor Bob Corker, a Chattanoogan who envisioned what his city could be. Now a U.S. Senator, Corker set in motion a plan for a cleaner, greener, friendlier Chattanooga.

Left: The Blue Plate diner serves dressed-up comfort food made from scratch.

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