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Go hang gliding or white water rafting in Chattanooga, Tennessee
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Chattanooga, Tennessee’s fourth largest city, should be remembered by visitors for much more than a choo-choo song. With a mild climate that’s neither too hot nor cold for exploring open air venues, Chattanooga www.chattanoogafun.com offers a smorgasbord of ways to enjoy the beautiful scenery or to challenge your muscles to the max. Try these for starters:
Hang gliding off Lookout Mountain: Soar through the clouds, feeling free as a bird, as you glide through the sky over Lookout Mountain Flight Park. For first timers, the ride starts when an ultralight plane tows the glider up to 2,000 feet and then releases it for a gradual descent that lasts from 12 to 20 minutes depending on wind currents. It’s truly a magical experience, made safer with a tandem instructor at your side. www.hangglide.com (800-688-5637; Discovery Tandem Experience is $149)
By towing the glider up, America’s number one hang gliding school has made the dream of quiet flight a reality for millions of people who never imagined themselves jumping off a cliff while hanging on to a kite-like structure. Floating through the sky gives an incredible sensation of freedom, at the mercy of the winds, yet controllable with body movements. Of course, with a little more time, they will teach you to soar on your own.
White water rafting on the Ocoee River: For the last couple of years, the Ocoee River has been the most rafted river in the country. A quarter million people have splashed and dashed their way through exciting class III and IV rapids, keeping more than 3,000 river guides busy during summer days.
In a pact with Tennessee Valley Authority that has allowed commercial rafting since 1975, the water past the dam is drained from the river every night for use in producing hydroelectric power. Early every morning, before the first runs at 8:00 a.m., the process is reversed, filling the river in about one and a half hours.
The run is challenging—guaranteed to soak and thrill everyone—yet it’s reasonably safe, even if you become a “swimmer” (fall out of the raft). Outfitters provide equipment, and guides give explicit instructions, which they expect you to follow, often in a split second as water crashes overhead and your raft bounces in the currents. www.ocoeerafting.com or www.ocoeeadventurecenter.com Runs from June through October--plan your adventure now for next summer.
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