Chattanooga, TN - Girls' Weekend 2020

Well, Peeps, 2020 has been quite the ride for all of us. If you've been following along with us on our Facebook page, you know that Harris Sister Misty's family was in a car accident in March of this year, and her daughter Emma had several surgeries throughout the year, as well. (You can read about Emma's recovery here.)

So, in addition to the extra precautions that the country has been under due to COVID-19, our family's schedule was upended for a good portion of the year. We postponed this year's Girls' Weekend trip since we usually take our trip in the summertime.

This year, we decided on a fall trip to Chattanooga, TN. And while we didn't plan on many of the adventures that we often write about, we still had several outdoor activities that we thought we could update you guys on should you ever want to visit the area.

Our first full day there, we decided to visit many of the murals in the area. It was a fun outdoor activity, which was the perfect way to spend our 2020 Girls' Weekend.

Where to Find the Most Popular Instagram-Worthy Murals in Chattanooga, TN

Polka-Dot Wall
1400 Block of Williams Street

This one is located across Main Street from Hi-Fi Clyde's. The pastel polka-dots were a perfect match for our pink Girl Power T-shirts!

Angel Wings Mural
1501 Long Street
Artist: Kelsey Montague

This one is also near Hi-Fi Clyde's. The black and white angel wings are the perfect place to strike a pose!

Flying Doughnut Mural
1900 Broad Street
​Artist: Joseph Giri

If you’re on the Southside, make sure to swing by one of Chattanooga's most popular murals on the corner of Broad Street and 20th Street (next door to Koch's Bakery).

Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Of course a trip to Chattanooga wouldn't be complete without a visit to see the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. 

Opened in 1909 as Terminal Station, the train depot welcomed thousands of travelers during the golden age of railroads. Today, Terminal Station (located at 1400 Market Street) stands as part of the world-famous Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. 

The train itself is on display in an open courtyard, and various small businesses surround the area. A visit to the famous train made for the perfect outdoor activity.

See Rock City

Who remembers The Harris Sisters' 2018 Girls' Weekend trip where we spent a little bit of time on a quest to find an original See Rock City painted barn? (If you'll remember, Harris Sister Deanna found one on her trip back home to Tennessee that trip, but we never did find the barn that we were looking for in Bryson City - just some awesome antique shops along the way.)

Well, this year we were able to actually visit Rock City on this trip (which is technically just over the border in nearby Georgia).

This is a wonderful option for an outdoor activity. At the time we visited they were decorated for fall, but they also decorate for Christmas. So if that is your preferred holiday, you might want to consider a visit during November, December, or January for the Enchanted Garden of Lights for the holiday season.

They are currently managing crowds with an online timed ticketing system. And the park and gardens offer a walking trail surrounded by a waterfall, a swinging bridge, Lover’s Leap (where you can See 7 States), Fat Man’s Squeeze (a narrow pass between two large rock formations), Fairyland Caverns, and Mother Goose Village. 

Here's the photo we got of ourselves on the swinging bridge. (It was very similar to the bridge in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - although we had to manage it by ourselves without the help of Harrison Ford.)

And here's the marker they have at Lover's Leap that shows the directions to look to see seven states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. 

They fly the flags of the seven states at this area too.

Here we are on our way through a giant magical door into the last leg of the trip toward Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village.

Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village is the only enclosed area in Rock City. Both areas in the cavern are hand-crafted, brightly colored diorama displays of classic childhood fairy tales and Mother Goose nursery rhymes.

From Hansel and Gretel to Rip van Winkle and Little Red Riding Hood to Jack and the Beanstalk, these colorful displays that were originally created in 1947 still capture the magic of these popular children's stories.

The Mother Goose Village was located in Fairy Land Caverns after the fairy tale dioramas. Originally created in 1964, this section included scenes from popular nursery rhymes like Hey, Diddle, Diddle; Little Miss Muffet; Jack and Jill; Little Boy Blue; and Humpty Dumpty.

We spent the rest of our time this Girls' Weekend hanging out, relaxing, doing a wine and Halloween candy pairing, dressing up in our COVID-19 Halloween costumes, and planning exciting things for the blog. Stay tuned!

So if you have a chance to visit Chattanooga, TN, and Rock City, they make for a fun weekend!

Make sure to check out our other Girls' Weekend posts for our photos, recommendations, and reviews on the other places we've visited in previous years.

An Homage to 2020 Halloween Costumes

We told everyone who asked us this year that the Walkush Family wasn’t dressing up this Halloween. (And trust me when I say that those questions started rolling in around June.) In fact, that was my answer up until yesterday morning. And then yesterday afternoon, I had a change of heart when someone said to Jaxon, “You can still dress up just for fun.” And, you know what? THAT is the true spirit of Halloween!

So, in honor of 2020, we are bringing back some of our costumes of Halloweens past as an acknowledgment of this year’s challenges. 

From our 2018 Star Wars costumes, Aidyn is everybody’s favorite rebel, Han Solo. In recognition of everyone who gave a quarantine haircut to their own “scruffy-looking Nerf-herder,” armed with nothing more than a YouTube tutorial and the realization that your hairstylist really DOES wield some sort of magic akin to The Force, you pushed through and, well, we won’t dwell on the end results . . . 

From our 2013 You Are What You Eat costumes, Jaxon is a slice of pizza. We salute our restaurants, who, in this time of crisis, figured out how to change their business models from dine-in to drive-thru and carryout. These essential workers donned masks and gloves, offered contactless delivery and patio seating, and kept us fed, while keeping us safe. While we enter the season of giving, please remember to support your local restaurants.

From our 2008 pirate costumes, Ryan is Jack Sparrow. Yes, we’ve had to make many changes this year. We’ve ALL learned the proper way to wash our hands, we’ve shopped online more, we’ve all had a chance to see the Broadway musical Hamilton from the comfort of our own homes, and maybe we’ve started taking advantage of more things like ebooks, grocery pickup, and mobile bank deposits. But, one thing is certain, we’ve also had the opportunity to spend more time at home with our families. Although we haven’t been able to meet in person for every event and holiday, we’ve figured out how to make it work. Even the oldest members of our family have learned how to meet digitally via Facebook Messenger and Zoom. As Jack Sparrow would say, “Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.”

From our 2012 1980s movie characters costumes, Harris Sister Donna is Marty McFly. And right about now wouldn’t we all like hop in a DeLorean to go Back to the Future? In the midst of a global pandemic, with daily masking and social distancing we have also simultaneously dealt with working from home and online learning . . . to quote Marty McFly, "Whoa. This is heavy." Sorry, guys, I'm fresh out of flux capacitors to help get us out of this one.

Hope you enjoyed however you chose to celebrate this Halloween, and here's hoping that next year's Halloween will be more spectacular than ever!