Trip to Chattanooga
- sarahwilk24
- Sep 25, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 16
Tennessee Aquarium
421 pieces | LEGO: 31158
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, February 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
September 25, 2023
On the couple's first full day visiting with their friends, Nena and Ryan, in Chattanooga, they walked from their house to the Tennessee Aquarium, which is located in the downtown riverwalk area of town. Hunter was jealous that they lived in such a walkable place (though, to be fair, it was all downhill on the way there, but they caught a ride back up to avoid the climb after a long day on their feet). The Tennessee Aquarium is one of the best in the country, and it's HUGE. It spans two buildings, which separate the ocean exhibits from the river ones. Sarah was mesmerized by the variety of jellyfish they had, and they were amused watching kids pet big stingrays in an open pool. There were sharks and a massive sea turtle that they watched devour a head of broccoli. There was an octopus that had a SpongeBob toy in its tank (though it wasn't playing with it as they walked by, sadly).
Penguins' Rock
105 pieces | HSANHE: 30001-2
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, January 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
September 25, 2023
Also at the aquarium, there was an awesome African penguin exhibit, with one penguin in particular that was an absolute showboat. He was having a blast working the crowd, running and diving off his rock platform in the water, and swimming right next to the glass. The couple stayed to watch him for quite a while because he was making them laugh. The aquarium also had a selection of snakes and amphibians, and they were tickled when they spotted a frog sitting on a snake in one of the tanks. There was even an electric eel that had a voltage reader installed in its tank, so they watched the meter move as the eel slept. They didn't stick around long to see it, but every so often, the meter will read 800 volts (equivalent to the volts in some Porsche models!).
The Ice Cream Show
296 pieces | LEGO: 60363 (retired)
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, January 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
September 25, 2023
After seeing so many incredible animals at the aquarium, the couple wandered toward the pedestrian bridge, the Walnut Street Bridge. In many ways, Chattanooga is very similar to Richmond, but one thing it has done better is create a pedestrian haven along its waterfront. They found an ice cream shop that specialized in making custom blends of various ice creams and toppings (almost like a Dairy Queen Blizzard). Hunter indulged in a sweet treat, and he enjoyed it as they crossed the bridge back toward Nena and Ryan's side of town. They browsed some nearby shops in the shopping district near the bridge before catching a ride back up the hill. Nena made homemade butternut squash soup for dinner, and Hunter and Ryan bonded over their mutual amusement by the "Birds Aren't Real" movement.
Edward's Point
35 pieces | CerseiGift
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
September 28, 2023
In the middle of their trip to Chattanooga, they took an overnight adventure to Nashville. When they returned to Chattanooga, they did some local shopping with Nena at her favorite bookstore (where they overheard a fascinating conversation about how all people want to read these days is odd erotic fantasy about gargoyles) and a thrift store where they sold outdoor equipment (Hunter found a sleeping pad for camping). Afterward, they met up with Ryan and went for a hike to Edward's Point. They had to cross a rope bridge at one point, which Hunter didn't love, but were rewarded with amazing views of the Tennessee River Gorge, the Middle Creek Gorge, and the Chattanooga Valley. Nena took some of their favorite photos of them at the overlook, including the one they had commissioned into this custom building block set.
Reflection Riding Wolf Sanctuary
312 pieces | LEGO: 21261 (retired)
Assembled by Hunter Williams, October 2024
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
September 29, 2023
The next morning, Hunter made a Sarah-style breakfast, complete with homemade banana waffles, home fries, and eggs, for everyone. Sarah and Hunter journeyed to the Reflection Riding Wolf Sanctuary, which is part of an arboretum and nature center in Chattanooga. They are one of 44 such places in the country that care for populations of red wolves, which are down to 27 individuals in the wild and are a critically endangered species. The couple felt fortunate to see red wolves up close during their visit and ended up on a wildlife tour in the sanctuary that also included many birds, such as owls, raptors, and vultures. Their tour guide was particularly enraptured by vultures and shared many interesting facts about them, including that they urinate on their legs and feet to keep cool and kill bacteria. Don't underestimate the importance of vultures, even if they're kinda gross: Sarah would later find this article about vulture population decline in India that was linked to the deaths of 500,000 excess human deaths that otherwise wouldn't have happened.
Raccoon Caverns
119 pieces | LEGO: HSANHE
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, February 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
September 29, 2023
After visiting the wolves and learning way more about vultures than they bargained for, the couple took a drive to Raccoon Caverns, a cave in Chattanooga. They signed up for the next available tour and had about an hour to spare. They found a nearby park, laid out a blanket, and read in the warm fall air. An off-leash dog accosted them with licks when they were least expecting it, but otherwise, it was a relaxing and unexpected part of their day. On the cavern tour, they realized pretty quickly that this was not like other guided tours they'd been on, as the guide was seemingly practicing their standup comedy routine at the same time they were giving a tour of the cave. The couple didn't mind, as a good laugh is never a bad thing. It was much smaller than Luray Caverns, where they got engaged, and required flashlights for some parts. They spotted cave crawler bugs as well as a bat! They also learned the unsavory cave lore about a scout troop that stayed the night in the cave many years ago, which had not planned very well for bathroom breaks, and resulted in many late-elementary-aged boys defecating in the cave. It was undoubtedly a memorable experience. That evening, they hiked Stringers Ridge in Chattanooga with Nena and Ryan.
Naughty Cat Cafe
521 pieces | SUNHABI: 1089
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, November 2024
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
September 30, 2023
One thing Chattanooga has figured out that Richmond hasn't yet: cat cafes are amazing. They went to the Naughty Cat Cafe with Nena and Ryan one afternoon, and it was easily the best single hour of the whole trip. The cat cafe, one of the largest in the world, also serves as a foster home for nearby animal shelters. One of their primary missions is to connect cats with loving families. Fortunately, they have an important and helpful rule that only Tennessee residents can adopt a cat from them, which saved Hunter from adopting 12 of them while they were there. The cafe, serving food and drink, was located at the front, and then they stepped through a door to find a dimly lit lounge space with numerous leather couches and furniture that was perfect for cats to climb on. The cat area continued into another room, where multiple cat beds were pressed against the windows, with many cats curled up in sunny spots. There was a special room for Maxine the cat, who was significantly overweight and had to be kept in a separate space for her safety (so she couldn't eat on demand). They spent some time with Maxine, who was extremely lovable and sweet, but Hunter found a little black and white cat he grew most fond of. They cuddled while Hunter drank his tea.
Hunter Museum of American Art
676 pieces | LOZ: 1287
Assembled by Vanessa Reyes, March 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
September 30, 2023
In the evening, the couple made their way back to the downtown waterfront and visited the Hunter Museum of American Art. They only had an hour to look around before closing time, but they went ahead and bought the tickets because it was called the "Hunter Museum" after all. Having to pay to see art made them feel grateful that the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is an incredible museum that is entirely free of charge. In the hour they had to look around, they ended up in an exhibit that had paraphernalia and media clips in glass cases exploring depictions of African Americans through the white gaze. In a nearby room, they looked at artwork inspired by classic children's books. The "classics" in this case were not of the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie variety, so they didn't actually recognize any of the books, but they were still very cool. Before they were herded out of the museum by security, they made sure to step out onto one of the viewing balconies, which overlooked the Tennessee River. They walked around the well-lit downtown area for a bit, running into an outdoor wedding that was having a great time, before heading back to home base.
Traumatized at Buc-ee's
146 pieces | Brick Loot: BL-176
Assembled by Andrew Deese, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
October 1, 2023
They didn't want to return home to the reality of work and the issues they were experiencing at the time, particularly with Cali peeing in the house, but they had used up all their vacation time. They said their goodbyes to Nena, Ryan, and their three cats before heading out. They set their GPS for Buc-ee's, a gas station chain that they didn't yet have in Virginia, but that seemed to have a cult following in Tennessee. The one on the way home was in Sevierville, which also happened to be the world's largest convenience store. Getting into the parking lot involved fighting Disney World-levels of traffic, and once they arrived, it somehow took another 10 minutes to find an open gas pump, despite the fact that there were 120 pumps. Inside, they found a weird cross-over between Wawa, HomeGoods, a country store (like you might find at a campground or touristy mountain town), and a barbeque smokehouse. Every time a new batch of brisket came out of the oven (or wherever it was coming from), the staff behind the counter sang-chanted in unison about the brisket, which gave them an eerie "have they been possessed?" vibe. Hunter had to know what the brisket was all about, so he got a sandwich, a giant red water bottle with the Buc-ee's beaver on it, and they headed back to the car to find their way back out of the insanely busy parking lot. The sandwich was good, but overall, Buc-ee's was not all it was cracked up to be. Buc-ee the beaver haunts them in their sleep to this day.
Photos from the Tennessee Aquarium (some of which were taken by the couple).
Hunter enjoying his custom blended ice cream and posing on the Walnut Street Bridge, plus the couple posing outside Nena and Ryan's house.
Photos from the hike to Edward's Point.
Photos from Reflections Riding Wolf Sanctuary.
Photos from Raccoon Caverns.
Photos from Stringers Ridge.
Glorious cats at Naughty Cat Cafe.
Nena has a mini cat cafe in their home with Frau, Gandalf, and Gracie (who was adopted at Naughty Cat Cafe!).
The outside of the Hunter Museum of Art.
Photos from Buc-ee's. The one of him with brisket hanging out of his mouth is one of Sarah's favorite photos of him.
It wouldn't have been an actual trip without some shenanigans. Hunter accidentally left a paper towel in the pocket of some jeans that got washed, which exploded like confetti all over Nena and Ryan's washer and required so much effort to clean up.