Gooooood morning, Chattanooga. 🌄 Trista here, and I have an unpopular opinion to share — one week of sweater weather is enough. I’m already dreaming of an escape to somewhere warm and tropical, and it’s not even winter yet. Lucky for me, the Chattanooga airport can get me to Orlando on a nonstop flight. 🛫

Our airport can actually get us to a lot of cool, nonstop destinations. If you’re into sweater weather (I truly don’t know how anyone is, but I’ll play along), there are daily flights to NYC, Chicago, Detroit + Philadelphia. There’s also the option to fly directly to Atlanta and use their hub to get pretty much anywhere you want. I love catching a flight from ATL to Austin, TX — you can’t go wrong with tacos, live music + sunshine. 🌮

The Chattanooga airport recently upgraded its aircraft, and with the upgrades came a new flight schedule with more departures and better airfare. If I wanted to fly to NYC next month for a big city adventure, I could do it for $147 roundtrip. Looks like it’s time to pack my bags. 🧳

Enough about my wanderlust, though — what about you? Where do Chattanoogans go for vacation when the weather turns cold? Do you visit family in another state? Do you get away from family for some alone time in the mountains? Or on the beach? With our city becoming more of a desired destination, we’d like to know where you go to be a tourist. 🗺️

Question

Answered

Hi — Trista again, and I’ve got some great vacation ideas for you. I asked a couple of weeks ago for your favorite travel destinations — from the beaches to the mountains and everywhere in between, y’all really know how to plan an escape. ✈️

Best beaches

“Merida, Mexico” — Eddy B. (Mérida is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatàn.)
“Beachfront Resorts along Highway 30-A in Florida” — John M. (We’re particularly fond of the WaterColor Inn.)
“Prince Inlet FL or Destin area” — Tammy K.
“Marco Island” — Robert C. (Wanna take a short drive to the Everglades, anyone?)
“El Remanso Lodge on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica” — Van B.
“Cabo San Lucas” — Crissy P.
“Central Florida! Springs, manatees, forests, and most importantly our family and friends who we’ve stayed in touch with for 30+ years since high school!” — Nicka, @Nicka60424209

Majestic mountains

“Glacier National Park is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.” — Linda B. (Be on the lookout for bighorn sheep + the long-toed salamander. 👀)
“Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park in Montana” — Jennie C. (Okay, who else is booking a flight to GNP now? 🙋‍♀️)
“Mountains! Ah. I’m a beach-lover, but it doesn’t get cooler than Portland for a getaway. And even if I don’t go hiking or camping near Mt. Hood, just the sight of it is enough for me — so giant and majestic. And Cannon Beach, Oregon is a place I could go over and over again and never get tired of. I also really love Colorado. Boulder and Denver are my favorites. I’d go back to Rocky Mountain National Park any day. If I were rich and could go anywhere, I’d be hopping around New Zealand’s South Island or exploring parts of Europe I haven’t seen. OK. this is seriously activating my wanderlust.” — Chloe M., NOOGAtoday’s own 🤗

Cool cities

“Las Vegas” — Pam D. (What happens in Vegas, miiiiiight make it back to Chattanooga. 😇)
“Calgary, Alberta” — Lonnie M. (Home to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and lots of good food. 🙌)
Paris! We can't wait to go back! — Kim B. (Check out this post-summer guide to la Ville des Lumières. ✨)
“New York City” — Jan J. + Terry T. (A list of cool cities isn’t complete without NYC. 😎)
“Cleveland, Ohio” — Sarah C. (Okay, who knew Cleveland was so cool, and why didn’t you tell me sooner?)

Honorable mention — “My Favorite city is Chattanooga as I am from the UK. My trip is likely to be the reverse of the city's residents.” — Timothy W. (Thanks for the love, man. 💚)

Alright, my bags are packed. Now I just have to decide where I’m going. 🗺️