There is a reason millions of people visit Chattanooga attractions like Ruby Falls + Rock City each year, but everybody knows about those — they’ve become part of our culture + and they’re relatively easy to find if you’re a tourist.

But what about those other attractions? The ones that are 40-minutes off the beaten path in a small town? The weird ones that you think nobody else knows about. That’s where we need your help. We know there are plenty of weirdly wonderful attractions within an hour of Chattanooga to explore like folk art gardens and underwater lakes.

Here are a couple to get you thinking:

Paradise Garden, 200 North Lewis St., Summerville, Georgia

A scenic hour-long drive through the Georgia mountains lands you at one of the most magnificent collections of folk art in the world. The Rev. Howard Finster was one of America’s most prolific and well-known artists whose visions “provided glimpses of a celestial outer space world that God revealed to him.” His garden started in 1970, is a tribute to the inventions of mankind. And it’s something you have to see for yourself to believe. Admission: $15 | More information is here.

The Lost Sea Adventure!,140 Lost Sea Road, Sweetwater, Tennessee

The South is pocketed with caves and sometimes those caves are filled with water. Such is the case with the Lost Sea in Sweetwater, which is America’s largest underground lake. It was discovered in 1905 by a 13-year-old boy named Ben Sands. The lake is 800-feet long and 220 feet-wide + guests tour the cave in a glass-bottomed boat. Admission $21.95 adults, $12.95 for children | More information is here.

Question

What is your favorite lesser-known attraction in the area? Let us know.

We want to hear about the weird, surprising, enlightening + confusing attractions within an hour of Chattanooga.