On The Road Again: Rock City

Rock City, Lookout Mountain, Ga.

By RAY BALOGH | The Municipal Shutterstock.com

It’s not for the faint of heart, but if the reviews are to be believed, it’s well worth the trip.

It is reportedly possible to see seven states from the outcropping known as Lovers Leap. (Photo by Frank Romeo/Shutterstock.com) More than 90% of the thousands of online reviews give Rock City on Lookout Mountain, Ga., an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

The tourist attraction’s centerpiece is Rock City Gardens, a 4,100-foot walking trail that showcases natural rock formations, caves and rock tunnels, lush gardens featuring more than 400 floral species, a 140-foot man-made waterfall, a 180-foot suspended bridge and an outcropping known as Lover’s Leap, from which one can allegedly see, from 1,700 feet above sea level, portions of seven states—or least could before air pollution encroached on the area.

Located 6 miles from downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., one elevated vantage point allows a bird’s-eye vista of the city, especially stunning when its night lights pierce the emerging darkness.

According to its vision statement at www.seerockcity.com, the attraction is “created by God and enhanced by man,” yielding a “unique geological and botanical wonder” that has caught the world’s attention. Rock City hosts more than half a million visitors from around the globe each year.

Native Americans first occupied Lookout Mountain, and perhaps the first white men to visit the settlement were two missionaries who arrived in 1823. They noted the beauty of the area in their diaries, and by the time of the Civil War, “the Rock City” was becoming well known to the citizens of this nation.

Throughout the latter half of the 1800s, the area was often frequented by hikers and geologists, but otherwise received few visitors.

That all changed in 1924, when entrepreneur Garnet Carter founded a 700-acre residential community, which he named Fairyland after his wife Frieda’s penchant for European folklore. For the inhabitants’ and visitors’ recreation, Carter designed and built the nation’s first miniature

Rock City was originally launched as a residential community in 1924 but has achieved far more significance as a tourist destination for more than half a million visitors a year. (Photo courtesy of Rock City Inc.)

golf course, which he would later franchise around the United States as Tom Thumb Golf.

Frieda busied herself with marking off a walking trail that meandered between and around the mountain’s giant rock formations and lining the path with wildflowers, German gnome statues and fairytale characters.

Rock City officially opened as a public attraction on May 21, 1932, but, according to www.seerockcity.com, “It got off to a slow start because advertising in those days was difficult, especially since Carter’s mountaintop attraction was not located in a place that people would just happen to be passing by and take notice.”

Ever the enterprising promoter, Carter conceived of a brilliant advertising scheme, a la Burma Shave signs and Wall Drug billboards. In 1935 he commissioned a young sign painter named Clark Byers to travel around the country looking for barns facing the major highways. He offered the landowners a free freshly painted barn in return for permission to paint “See Rock City” on the building.

Byers worked on the project for the next 34 years, painting the iconic black-and-white “See Rock City” signs on more than 900 barns in 19 states spanning from Michigan to Texas.

The signs and word of mouth drew a continual influx of visitors and Rock City, now administrated by Rock City Inc., has never looked back. Over the years, the attraction, now under third-generation ownership, has added features to further enhance the tourist experience. • In 2006 Rock City began hosting daily educational shows featuring birds of prey. Now shows are held Thursday through Sunday from

Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend. The owners also installed a 25-foot kid’s climbing wall, open from April through October. • During March Rock City hosts Shamrock City, an Irish festival including Celtic music, Irish jig lessons, food and games. On St. Patrick’s Day, the water in the man-made waterfall is dyed green. • Every autumn Rock City crafts a corn maze in the valley below the gardens and also hosts Rocktoberfest to celebrate German heritage.

Festivities include live German music, polka lessons and German food and beer. Inside one cavern on Lookout Mountain is this black light responsive diorama of Mother Goose characters. (Photo courtesy of Rock City Inc.)

The 140-foot waterfall next to Lovers Leap is man-made, and its water is dyed green every St. Patrick’s Day. (Photo by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com)

• Christmas lights and displays are set up every November and December during the “Enchanted Garden of Lights,” which features booths of food and gifts, carolers and seasonal shows such as a lighted telling of the Nativity.

Online kudos is legion and varied, as exemplified by an October 2021 review by Ordinarygirl:

“Absolutely loved this place. I could live there and never get tired of it. The name ‘Rock City’ does not do it justice. It’s a marriage of breathtaking natural beauty and lovely manmade landscaping. It was beautifully decorated for fall. The walk is easy for most and suitable for all ages. The staff was very pleasant and helpful. The grounds and buildings were well maintained. A memorable, delightful experience.”

Rock City is located at 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga., and its current daily hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.seerockcity.com or call (706) 820-2531 or (800) 854-0675.