5 Memorial TIPS FOR YOUR Day weekend
A walk (or a ride) in the park
Most area parks are open, with some restrictions, including limited restroom access. In the Chattanooga area, try the Tennessee Riverpark, Enterprise South Nature Park, Chester Frost Park, Coolidge Park, Greenway Farms, Chickamauga greenways and Walnut Street Bridge. Tennessee state parks are open for day use.
Animals in captivity
Chattanooga Zoo opened earlier this month, the first major attraction to do so, but your visit may be a little different than you remember. First, you need to buy your tickets online, and you’ll choose either a 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. visit, as available. You’ll receive a ticket as a PDF attachment in your email, which can be scanned as a printout or from your phone screen.
The path through the exhibits is now one-way, so no backtracking to see a favorite animal before you go. However, this will be a good chance to see the African expansion area, where three giraffes will soon be living.
Most indoor exhibits are temporarily closed, as are the Zoo Choo Train, carousel, camel rides, petting zoo and Nature Play areas. No wheelchairs, scooters or strollers are available for rent.
Chattanooga Zoo is at 301 N. Holtzclaw Ave. Admission is $12.95 adults, $10.95 seniors 65 and older, $9.95 children 3-12, free for younger children. To limit personal contact, no vouchers, coupons or discounts will be honored at this time.
Get more information at chattzoo. org or 423-697-1322.
Rock City’s rockin’
Is it possible to get through Fat Man’s Squeeze while social distancing? We’d say, yes, as long as you don’t get stuck and need a push or pull as you pass through this iconic feature at Rock City Gardens.
After initially reopening to only passholders, the Lookout Mountain attraction is now open to all visitors, through there are capacity restrictions per hour. For that reason, online reservations are encouraged so you can get your preferred time slot.
New safety measures include a oneway traffic pattern along the Enchanted Trail. Guests are encouraged to wear face masks. The park’s employees will be wearing masks and are subject to health screenings, including temperature checks.
Gift shops and food locations also will be opening with capacity limitations. Rock City’s outdoor restaurant, Café 7, is reopening at 50% capacity from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rock City is at 1400 Patten Road. Get more information at seerockcity. com or 706-820-2531.
To market, to market
Chattanooga Market opens today as the Chattanooga Essentials Market, a rebranding reminder of changes caused by the coronavirus. Similar to the Collegedale Market, which opened Mother’s Day weekend, the Chattanooga Essentials Market will have a limited number of farmers, food artisans and vendors selling merchandise such as soaps and lotions. Food trucks will be available for take-and-go items, but there will be no on-site dining. Neither will there be live music nor cultural themes, festivals or activities. Also, no pets and no families, to help limit crowd size and enhance social distancing.
Don’t forget your face mask. Patrons are expected to wear them, per state guidelines, just as vendors will be. Parking is also being intentionally reduced to limit the number of customers on the premises at any one time. If you can’t find a parking spot in one of the open lots, you’re asked to come back later.
Hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd. Hours are the same at Collegedale Market at The Commons, 4950 Swinyar Drive.
The temporary changes are expected to last through the summer months.
Small screen, big-screen movies
Over long holiday weekends, the folks at the Swingin’ Midway Drive-In Theatre in Athens, Tennessee, like to queue up the reels for dusk-to-dawn movies. That won’t happen this year because of coronavirus restrictions, but they have received the OK to show three films.
They’ll start with Disney/Pixar’s “Onward” (rated PG) followed by “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (rated PG-13) and “Ford v. Ferrari” (PG-13).
The property opens at 7:30 p.m. Showtime is at dusk. Adult admission is $8 for tonight’s triple play. Kids 4-11 get in for $5; younger children get in free. The address is 2133 Highway 30 East.
Keep in mind there will be no use of the playground or picnic tables. You’ll be expected to social distance when you go to the snack bar or restrooms, which will be cleaned several times throughout the night.
Find out more at swinginmidwaydrivein.com or 423-263-2632.
Note: The Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater in Trenton, Georgia, will open the following weekend, May 29-31.
Meanwhile, if you’d rather stay home, the Chattanooga Film Festival is going virtual this year, with notable guests including actor/musician Ice-T, heavy-metal band Gwar and director Joe Dante (“Gremlins”), along with Hollywood hyphenates Ernest Dickerson, Joe Bob Briggs and Alex Winter.
Features and shorts will be available on-demand through Monday on the festival’s streaming platform, accessible at ChattFilmFest.org. Live events will be linked in the platform with specific time and dates and accessed on Microsoft Teams.