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Parks and Recreation
2318 North Gold Point Circle
Chester Frost Park
Hixson, TN 37343
423-842-0177
FAX 423-843-0146
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History
The most comprehensive and inclusive planning process ever undertaken in Chattanooga
and Hamilton County was accomplished between 1982 and 1985. This community process
was led by the Moccasin Bend Task Force, a citizen committee appointed by Chattanooga
and Hamilton County governments and chaired by Deaderick Montague. Funding for the
planning phase was shared by the City, County and Lyndhurst Foundation.
The City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County and the Lyndhurst Foundation funded the
planning process. Following hundreds of public and private meetings involving thousands
of citizens, the Tennessee Riverpark Master Plan was completed in March 1985 and
later presented to an overflow crowd at the then new Chattanooga-Hamilton County
Convention and Trade Center.
The visionary plan advised that the Chattanooga riverfront was owned by everyone
and should be developed "under a guiding idea which will bring its banks to life,
make it a central point of pride for the City's people, and move it to the forefront
of national consciousness". By reconnecting with this great river, the city was
to make over its image and fuel the engine of central economic development.
Many cities around the country have also realized the importance of packaging together
their separate natural and man-made attractions, historical sites and activities
and have attempted to link these scattered and disjointed elements to create an
organized comprehensive urban cultural park system. Few have had the success of
Chattanooga and Hamilton County in sparking new development and investment and in
fostering pride from local residents, at least in such a short period of time.
Chattanooga's riverfront renaissance story is now being told internationally. In
a very short time span (1989-1999), a series of successful public and private endeavors
have helped create new national attractions, inspiring riverfront parks, and new
retail, restaurants and housing linked by a delightful riverfront park and trail
system.
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ADDRESS
Located in Chattanooga, TN, the TN Riverpark will ultimately stretch more than 16
miles from downtown by the TN Aquarium to the TVA Dam and out to Moccasin Bend National
Park. Currently, there are 10 non-contiguous miles of riverwalk open to the public.
View maps |
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"Take Me To The River" Article By Laurie Perry Vaughn |
What you can do at the Riverpark:
- Fishing
- Boating
- Walking
- Jogging
- Skating
- Biking
- Picnicking
- Enjoy Scenic Chattanooga
- And much more.......
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The Future of the Riverpark
Hamilton County Officials and other local planners are hard at work on
a series of stunning additions to the string of Tennessee Riverpark attractions
that already dot the riverbank between Ross’s Landing and Chickamauga Dam.
The Riverpark - created by a unique public private partnership that includes Hamilton
County, the City of Chattanooga, the state and federal governments and a variety
of private sector groups and individuals – consists of a series of parks connected
by what will eventually be a 22-mile winding greenway along the southern edge of
the Tennessee River in Hamilton County.
The City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County share the ongoing cost of maintenance,
security and programming for these wonderful public spaces. Fortunately, elected
officials in both city and county understand the critical importance the Riverpark
has had on improving our local quality of life.
It’s been eight years since the Tennessee Aquarium – which now attracts more than
a million visitors annually – was completed. Even then, however, planners such as
Jim Bowen envisioned the aquarium project as the beginning of a comprehensive greenway
network stretching along the south side of the river. The project, they believed,
would revitalize the riverfront and help return the Tennessee River to its original
role as a major social and economic center in the community.
Already, the project has produced gems such as the Fishing Park and Coolidge Park.
Now, planners are concentrating on an ambitious Millennium Project, which will fill
in the current five-mile gap between the original fishing park location and the
rowing center.
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