Road tripping to Rock City this summer? Check out these family-fun sights along the way. Whether you’re a fan of novelty, otherworldly discoveries, eccentric history or just a piece of roadside Americana, the journey to Chattanooga has peculiar destinations for everyone’s taste.
Getting there is half the fun, so make the most of your journey!
World’s largest cedar bucket
It seems that most places lay claim to “the world’s largest” something. In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, it happens to be a cedar bucket.
Those living in Murfreesboro in 1866 were proud of the city’s only industrial venture, the Tennessee Red Cedar Woodworks Company. The nation’s only supplier of cedar buckets at the time built a giant bucket in 1887 as a promotional gimmick and paraded it to fairs across the county. In fact, this giant bucket won blue ribbons at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. It was even filled with 1,566 gallons of beer at St. Louis, in which a platform was built around it for visitors to get a taste.
The cedar bucket was bought and sold several times over the past century but was partially destroyed by fire in 2005. However, in 2011, the bucket was restored and returned to Cannonsburgh Village, a reproduction pioneer village, where it stands today.
Tennessee Titans Rock City Barns
If you’re heading between Chattanooga and Nashville on Interstate 24, keep your eyes peeled for a pair of blue Rock City barns. In 2021, three historic Rock City barns were painted in support of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, two of which are just off the interstate in Jasper.
The cobranded barns, which sport rooftop ads reading “TENNESSEE TOUGH”, were painted in partnership between the Titans and Rock City by “doughjoe,” a member of Nashville’s Norf Art Collective.
World’s largest cast iron skillet
South Pittsburgh, Tennessee is home to Lodge Cast Iron, manufacturer of heirloom quality cookware and accessories. So, it’s only fitting that the world’s largest cast iron skillet is found right where they’re made.
At the Museum of Cast Iron stands a 14,360-pound cast iron skillet measuring 18 feet from handle to handle and supposedly large enough to fry around 650 eggs.
This museum highlights cast iron’s legacy in American cooking and showcases how cast iron cookware is produced. Visitors can also build their own cast iron cookbook with help from expert chefs to make incredible skillet-made recipes at home.
Tri-State Corner
Ever want to stand in three states – and two time zones – at the same time? Look no further than the northwestern most corner of the state of Georgia. A small stone marker in the woods, just south of the Tennessee River, marks where Georgia meets Alabama and Tennessee.
The Tri-State Corner’s proximity to the river, 0.11 miles to be exact, has stirred the minds of Georgians for generations. This is because Georgia desperately needs fresh water — and it just so happens that the state line should lie a little way north…in the Tennessee River itself.
A surveying error in 1818 pinned the state line about a mile south of its supposed boundary line, the 35th parallel North. No one seemed too bothered by this blunder until the late 1800s, when the growing city of Atlanta needed more and more fresh water. The problem is even more prevalent in modern times, as Atlanta’s population continues to swell. But the state of Tennessee refuses to acknowledge Georgia’s mistake.
This lonely marker, the sight of an interstate water war, is just a short hike from a gravel parking lot for the Stateline Cemetery.
Unclaimed Baggage
Have the airlines ever lost your luggage? Chances are it ended up in Scottsboro, Alabama.
This small north Alabama city is home to Unclaimed Baggage, a store that buys unclaimed or lost luggage from airlines, and other places and sells them. Everything from clothes, electronics, suitcases, sports equipment, jewelry, watches, books are available for sale in store and online.
Check out the museum for the store’s most peculiar finds, including historical artifacts, priceless treasures and rare oddities. It goes to show that you never know what you’ll find at Unclaimed Baggage.
The Lost Sea
Take an otherworldly boating excursion 140 feet underground at The Lost Sea, America’s largest underground lake. This natural wonder, found beneath Sweetwater, Tennessee, is quite unlike any other attraction in the world. The journey begins down a steel tunnel to the caverns, where a winding trail leads to a four-acre body of water to explore.
Mystically illuminated, visitors are shown geological formations like anthodites, a rare, spiky crystalline cluster known as “cave flowers.” The abundance of such structures warranted the Lost Sea to be designated as a Registered National Landmark.
The Lost Sea was discovered in 1905 by a 13-year-old named Ben Sands, who, exploring Craighead Caverns, squeezed though a small opening that revealed the “sea,” confirming rumors that an underground water system existed. The caverns had long been used by Cherokee Indians and early settlers for storing food and supplies and was even mined for saltpeter by the Confederate Army to manufacture gunpowder. But after young Sands’ discovery, Craighead Caverns started a new chapter in its illustrious history.
Savoy Automobile Museum
Motorheads should make a pit stop at the Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.
This cathedral for cars features automobiles of all types in state-of-the-art showrooms. There are four temporary rotating galleries showcasing cars of a common theme, while a permanent exhibit features the Savoy Collection, a curated repository of cars and original artwork.
Located midway between Chattanooga and Atlanta off Interstate 75, the Savoy Museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays.
Buc-ee’s – Calhoun, Georgia
No Southeastern road trip is complete without a stop at Buc-ee’s. This Texas-based gas station and convenience store chain with larger-than-life amenities is located about halfway between Atlanta and Chattanooga along Interstate 75.
You’ll know you’re getting closer to Buc-ee’s when more and more of their billboards appear ahead – they’re the ones with a cartoon beaver and quick, funny messaging. But absurdity is appropriate – how else should you advertise a gas station with 120 gas pumps and perhaps the longest car wash you’ve ever seen?
Whether you’re stopping for gas or for their “cleanest restrooms in America,” chances are you won’t leave empty handed. This 24/7 store is stocked with aisles of sweet treats, salty snacks and barbeque made right in the store. There’s even Buc-ee’s beaver-themed clothes and knickknacks, dog toys and so much more.