A Chattanooga Christmas Itinerary for One Night

It can be challenging, but this is how to squeeze the most Chattanooga Christmas fun into just one night.

Overall this itinerary creates a three and a half hour Christmas adventure. You can also end your night at any point on this trip or split it up (more info on splitting the trip in half at the end of this post). Without further ado, here’s the Chattanooga Christmas Itinerary.

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Start with Dinner

If you want to start by enjoying a nice dinner downtown, I suggest arriving early to the first location and eating at Agave & Rye for unique tex-mex cuisine. Or if you’re more in the mood for a burger, try Burger Republic. If you want to keep it local and Southern, try Puckett’s Restaurant. Or if you’re making a nice date night of this, try Wooden City. Whichever you choose, all four locations are within walking distance of our first stop.

Downtown Chattanooga Lights -Arrive at 6:00

Our Chattanooga Christmas Itinerary starts downtown on Riverside Drive. Locate the Christmas light tree on the big green between Power Alley and Chestnut Street. You can park at the metered spots for free after 6pm. or you can just drive by and admire the tree from the car. From here, continue to drive down Riverside Drive towards the Walnut Street Walking Bridge where you can see the snowflake lights twinkle overhead. (NOTE for 2024-2025: There are no snowflake lights on the bridge as it prepares to be closed for renovations.) Then turn right onto Lookout Street, and head to Chestnut Street for our next stop.

NOTE: Leave no later than 6:15 to make it to the next destination on schedule.

The West Village -Arrive at 6:30

It’s time to explore the two blocks of The West Village that are decorated for Christmas. I suggest parking along Chestnut Street, 6th Street, or 7th Street, and walk towards the Westin. You can also drive through this area if you’re short on time or don’t want to walk. Although walking will make the experience better, you can still see most of the lights from the vehicle.

From the Westin, go down 8th Street and then right on Chestnut Street. Along this way you’ll see more Christmas decor and even the famous Umbrella Alley. The West Village is full of fun spots to stop and take selfies or photos. You can choose to walk from here to the next destination or drive and park closer.

NOTE: Leave no later than 7:00 to make it to the next destination on schedule.

EPB Holiday Display -Arrive at 7:15

Next on the Chattanooga Christmas Itinerary is the EPB Holiday Display. Every year the EPB building downtown sets up a large, holiday window display. Be sure to walk both the Broad Street and Market Street sides of the building to get the full experience. Also take in the Christmas trees lit up in Miller Park across Market Street.

NOTE: Leave no later than 7:45 to make it to the next destination on schedule.

Jason Drive Christmas Display -Arrive at 8:05

Now it’s time to hop in the car and leave downtown. We’re heading to the Jason Drive Christmas Display. This decorative display is set up throughout a small neighborhood in East Ridge, TN. The drive around the neighborhood’s loop doesn’t take long, but there’s lots of Christmas goodness to see. Check out their Facebook page for more info on the Jason Drive Christmas Display.

NOTE: Leave no later than 8:40 to make it to the next destination on schedule.

Scenic City Lights -Arrive at 9:00

Our Chattanooga Christmas Itinerary ends in Ooltewah at the Scenic City Lights show. This decorative light display features dancing lights that match popular songs and Christmas songs. And if it gets busy, you can just get out of the car and walk to the sidewalk. There’s a speaker that will also play the music if you press the white button on the post. Visit their Facebook Page for more details.

NOTE: This location shuts the lights off at 9:30.

Two Night Option

If three and a half hours is too long for one night or feels too rushed and you’d like to split this up, I’d suggest doing Jason Drive and Bradley Lights downtown one night and the rest on Christmas lights on Jason Drive and Scenic City Lights another night. That should be about two hours of fun for each night.

In Closing

Have you visited any of these attractions before? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below. And let me know if you enjoy this Chattanooga Christmas Itinerary. Enjoy your Christmas adventures and enjoy exploring Chatt!

More Chattanooga Christmas Fun:

• Rock City Enchanted Garden of Lights
• Chattanooga Christmas Lights
• Must-See Chattanooga Christmas Attractions

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