Relocated to Chattanooga

[Whisper]

I posted about this in the Clubs section but it didn't get any response, so I'm mentioning it here.

Just relocated from Nashville to Chattanooga.   Don't know a soul here except the real estate agent who sold us this house and a couple of contractors who are doing some minor renovations.  Would appreciate any advice about good local gun stores, shooting ranges, gun shows, gunsmiths, etc.  Also warnings about which ones to avoid.    Hope to meet and maybe train with some of you in the area sometime soon.

Thanks,

Whisper

[gregintenn]

Let me be the first to offer my condolences.

[jpx2rk]

18 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Let me be the first to offer my condolences.

Prayers sent.  

[joe4vol]

Welcome from Athens

[Alleycat72]

I like the area. I work there sometimes. Unfortunately you wouldn't want to be in the areas I work so this is a useless post. LOL.  Congratulations on the new place. 

[Erik88]

I don't see anything wrong with Chattanooga. It's a nice small city. Congrats on the move Whisper. I would definitely make a visit to GT Distributors. 

 

[gregintenn]

1 minute ago, Erik88 said:

I don't see anything wrong with Chattanooga. It's a nice small city. Congrats on the move Whisper. I would definitely make a visit to GT Distributors. 

 

‘Twas a joke. Chattanooga is a very cool city full of history.

[Hozzie]

Check out Chattanooga Rifle Club in Ooltewah. 

[Il Duce]

Best rifle range here is Dead Zero. Gun shops there is GT Distributors, North GA Reloaders on Brainerd Rd, Sportsman’s Supply (I think that’s the name still) in Hixson, Carters Shooting Supply on Hwy 58, as well as Bass Pro, Academy, and Sportsman’s Warehouse. As far as gun shows no idea as I don’t go to those. 

[bobsguns]

Whisper, I'm a couple of counties east of you but I get to Chatt regularly.

Allow me to opine my observations of driving there for work for a couple of years:

 

 Downtown Chatt is wholly unorganized, IMO. Unlike Nashville (where one can hop on an interstate in 5 min anywhere in town), one can often get REAL frustrated in finding an on-ramp to 24/75 downtown. Just crazy.

1. While there's a few ok areas downtown (Market St area comes to mind), a LOT of it is very lower class. Not dangerous, just lower class. Rows of empty buildings all over town, which surprised me after seeing Nashville's economic boom. Sad.
2. Downtown is helter skelter in how it's laid out/grouped. The Infinity dealership is just around the corner from a bunch of housing projects, for example. Just................... odd, IMO. 
3. Around the Erlanger area & Riverside Dr area, there's NO restaurants aside from one or two fast food places. Just weird.
4. Sooner or later, hit Wally's Restaurant on McCallie Ave. They're like Dan's Restaurant on Lafayette St in Nashville, IMO. Good food, meat-n-three type of joint. Breakfast & lunch only though. 
5. 99% of the good eating places are going to be around Hamilton Place & Gunbarrel Road (I love that name!). Ale House Restaurant is a fav of mine.
6. If you like cigars, Burns Cigars on Jordan Dr is the go-to place. I buy most of mine there. Good prices, excellent selection, excellent CS there.
7. If you like beer, Hutton & Smith micro brewery is my fav.
8. Boathouse Rotisserie on Riverside Dr is a cool place to eat. Not just seafood, steaks & stuff too.
9. North Shore is filled with hipster shops and eating places. I only went there a time or two so I can't tell you too much about there. Nice area though, right next to the river.
10. The only gun shop I went to was off of Hwy 153. I can't recall the name of it, sorry. Chatt lacks a lot of options on gun shops when compared to Nashville, IMO. 
11. Gun shows are at Camp Jordan, off Exit 1 I-75. Right on the TN/GA line, behind Bass Pro. Nice place for a show, free parking, all that good stuff. 
12. If you like books, there's a McKay's Used Bookstore in Ootlewah. I use them quite a bit.
13. If you're into motorcycles, there's several dealerships on Ringgold Rd, all close together. The HD dealership is in Oolteway. I use Pandora's, FWIW.

 

As mentioned, Chatt is full of history, most of it Civil War stuff. Pointe Park, Lookout Mtn are a must-see, IMO. I've not done Chickamauga Battlefield yet, sadly. 

Signal Mtn is worth a Sunday drive, cool views up there. If you use GPS, check out (I think) North & South Crest Rd. It takes you over the ridgeline instead of through the tunnel at Brainerd Rd. Incredible views, beautiful houses.

Cleveland has a couple of gun shops, one on South Lee Hwy, just off of Hwy 64 Bypass. The other is on Keith St. Sorry, I can't recall their names. They're ok, nothing like The Armory, Franklin Gun Shop or The Gun Crew. But it is what it is.

If you ever want to get over to the Ocoee & Hiwassee River areas, give me a shout. It's incredibly rural, beautiful & exciting for kayaking, rafting & fly fishing. The cool thing about SE TN is we have as much (or more) of the beauty & activities but without all the traffic of the Gatlinburg area. All this is about a 30-45 min drive from Chatt, so it's just down the road.

Hope this helps some. 

My .o2

 

 

[Il Duce]

McKays isn’t in Ooltewah it’s in Chattanooga RIGHT NEXT to Harley Davidson

Downtown is laid out fine you just aren’t used to it

 

[bobsguns]

5 minutes ago, Il Duce said:

McKays isn’t in Ooltewah it’s in Chattanooga RIGHT NEXT to Harley Davidson

Correct, but doesn't the exit sign say "Ooltewah"? Or am I misremembering?

 

Quote

Downtown is laid out fine you just aren’t used to it

LOL! No, it's not. But I admit to having been in Nashville for 50+ years, I got spoiled on their layout, which (despite the traffic) is pretty darn good. Getting to the interstate from, say, Erlanger, requires a bit of travel. Same for a lot of Brainerd Rd area, IMO. But it is what it is. 

[Il Duce]

11 minutes ago, bobsguns said:

Correct, but doesn't the exit sign say "Ooltewah"? Or am I misremembering?

 

LOL! No, it's not. But I admit to having been in Nashville for 50+ years, I got spoiled on their layout, which (despite the traffic) is pretty darn good. Getting to the interstate from, say, Erlanger, requires a bit of travel. Same for a lot of Brainerd Rd area, IMO. But it is what it is. 

The exit sign says Lee Hwy

[ShamGlock]

This is an absolutely wonderful city. There is anything you want here as far as history, outdoor activities, and good food. I love it here. Welcome to Chattanooga. If you have any specific questions I will be glad to answer as best I can.  

[et45]

The best gun shows are at Camp Jordan but they only have them 3 times a year there.Memorial Day,July 4th and Labor Day weekends.Ranges you have Chattanooga Rifle Club with a 2 year wait to join,Cleveland Hunting Rifle and Pistol club with a 1 year wait,Montlake and Dead Zero,not sure on their memberships.Depending on where you live any of the clubs mentioned could be a great choice or not distance wise.Gun shops of course you have GT,Carter’s,Anthony’s,but don’t sleep on the pawn shops.US Money Shops has 3 locations and Big Bucks has 2 and they have a great selection of guns.There are several good shops in Cleveland too. If you are into competitive shooting there is NRA High Power,Bullseye,IDPA,USPSA,Trap and Skeet offered at several clubs.

[Whisper]

Lots of good info here.  Thanks, folks.  Right now we're still unpacking boxes but in a day or so we hope to be hitting some of these places.  Yesterday I went to Hamilton Place to get an amplified antenna for the TV (no more cable or satellite -- thank you, EPB)  and we've eaten lunch at the Southern Star and returned U-Haul trucks to the site on Broad Street.  That's our total experience with Chattanooga so far but we hope to widen our horizons soon.  

Cheers,

Whisper

[Dirtshooter]

Welcome to Tn. If you are into trucks, the International Towing Museum on Broad street is worth the visit. Holmes wreckers are home to Chattanooga, going back to the first wrecker built on a 1913 Cadillac.

[Alleycat72]

The aquarium is nice.