Chattanooga not only celebrates rail travel, but also the the golden age of steamboat travel.  The Delta Queen, a sternwheel paddleboat that plied the waters of the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers for decades in the 1900s is temporarily moored on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, serving as a floating boutique hotel (currently closed for repairs after winter cold caused severe plumbing problems).  It is hoped that this iconic riverboat will one day sail again.

Many famous people have lived in Chattanooga including actor Samuel L. Jackson. actor Jim. Nabors (who developed his charming accent here), jazz great Bessie Smith, pop artist Usher, media mogul Ted Turner, NFL Hall of Famer and former UT Vol great Reggie White, tennis pro Roscoe Tanner among others.   Hugh Beaumont, the kindly father Ward Cleaver on Leave it to Beaver, attended the Baylor School and worked at a nearby Mayfield Dairy.  Local legend has it that the TV show's fictitious town of Mayfield was named after the dairy.  Beaumont was also a licensed Methodist minister like Anna's grandfather "Daddy John" whose 80th birthday is coming up on March 27th.