What happens when you take one of the nation’s top family vacation destinations and make it even better? You get ChattaNEWga! Recently, local tourism officials were caught changing “Chattanooga” to “ChattaNEWga” on transportation signs throughout Tennessee.

Why the sudden name change? A wonderful new front porch has been created and we’re waiting for you to visit. Whether you’ve been here before, or you’re planning your first trip, get ready to experience an entirely new destination.

After a $120 million waterfront revitalization, we’ve redefined family fun, scenic beauty, culture, history and outdoor recreation. With additions to the Tennessee Aquarium, Creative Discovery Museum and Hunter Museum of American Art, as well as a new wetlands park, a dramatic underground passageway leading to the river and celebrating Native American culture, green space along the water, glass-bottom bridge connecting the arts district to downtown, extended riverwalk, a pier, restaurants, mooring facilities and a new home for Outdoor Chattanooga, your playground just got bigger.

Now imagine a place where you can view seven states from one scenic overlook, connect with American history through the eyes of American artists to a Gulf of Mexico experience that makes you feel like a diver in the Secret Reef. Voted one of America's top family weekend getaways by Southern Living magazine, and one of America's top family destinations by FamilyFun magazine, the new ChattaNEWga offers endless possibilities for everyone in your family.

The world’s largest freshwater aquarium, the Tennessee Aquarium, now offers a spectacular new saltwater adventure. Dive beneath the waves through a coral reef teeming with fascinating 10-foot-long sharks, fierce barracuda and graceful stingrays. You’ll enter a lush tropical cove, where 100 feet of shoreline beckons you to a touch pool where you’ll have hands-on encounters with tiny bamboo sharks and stingrays. Then you’ll discover a serene rainforest fluttering with hundreds of jewel-colored butterflies. Other enchanting exhibits will showcase amazing creatures like octopus, jellyfish and giant crabs.

Connect with American history as you approach art like you’ve never done before. The Hunter Museum of American Art now offers a whole new museum experience. Bring the artist alive and connect with the past. Immerse yourself in the country's finest collection of American Art, stroll through an outdoor sculpture garden, create your own masterpiece in a studio class or sip a cappuccino in the café where the glass walls offer spectacular views of the Tennessee River and downtown Chattanooga.

Perch high in a crow's nest, splash in water creating dams and channels for floating boats, feel the sand between your fingers as you dig for dinosaur bones in an excavation site, create your own artistic masterpiece or take the fun sky high and blow soap bubbles in the new Rooftop Fun Factory. Children (and adults!) will discover a whole new meaning to art, music, science and technology in a world made just for them at the children’s Creative Discovery Museum.

There’s no better place to see the beauty along the Tennessee River than the views you get from the Southern Belle Riverboat. With a variety of thematic, lunch, dinner or sightseeing cruises, you’ll have a chance to sit back and enjoy the scenery, while eating delicious food and listening to the Riverboat Ramblers band.

Ross’s Landing is an incredible historical point, connecting Chattanooga with Native American cultures. The Passage was created here to celebrate these cultures while providing a dramatic passageway leading to the river. The Passage is lined with huge Cherokee symbols, wall figures of Native American sports like stickball and a water spider collecting the water that slides over the wall and down the stairs.

Chattanooga’s new waterfront is only a portion of what makes us such a great destination. Full of rich history and timeless attractions, we’ve only enhanced the Chattanooga experience. Known for such attractions as the Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Lookout Mountain attractions, we provide an action packed vacation for everyone.

Made famous in a song by the Glenn Miller band, the Chattanooga Choo Choo offers a unique experience. Visitors not only get to eat in a traincar, but they get to sleep in one too! The grounds at the Choo Choo are scattered with gardens and gazebos, a trolley, the largest railroad museum in the south, unique shops and a variety of restaurants including one where the waiters sing for your supper!

Only six miles from downtown and high atop Lookout Mountain, you’ll find a few of the timeless attractions that have been exciting visitors for decades. Rock City Gardens is a true marvel of nature featuring massive ancient rock formations, gardens with more than 400 different native plant species, and panoramic views 1,700 feet above sea level. Along Rock City’s Enchanted Trail, explore wonders like the Grand Corridor, Needle’s Eye and a 200-foot swinging bridge on your way to Lover’s Leap, site of the legendary See Seven States view.

You’ll be amazed at Ruby Falls, the largest underground commercial cavern in the world. Located deep within the heart of Lookout Mountain, visitors get a sneak peak at the geological wonders that happen underground. Your adventure takes you past natural formations in the shape of a plate with steak and potatoes, an angel’s wing and even an elephants foot, all leading to the thundering, 145-foot natural waterfall.

Enjoy the thrill of riding America’s most amazing mile on the world’s steepest passenger railway. The Incline Railway climbs the side of Lookout Mountain at a 72.7 percent grade, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys through the glass roof.

Chattanooga’s unparalleled scenic beauty provides a wonderful natural playground that’s ready for you to come out and play. There’s no better way to explore our outdoor adventure than hiking or biking the mountain trails, canoeing the numerous creeks, whitewater rafting the Ocoee River, soaring high in the sky as you hang glide off Lookout Mountain, walking the world’s longest pedestrian bridge, strolling through the new wetlands park along the river or splashing in the interactive fountains at Coolidge Park – you’ll be sure to find something that’s just for you.

So what are you waiting for? Our new front porch is ready and we’re waiting for you! Make your plans to experience the all new ChattaNEWga today!

The Chattanooga Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a non-profit, Hamilton County funded organization, formed to strengthen the area economy through the marketing and promotion of Chattanooga as a year-round destination for meetings, conventions, and leisure travel. For more information, call 800/322-3344 or visit chattaNEWgafun.com.