Swinging bridge at Rock City. Click to enlarge all our photos.
photo by Rock City Gardens
Lookout Mountain's Rock City Gardens was featured in a recent edition of USA Today on the famed attraction's "disappearing barns."
The article says the barns with the "See Rock City" signs painted on top once "were as much a part of the trip as squabbles over territory in the back seat."
It tells of contests families would have to see who saw the first Rock City barn sign and who spotted the most during the trip.
There were once 900 of the barns, but only 90 remain.
The article quotes Rock City President Bill Chapin as saying that "Changing times, changing laws" are responsible.
Despite the curtailing of the barn signs, the attraction still draws 500,000 visitors each year.
Mr. Chapin says many are third or fourth generation.
The article also gives a history of Rock City - back to the time in 1823 when missionary to the Cherokees Daniel S. Buttrick described it as a "citadel of rocks."
It tells of Garnet Carter developing a residential neighborhood called Fairyland atop Lookout Mountain and situating his home where Rock City is now.
His wife, Frieda, marked a trail through the giant rock formations with string, and she collected wildflowers and plants and had them transplanted along the trail. She also installed imported German statues, gnomes and characters from fairy tales
With so many stragglers wanting to go through, Carter opened the garden to the public on May 21, 1932.
Carter was an advertising genius and he "came up with the idea of offering to paint farmers' barns in exchange for sign space," the article says.
Most of the signs were painted by Clark Byers, of Rising Fawn, Ga.
The article says Rock City "will delight children, the swinging bridge brings squeals and laughter. The waterfall inspires the heaving of twigs and leaves over the rail just to make stomachs flutter. The view of seven states from an observation point 1,700 feet above sea level is a tradition. A large plaque points out each state: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The area is also known as Lover's Leap, with the inevitable legend about an Indian brave thrown from the ledge by an irate chief, only to be followed by the maiden who could not live without the young man.
Small children will no doubt enjoy Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village, featuring lighted displays from fairy tales in cave openings, and a fairy tale village.
These days the gardens feature more that 400 different species of native wildflowers, plants, shrubs and trees."
Rock City is open 365 days a year, including a special Christmas holidays light show.
Admission is $11.95 for adults, $6.50 for children 3-12. Children under 2 are free.
To see the article, go to:
Rock City article
Rock City has an excellent website at
Rock City website