Nestled Between Mountains Is A Serene Georgia City With Breathtaking Scenery And Charming Local Shops

Just 25 minutes outside of Chattanooga, aka Tennessee's "scenic city," the picturesque surroundings continue south of the state line into Trenton, Georgia. Nestled into a valley between the peaks of Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain in the northwest corner of Georgia, Trenton is a small town known for its epic ways. Here, you can experience the region's stunning natural formations, from caving and rock climbing to world-class hang gliding. Just over a two-hour drive from Atlanta, Knoxville, or Nashville, Trenton makes a convenient getaway from big city life.

If you're looking to pump the brakes rather than your adrenaline, lean into the slower pace of mountain living with hiking, local shopping, and The Wilderness Theater, the largest outdoor movie theater in the world! History lovers will appreciate the city's significance as a key location for Union soldiers during the Battle of Chickamauga, one of the Civil War's bloodiest confrontations. When it comes to morning coffee, visitors have their choice with centrally located Corner Coffee and Za Brew. And what's a Southern mountain town without barbecue? Head to family-run Thatcher's BBQ & Grill's original location in Trenton's town square for carnivorous conquests like the Man of Smoke Sandwich and the Porky Bucket.

For a small town, Trenton offers a lot of choices when it comes to exploring its natural surroundings. A 10-minute drive south takes you to top-rated Cloudland Canyon State Park, where you can hike 64 miles of trails, from the flat and easy 1-mile Overlook Trail to the more challenging 4.7-mile West Rim Loop Trail. Visitors can also explore the park's caves, canyons, and cliffs, which offer opportunities for biking, rock climbing, geocaching, and ranger-led caving tours. 

Towering over Trenton at 2,000 feet above sea level, Lookout Mountain makes an ideal jumping-off point, quite literally. Trenton happens to be home to the largest hang gliding training facilities in the country. Lookout Mountain Flight Park offers tandem flights so you can fly like an eagle with no prior experience. The more grounded folks in your crew can have just as much fun watching the spectacle from below at the park's landing zone, featuring a private swimming pool, creekside campground, and bonfires. Attractions at the top of Lookout Mountain focus on adventure and history, with the country's tallest underground waterfall at Ruby Falls, Civil War battle sites, and Tennessee's Incline Railway that takes you cloud-high up a mountain.

If you seek the thrill of the hunt, Trenton has quaint local shops with curated selections of antique, vintage and handmade goods like the aptly named Hidden Treasures and The Shop on Main. Shoppers can continue their spree in nearby Chattanooga with the high-end stores of Warehouse Row, and more top-notch antiquing at The Refindery on McCallie and Vinterest, whose two Chattanooga locations have been voted "Best Antique Store" a decade running by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Trenton offers pretty cool lodging options for its size as well. The Groovy Nomad, a renovated 1950s motel tricked out with mid-century modern maximalism and centrally located on Trenton's Main Street, is a design lover's dream. For a unique stay in nature, the Whippoorwill Retreat Treehouse is a luxury solar-powered little fairytale of an Airbnb property that sleeps you and three of your favorite people. Wow factors include wood from a Civil War battlefield salvaged to create the counters, stairs, and shelves, and matching outdoor antique soaking tubs that fill up with a "Hey, Alexa." Before you book this or any other Airbnb, here are the most crucial questions to ask your host.