One of the great things about a riverside path is that it’s hard to get lost. Head east from the Tennessee Aquarium, keeping the river on your left. In about a half mile you’ll find yourself in Chattanooga’s Bluff View Art District. It’s an apt name. The neighborhood looks down on the river from a high limestone bluff. As for art, Bluff View boasts the Hunter Museum of American Art, an exceptional gallery of fine arts and crafts, and a sculpture garden. Not to mention Rembrandt’s Coffee House (411 East Second Street, bluffviewartdistrictchattanooga.com/rembrandtscoffeehouse).
Patti and I stopped for breakfast and fresh roasted coffee before we immersed ourselves in art. We weren’t the only ones hankering for a burrito, French toast, a cranberry walnut scone or a Nutella croissant. Every table in the idyllic hidden courtyard was occupied, often by folks with their toddlers or their dogs. Some brought both toddler and dog. It was such a delightful scene that we were reluctant to leave. We even considered returning later for a bowl of tomato artichoke soup or the Southern classic pimento cheese dip smeared on a fresh butter croissant.
A neighborhood anchored by art
The Hunter Museum of American Art (10 Bluff View Avenue, huntermuseum.org), just around the corner, is the landmark of the neigborhood.
The Hunter opened in 1952 as a showcase for American art with a particular emphasis on Southern artists. As the collection grew to more than 3,000 pieces, the museum burst the seams of its Georgian revival mansion. In the 1970s, a Brutalist-style building was tucked into the bluff. A playful, soaring zinc-clad wing was added in 2005 to reach toward the sky. The result is a wonderful architectural amalgamation that reflects the breadth of the collection inside. Those holdings range from Colonial-era portraits to patchwork quilts, Tiffany bowls, and an Andy Warhol screenprint of Lillian Carter.
Even with so much to see, the outdoors beckoned. After Patti and I circled the sculpture plaza in front of the museum, we walked down the street to the River Gallery Sculpture Garden. Created by the nearby River Gallery (400 East Second Street, river-gallery.com) the two-acre garden is a quiet spot to stroll the winding paths, survey the artworks from every angle, and take in the flow of the Tennessee River below.
