Happy Thursday, y'all! Chattanooga just landed on Outside Magazine's list of best trail towns in the country, and honestly, if you have ever tried to find parking at Raccoon Mountain on a Saturday, you already knew that. Add in a glowing pumpkin patch, a jazz festival lineup announcement, and a full weekend of live music and markets, and this week is packed with reasons to get outside and enjoy it.
Let's get to it!
Local Stories
Chattanooga Jazz Festival returns to the Choo Choo on October 25
🎷 Chattanooga Jazz Festival Announces Its 2026 Lineup
Mark your calendar for October 25, because the second annual Chattanooga Jazz Festival is coming to the Chattanooga Choo Choo, and it is free for everyone. Organizers just dropped the lineup, and it is stacked with local jazz, blues, and funk talent including Stephen Brannen, Zowie and the Band, the Stephen Powers Sextet, the Jim Crumble Quartet, Austin Pettit, Dexter Bell and Friends featuring Karen Collins, the Monday Night Big Band, the UTC Jazz Band, and Jared White and Friends Open Jam. There will also be an all day market with arts, clothing, and food vendors. If you are a business interested in sponsoring, organizers say to reach out through social media or email.
🦷 Free Dental Clinic For Uninsured Adults Comes To Rossville This Week
Peavine City Church in Rossville is opening its doors for a free dental clinic this week, offering cleanings and dental services at no cost to adults 18 and up who do not have insurance. Hours run 8:00am to 4:00pm today and tomorrow, and 8:00am to 11:00am on Wednesday. Appointments are first come, first served, and can only be reserved by calling 423-255-8240. The church is located at 100 Spring St, and if you know someone who has been putting off a dentist visit because of the cost, this is the week to send them this.
🥾 Chattanooga Named One Of The Top Trail Towns In The U.S. By Outside Magazine
Outside Magazine just put Chattanooga on its list of the best trail towns in the country, and honestly, we are not surprised. The magazine pointed to the sheer variety packed into one city, from Lookout Mountain to the Tennessee Riverwalk to Raccoon Mountain, all within about 20 minutes of each other. Outside also gave a nod to the local run groups who show up almost daily no matter how brutal the summer heat gets. We are in good company too, joining Bend Oregon, Boulder Colorado, Marquette Michigan, and Mill Valley California on the list.
☀️ Weather Snapshot
Thursday 94° ☀️ low 70°
Friday 95° 🌤️ low 71°
Saturday 94° ⛅ low 70°
Sunday 93° 🌤️ low 70°
Summer is not quite ready to let go yet. Stay hydrated, find some shade between events, and plan any outdoor plans for the morning or evening when it is a little more forgiving.
Together With Restoration 1 of Chattanooga
🌊 One Storm Could Cost You Everything Under Your Roof
Water damage can spread fast after a storm
Water does not wait for a good time.
It comes in through the roof. Through the foundation. Through the pipe you did not know had already burst. And once it is in, it does not stop at the carpet.
Drywall soaks it up. Insulation holds onto it. Mold moves in within 24 to 48 hours, quietly, behind the walls where you cannot see it until it is already a real problem.
That is not a quick fix anymore. That is torn out flooring. That is a gutted wall. That is thousands of dollars and weeks out of your home.
Restoration 1 of Chattanooga gets to your home fast, pulls the water out, and dries everything down to the studs before the damage spreads. Storm flooding, a burst pipe, a basement that filled up overnight, they have handled it all and they know exactly how to make it right.
If your home floods, do not wait around hoping it dries on its own. The first 24 hours decide how bad this actually gets.
Friday Wrap
Enchanted Pumpkin Patch: Back for its second year, Rock City's Enchanted Pumpkin Patch is bigger and more magical this time around. Glowing pumpkins, immersive displays, and all the fall photo ops you could ask for. Popular dates are expected to sell out, so grab tickets now.
Cheese and Beer Festival: A full weekend celebrating the best cheeses and beers from around the world alongside locally crafted favorites, plus juried art and handcrafted goods from regional artisans.
Madelyn Tallent with Camden Smith and Tyler Garrett: Three Southeastern country artists at different points in their careers share one stage at Barrel House Ballroom. Two stripped down acoustic sets open the night before Tyler Garrett and his full band close it out.
Seed Theatre's Cat On A Hot Tin Roof: Tennessee Williams' classic, directed by Mixy Mixon, a queer theatre artist whose own path connects deeply to Williams' legacy and the Tennessee Williams Fellowship.
Saturday Insight
The LinkUp: Coffee and Connections: A free morning built for meeting new people and growing your network over coffee.
St Elmo Maker's Market: Four years running now, this monthly market at the Tap House in St Elmo brings out local vendors and free parking in the old Food City lot.
Bluegrass Jam Class: A free Wernick Method jam class with Pete Wernick and Austin Scelzo during the IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival downtown. If you can tune your instrument and switch between G, C, D, and A, you are in.
Redbud Rumble: The third annual car and bike show rolls in with a motorcycle run, live music, food and booth vendors, a beer tent, a kid's zone, a Battle of the Beards, and a BBQ showdown. Free to register.
Rails, Wizards, and Spells: The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum turns into an enchanted world for the day, with Wizards Way, a spellbinding train ride, a live potions demonstration, and magical merchants at every turn.
Legends of the Blues with Darryl Van Leer: A high energy, Vegas style tribute show honoring Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and BB King. Come early for dinner and drink specials at The Woodshop Listening Room.
The Poetic Sounds of Jazz: Dust off your vintage best for an evening of spoken word from Rhyme N Chatt poets and live jazz from pianist Dexter Bell at Cepin's on Central.
Improv Comedy Show: A night of unscripted comedy from Chattanooga area improvisers, curated by Improv Chattanooga.
SPONSORED
A clean office leaves the right impression
🧹 Your Dirty Office Is Costing You The Sale
Nobody tells you they noticed. They just do not come back.
A dusty vent. A trash can nobody emptied. A bathroom that smells like it has not seen a mop since Monday. That is what a client sees while they wait for you to close the deal you worked weeks to get.
Your best employees are job hunting over this too. A gross break room is not a small thing, it is the thing that makes people start checking other openings.
You did not build a business to spend your weekend scrubbing baseboards, and you should not have to gamble your reputation on whoever showed up cheapest either.
M.B.D Janitorial Services handles it, every time, without you having to ask twice. Local crews, a real schedule, and a space that looks client ready on a random Tuesday, not just the day before an inspection.
Stop losing business to a dirty office. It is fixable, and it is fixable this week.
Sunday Reset
Cultures In Concert: The Chattanooga Market goes global for the day with live music from around the world and an international food court full of bold, delicious bites.
DnD Little Critters Character Building: Young adventurers ages 8 to 13 build their very own Dungeons and Dragons character from scratch, ready for whatever campaign comes next.
Plants + Pinot at Unknown Caller: Test your plant knowledge at trivia night and walk away with a plant from Verre Noir.
🔮 Look Ahead
📚 A Patchwork Heritage: An America 250 Quilt Showcase
Monday, September 21 | 303 S Duke St | Free
Honoring generations of American quilting traditions, this collection highlights the artistry of the Battlefield Piece Makers Guild. Stop by the library to see it in person.
🍕 SEED Chattanooga Anniversary Giveback Night
Tuesday, September 22 | Mellow Mushroom Downtown | Free | More Info
Celebrate SEED Chattanooga's first anniversary while 10% of the day's sales go toward its gardening education and community learning garden work. Representatives will be on site starting at 6:00pm.
🧘 Friends & Fun (50+ Group)
Wednesday, September 23 | West Room at Collegedale City Hall | Free | More Info
A weekly gathering for folks 50 and up, with chair volleyball, arts and crafts, field trips, and guest speakers rotating through the schedule.
🍺 Cigar Guild
Thursday, September 24 | Cigars International East Ridge | Free | More Info
The fourth Thursday tradition continues with Espinosa's Comfortably Numb Volume 1, paired with the Distillery of Modern Art. Good drinks, good stogies, and deals in the humidor you will only find during the guild.
Together with The Blade Partners
Closets By Design: If you're constantly rearranging your closet and it still never feels right, it's not you, it's the space. Upgrade your closet.
C&C Nursery and Landscape: Overgrown yard? Schedule a plant installation and get free late season pruning. Get a free quote.
Restoration 1 of Chattanooga: Late summer humidity can bring out mold in places you're not checking. Get a hassle-free estimate.
M.B.D Janitorial Services: Local, reliable office and commercial cleaning that keeps your space client ready. Get a quote.
The Sweet and Savory Classroom: Book a class this month and use code KnifeSkills for a free Knife Skills online class.
Where To Eat
Tasty Heaven Sandwiches: Y'all, if you have not stood in the Tasty Heaven line yet, you are missing out, and yes, there is always a line, but it moves fast and every bite is worth the wait. The sandwiches come out neat, generous, and made with care, which is exactly what you want when you are on a lunch break. Order the famous peach tea while you are at it, and if you happen to swing by on a Tuesday or Thursday, you will walk out with a free cookie too. Plenty of seating inside and plenty of parking outside, so bring a friend and make an afternoon of it.
📍 5950 Shallowford Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Tasty Heaven Sandwiches
Tacoroc: This is your sign to go get some real, authentic Mexican food, because Tacoroc is doing it right. Everyone at the table cleaned their plate, and a few of us still needed a to go box for the rest. The shrimp chimichanga came stuffed with jumbo shrimp and did not hold back on flavor, and the guacamole might be the best in the whole city, we are not exaggerating. If you are craving something fresh and filling this week, this is where we are sending you.
📍 6960 Lee Hwy, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Tacoroc
Know someone who is always asking what is going on around town? Forward this their way, they will thank you for it. And if this list has you feeling like there is nowhere in the country quite like this one, well, Outside Magazine agrees with you. Get out there, wave at a neighbor, and eat something good.
Catch you next Tuesday 💛
More From The Blade
Previous Issue: Things To Do In Chattanooga This Weekend September 10 to 17
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