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Rock City celebrates 80th anniversary

Rock City celebrates 80th anniversary

Posted: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 7:00 pm
By: Joe Edwards, Associated Press

By JOE EDWARDS Associated Press CHATTANOOGA (AP) — It’s been advertised on barns and billboards across much of the country. It’s a natural wonderland with a rock formation called “fat man’s squeeze.” And it’s been mentioned in a country song. Rock City, a cultural and scenic capstone near Chattanooga with endurance like few other tourist attractions, is celebrating its 80th anniversary. About 400,000 visitors annually come to see the 200-million-year-old rock formations, enjoy scenic vistas and walk among 400 native plant species on 90-minute self-guided tours along a stone path. On the site are a 100-foot high waterfall, a 1,000-ton balancing rock, a swinging bridge and the “fat man’s squeeze” challenging visitors to maneuver between imposing boulders. For the youngsters, there are concrete gnomes, a rock climbing wall and statues of storybook characters. The 14-acre family-owned attraction atop Lookout Mountain, Ga., six miles from downtown Chattanooga, has survived the Great Depression, World War II, area pollution and the recent Great Recession. “We combine natural beauty with incomparable gardens, views and wonders,” says Andrew Kean, Rock City’s president and chief operating officer. And it’s used an unconventional advertising campaign without corporate muscle: Barns, billboards and bird houses proclaim the commanding invitation “See Rock City.” “We’ve had a phenomenal amount of outdoor advertising,” Kean says. Much of the promotion focuses on the intrigue that on a clear day, visitors can see Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama from Rock City’s Seven States Flag Court. “It’s unparalleled,” Kean says. Pressed about the validity of the claim, he acknowledged on a recent overcast Friday, “Today will not be the best.” Rock City opened in 1932 to give Depression-era families a diversion. Bill Chapin, CEO, is a third-generation descendant of founders Garnet and Frieda Carter. There is no big corporation behind it; no multiple sites like theme parks. Even without such trappings, it’s been named one of America’s iconic places by National Geographic. “We have a lot of freedom to change, and not to change,” Kean says. Rock City’s opening followed other natural attractions across the country. Mount Rushmore National Memorial was created in 1925. Grand Canyon National Park opened in 1919 and Niagara Falls State Park in 1903. And Rock City is an elder statesman compared to theme parks. Disneyland opened in 1955 and Disney World in 1971. It’s also a historic site: The 1863 Civil War “Battle Above the Clouds” was fought on the mountain. And the country’s first patented miniature golf course was created on the mountain in the late 1920s. But Rock City is by no means mired in the 1930s. It uses social media — Facebook and Twitter — to stay current. Country singer Jason Aldean honored the site by mentioning it by name in his recent song “This I Gotta See.” And there’s a Starbucks on the property and two electric car charging stations.

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