Hello, and welcome to my blog about waterfront dining. This is a new hobby of mine, where I find waterfront restaurants on Google Maps and visit as many as I can, because it's really fun for me. My wife became a travel advisor a few years ago, and I think that has probably influenced this hobby.
For context, I live near Chattanooga, Tennessee, so many of my experiences will be around that area. But I certainly don't intend to limit myself to this area, since we travel a lot nowadays!
Since I just started doing this recently, I didn't think about taking pictures and sharing my experiences. So here I'll just describe a few and share what photos I have.
My recent love of waterfront dining started this year at Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar here in Chattanooga, beside the Tennessee River. I took my wife there on a date and returned on my own not long after. I still haven't eaten on their patio, but their food is so good, and the view is so nice, that I fell in love with the place. That experience kicked off this hobby, for sure.
A place I've taken my family a couple of times is literally right on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, and that's the 3rd Deck Burger Bar on the Southern Belle Riverboat. That boat never moves, but it's always on the river. Twice was enough for my wife, because the service is a little off there. But I like the food and atmosphere enough that I might go back some time.
In August this year, I took a day trip to Helen, Georgia on my own and had a wonderful day. I had dinner at a cool place called The Troll Tavern, which serves really yummy German food. It's on the Chattahoochee River, and people float in tubes on that river all day long, which is fun to watch. There are many shops and other experiences all around. I didn't take a single photo that day, but of course you can find many pictures of The Troll on the Internet.
It was after that day that I decided to seek out waterfront restaurants. My next trip, in September, was to Dockside Cafe in Harrison Bay State Park, outside of Chattanooga and just off the Tennessee River. It was their final weekend open, as I discovered when I got there. That's when I realized this is going to be a seasonal hobby! I was really glad I decided to go there on that particular weekend. I ate a fish sandwich at sunset, and it was beautiful. There were a few families there enjoying the deck with me. I didn't take a picture there, either!
I've already been a couple of places in October. A few weeks ago, I drove out to Cookeville Boat Dock in Baxter, TN, on Center Hill Lake. I had to drive around to the north side of the lake, and it was an interesting trip. That was the last weekend open for the season for that restaurant too, so I was really catching these just in time. I called that place before I went to be sure they'd be open, which is always a good idea for these waterfront restaurants in the countryside. Cookeville Boat Dock is mostly run by kids on their summer jobs. But they do good work, and my fish sandwich there was amazing. It was quiet, but there were a few other diners there. And I took a picture! Not of the restaurant, but from my seat.
I also drove to Manchester, TN, that day and caught a lot of live music in various places around town. It was a great day.
Over fall break, I went to Mexico with my family. We stayed at Dreams Riviera Resort south of Cancun, on the Caribbean Sea. They have several restaurants, and one we enjoyed the most is right on the beach and next to large swimming pools. It's called Oceana. I had some of the best fish tacos I've ever tasted there. The only pictures I took were of a falcon being carried around by a falconer. I rushed out of the restaurant and took these pictures for my wife and kids.
So I've not done great with the photos, but now that I had the idea to start a blog on this topic, I'm sure I'll do a better job.
Many of the waterfront restaurants have closed now that it's fall, but I do have some future plans. We'll be going to Perdido Key, FL, for spring break next March, and of course there are many waterfront restaurants in that area. And I'm planning to hit a bunch of Tennessee restaurants in one weekend next May, when they start opening back up.
Until then, we'll just have to see! We'll be traveling to Missouri for Thanksgiving and Alabama for Christmas, and my wife is happy to support my new hobby. I also want to take my wife to Scottie's on the River here in Chattanooga, as well as River Drifters, which I visited once but only for picking up food. I must have hundreds of waterfront restaurants marked on Google Maps already, so this is a hobby that can last many decades!
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