Bessie Smith Cultural Center

Chattanooga


Explores various aspects of African American history in Chattanooga and shares a few artifacts related to Chattanooga-born singer Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chattanooga attractions

1. Songbirds

0.53 MILES

Myriad songbirds of the avian variety call Tennessee home, but Chattanooga's newly revamped Songbirds – an innovative interactive learning space devoted…

2. Hunter Museum of American Art

0.78 MILES

Set high on the river bluffs, this striking edifice of melted steel and glass – fronted by an early-20th-century mansion – is easily the most singular…

3. Tennessee Aquarium

0.82 MILES

Situated on the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga, TN, the Tennessee Aquarium is home to 10,000 animals. The aquarium, Chattanooga’s most visited…

4. Ross's Landing & the Passage

0.92 MILES

Tucked between the Tennessee Aquarium and the Tennessee River, the patch of greenery known as Ross's Landing marks the starting point of the Trail of…

5. Walnut Street Bridge

0.94 MILES

Finished in 1891, this half-mile span carried vehicles from downtown to the North Shore until 1978, when it was closed for safety reasons. In 1993 it was…

6. Coolidge Park

1.12 MILES

A good place to start a riverfront stroll, Coolidge Park has a play fountain, a carousel ($1 per ride), well-used playing fields, and a 50ft climbing wall…

7. Sculpture Fields at Montague Park

1.41 MILES

Large-scale sculptures from a global array of artists dot this 33-acre outdoor museum. Open since 2016, the park is a pleasant place to stroll on a pretty…

8. Lookout Mountain

3.38 MILES

Just ten minutes from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, rising along the upper rim of the city, Lookout Mountain is rich in both Civil War history and…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/the-south/chattanooga/attractions/bessie-smith-cultural-center/a/poi-sig/1616627/362225",
      "destination": "Chattanooga",
      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
      "region": "Tennessee",
      "city": "Chattanooga",
      "position": "superzone"
    }