Sunday was my first trip to Chattanooga's Imax Theater, and let me first say that Sundays are my Favorite days to do anything touristy downtown. I have vivid memories as a kid of field trip & family reunion size crowds downtown, but I never have had anything but a leisurely experience on a Sunday afternoon. So take my advice remember Sundays are the days to be a (local) tourist in Chattanooga.
Back to the Imax. Chattanooga's Imax 3D Theater is right downtown, about a block from the Tennessee Aquarium. Discounts are available if you visit both the Aquarium and Imax in the same day. The Chattanooga Imax 3D Theater focuses on educational and family films rather than your typical 1st run imax movies. The Chattanooga Aquarium's new building is home to 2 species of penguins (one of them being Macaroni, no kidding) so last month the Imax showed Happy Feet 2!
Any Imax is going to be a good experience, and Chattanooga's is nice. The lobby is clean, open, and family friendly. I thought it was pretty nifty that they had a step stool by the sinks in the bathroom for little kids. It doesn't sound like much, but I'm sure parents appreciate not having to hoist toddlers up to the sinks. There is also a gift shop with toys and such for all ages, so be careful, the theater is designed so you have to walk through the gift shop on your way out.
The theater itself is pretty great. You get giant, photo worthy, 3D glasses when you go in, and the screen and sound are top notch. Happy Feet 2 was great with all of the music, and 3D underwater scenes. I'm not going to review the movie in full, but if you know me then you'll know, when a movie starts with Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" and ends with David Bowie's "Under Pressure" - I'm going to be happy.
The downtown Imax is not on my "Must See in Chattanooga" list, but brunch with friends followed by Happy Feet 2 and a trip to see real penguins is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon downtown, and probably a nice way to break up a long day when you're out with kids.
Chattanooga Imax Theater
The TN Aquarium and Imax are open every day except Thanksgiving & Christmas Day
Ticket Prices | map & directions | website
*Photo from the TN Aquarium Website, Image Link. 1/13/12
**Edit 4/29/13: Due to an excessive amount of spam, comments for this post have been turned off.
