Heather B.
Yelp
We had a wonderful time at the Hunter Museum, and that's saying something since one of our party hates art museums! I love the architecture in the new part, all the angles, all the windows, all the riveted metal plates.I really like the space and the amazing location. It's on a high bluff over the river, overlooking the city of Chattanooga mountains all around.
The views are amazing and it's nice to be able to go out on the terrace in so many different places. The permanent collection in the modern section seems a little random, but I liked that. There was a lot of variety. Perhaps this is what made it feel unpretentious and much more welcoming and accessible than most art museums.
The older building is a lovely old mansion with classical landscapes and older art. I didn't expect anyone in our party to like this part, but my daughters enjoyed it very much. There are some nice landscapes. Unlike most museums, there are many places to sit and look at art books, often with a beautiful view from one of the many windows. There was one room that had an activity: looking at transparencies of landscape photos on a light box and then drawing one on a postcard. This inspired my art-museum-hating daughter and her "Intimidation Mountain", done in pencil in 2 minutes while standing in the next room, is up on the bulletin board as I write this.
The gift shop was small, but really cool. It's worth a stop on its own. And if you're a student, for the price of admission ($15), you can also get a membership, which will get you a discount at other museums as well.
The area around the museum is lovely, with cafes and restaurants that look a little European. You can walk downtown to the aquarium and many restaurants or across the pedestrian bridge for cute shops and restaurants or along the river walk. It's an amazing location. The Hunter Museum has a small parking lot which had ample parking for a weekday. Chattanooga and the Hunter Museum are well worth a visit!