4786. Take the Incline Railway up to the top of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga

 I wanted to go to the top of Lookout Mountain. I wasn't sure if the hubby could do the incline railway because of how steep it was. On the other hand, I wasn't sure if he would be able to drive to the top either. This was going to be the lesser of two evils situation. He said he should be able to handle the incline railway.

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway has been carrying passengers up and down Lookout Mountain for over 125 years. It is known as America's Most Amazing Mile. Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is open daily 9-6 (7 on weekends). It is closed on Mondays during the off season. It is $22/person to ride the incline railway. Parking in the lot by Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is $3 for 3 hours. It is small lot and there is other public parking within walking distance. We got lucky and were able to park in the lot adjacent to the incline railway.

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway takes about 10 minutes to get to the top. It is fairly easy ride. Until the last 1/3 and then you hit a grade of 72.7% which is 17.3% degrees away from being completely vertical. The hubby did not like that part at all. He did well with the rest. I'll be honest, that last section was a bit steep. 

Once we got to the top of Lookout Mountain, we walked to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. We did not going to Point Park because of the additional fee. We looked through the stone fence and saw into the grounds. I saw a cannon. I was good. 

Before we boarded the railway to head back down, we went up to the observation deck. What a gorgeous view. It is said you can see 6 or 7 states. It was quite hazy so didn't get to see them all. The hubby had issues with the observation deck and I didn't a chance to go all the way to the top. 

We wanted to check out the engine room but didn't find it. I suppose we had to take the elevator. 

The ride down was a piece of cake. At one point we passed the other car that is heading up the mountain (just as we did on the way up). That's always fun.

I'm glad we had enough time to ride the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. It was definitely worth the experience. Even if you don't like heights, you should be able to handle this ride. The hubby did.  

26 in 2026 -- Take a New Train Ride -- Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

 When our spring training plans were no longer feasible, Tennessee became the new vacation spot. I saw that Chattanooga had a train museum with train rides that actually was open year round. It was an easy selling point to the hubby when I told him I found him a train ride.

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is located in Chattanooga. It is open daily 9:30-5. They have a daily train ride for $26/adult. It is a 65 minute train ride which is the longest train ride we've been on yet.

When we arrived at the museum, we had some to explore before our train left. We walked the yard but could not go in any of the trains. That was disappointed. 

We boarded the train. We opted for the last car. It was a diesel engine so it would be quiet at the back of the train. 

We went through a Pre-Civil War Tunnel that was a tight squeeze. The walls of the tunnel was about an inch from the train. It was a very cool tunnel.

When we got to the East Chattanooga Depot, we got a turntable demonstration. The museum has a 1911 turntable and we watched how they turned the locomotive around so we don't have to do the return trip backwards. The hubby was impressed. He loves roundhouses and turntables. 

We also go to see the restoration shop and their steam engine. 

Once we got back to the museum, we opted not to check out the display as it was uphill. 

If you are ever in Chattanooga and enjoy trains, definitely check out the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. It is definitely worth the 90 minutes journey. 

26 in 2026: Try a new food -- Hot Brown

 When we travel, we like to eat local especially for dinner. After a long day of traveling, we rarely want to think about where we are going to eat so I tend to scope out restaurants ahead of time. Sometimes I make an executive decision, other times I give the hubby options and let him pick. My go to resource for restaurants is Tripadvisor. That is where I found our dinner spot in Evansville, IN. I picked The Hornet's Nest Steakhouse which is more of pub and grill than a steak house.

The Hornet's Nest has a wide range of menu options. It has chicken, burgers, seafood, and steak. It also features a couple specialties, one of which was a Hot Brown. I think I vaguely heard the term before but never actually saw it on a menu before. It sounded good and the hubby and I both ordered it. We like to try local dishes, within reason, when we travel as well. 

A Hot Brown is a Louisville staple. I guess Evansville is close enough to Louisville that they can serve it. It is nothing fancy. Thick (or thin) sliced ham and turkey on Texas Toast topped with Mornay (cheese) sauce, bacon and tomato. It is broiled until bubbly and golden brown. I figured with bacon and cheese sauce you can't go wrong. We opted for no tomato.

It was delicious. It reminded me somewhat of a ponyshoe without the fries. The Mornay sauce was rich and creamy. It was easily cut with a fork. I doubt I could make the Mornay sauce at home otherwise I would totally make them for dinner. I am horrible at making cheese sauces. 

Next time you are in the Louisville area, you definitely should try a Hot Brown. If you are ever in Evansville, check out The Hornet's Nest. Everything that came out looked amazing. 

I wonder where our next trip will take us and what local foods we will get to. 

Checking out Historic Cox Ford Covered Bridge

 The drive from Milwaukee to Evansville is like 7 hours. That is along time without any stops. I was playing around on Google Maps trying to find some place to stop and stretch our legs. I found a cover bridge that wasn't too far from the highway. 

Historic Cox Ford Covered Bridge is located in Turkey Run State Park in Parke, IL. It was built in 1913 after the original bridge was washed away in a flood. 

The covered bridge was located down a gravel road. It was a hilly and curvy. It was literally in the middle of the nowhere.

We were able to drive over the covered bridge. We love being able to drive through covered bridges. It was a one lane bridge like usual. 

Indiana is full of covered bridges. I hope to find more. I have a whole map of them. I will have do some more research before our next trip. 

Historic Cox Ford Covered Bridge is definitely worth the detour. If you ever find yourself in rural Indiana, take the detour to see Historic Cox Ford Covered Bridge. 

26 in 2026 -- Try a New Ice Cream Flavor -- Dubai Chocolate

I love finding new ice cream places and new ice cream flavors. Give me anything with lots of chocolate and I'm happy camper. As we were leaving Rise & Grind Gelato and Coffee Shop during Green Bay's Cafe Crawl, I noticed they had gelato. I obviously missed it in the name. I decided we needed to stop on the way back to the car for some gelato when we were done with the Cafe Crawl. 

Rise & Grind had about 6 flavors in gelato to pick from. I was debating between Dubai Chocolate and Watermelon. I decided watermelon was too much of a summer flavor to get on a cold February day so I went with Dubai Chocolate. I told Heather she could tell her kiddo that I was being trendy.

I was not impressed with the Dubai Chocolate. Okay so I'm not a huge pistachio fan.. that might be part of the problem. The crispy knafeh (shredded phyllo dough) added a weird stringy texture. It was not the usual smooth and creamy texture of that I am used to with gelato. I was more hard like ice cream. 

I did jump on the Dubai Chocolate Trend and I'm not going to be running out and getting more. I'll stick to my brownie pieces and caramel ribbons in the future. 

Definitely check out Rise & Grind for all your coffee and gelato needs the next time you are in Green Bay. 

It's only February. I'm sure I'll try more fun ice cream flavors in the next 10 months. Stay tuned to find out which flavor I try next. 

26 in 2026 -- Visit a New Indie Bookstore -- Lion's Mouth Bookstore

 One of the stops on the Cafe Crawl this year was Lion's Mouth Bookstore. I was excited to visit a new bookstore and find a book for vacation.

Lion's Mouth Bookstore is located downtown Green Bay on Washington St. There is street parking or parking ramps nearby. It is open Monday-Friday 9-6, 9-5 on Saturdays, and 10-4 on Sundays. 

Lion's Mouth Bookstore is not a large bookstore but they have plenty of books to choose from. For a small indie bookstore, I was impressed by the selection. I found several books I wanted to buy and Heather found several as well. 

There is also a coffee shop inside where you can get a tasty beverage while you browse. They were giving out coffee and tea samples on the cafe crawl. 

Heather was happy to see they had a book goblin. She had to send me a video explaining the book goblin to me but I am definitely Team Book Goblin. 

I may have found a new favorite Indie bookstore. Their selection is great and it has beverages. And it's closer than Fair Isle Books.

If you haven't checked out Lion's Mouth Bookstore, please do the next time you are in Green Bay. 

6155. Go to Inventor’s Brewpub in Port Washington

 The hubby and I were going to be down by my parents on Valentine's Day and we wanted to try some place new for dinner. However we didn't want a Valentine's Day menu or feel to it. That is not our thing. Little Bro suggested the Log Cabin Inn in Howards Grove but time got away from us and it was going to be later than we wanted to get there so we decided to stay in Port. My friend suggested Inventor's Brewpub in Port. We decided to check it out. 

Inventor's Brewpub is located downtown Port Washington across the street from the Marina. There is some parking in the lot to the south of the Marina or street parking. Do not park in the marina lot or you will get ticketed especially in summer. We couldn't figure out if we needed to feed the meters or not so we played it safe and parked on the street. Inventor's Brewpub is open 11-9 Sunday-Thursday and 11-10 on Fridays and Saturdays.

We got a table right away. They are several tables including a few longer beer hall tables to accommodate large groups. You could also sit at the bar. In summer there is also a patio to sit at and look out over the lake. 

The menu features burgers, wraps, Friday Fish, and a handful of main dishes. They also have poutine.  The brats are made locally and the rolls are Sheboygan hard rolls .The hubby went with a burger and I opted for Wisconsin Bratwurst Poutine. Since I wasn't in the mood for a beer, we opted for water. 

My poutine was very good. I forgot it said beer brat and was not expecting spiciness. Once I got used to that it was really good. It was a lot of food. The hubby said he might have got it if it wasn't beer cheese or came with chicken. He also said the fries were not sturdy enough for the cheese. I would totally get it it again.

The hubby said his burger was good. It looked good. I would probably get homemade chips with my burger though. 

We will definitely be back to Inventor's Brewpub. I told my friend it got 2 thumbs up. Next time I want to try their beer. 

If you are ever in Port Washington and want a quick bite to eat or a good beer, check out Inventor's Brewpub.