The South - Eastern USA - page 728

BONNAROO
Twelve years and still very much rocking, Bonnaroo ( www.bonnaroo.com ; Machester, TN;
mid-Jun) is one of America's premier music festivals. Set on a 700-acre farm, 40
miles northwest of Chattanooga and 60 miles southeast of Nashville, Bonnaroo
adds camping and arts components that lend a communal feel. But it's the music
that rules. The 2013 iteration offered 150 performances on 10 stages, including
sets from Paul McCartney, David Byrne, Jack Johnson, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Na-
tional, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes, Tom Petty and Bjork spread over
four blissfully raging daze.
Sleeping & Eating
You can find plenty of budget motels around I-24 and I-75.
Stone Fort Inn BOUTIQUE HOTEL$$$
( 423-267-7866; www.stonefortinn.com ; 120 E 10th St; r from $135-155; ) In the midst
of a refurbish at research time, rooms at this historic hotel have flatscreens and soaker
Jacuzzi tubs and new fixtures in the bathrooms. Ceilings are high, the furnishings are
vintage and service is phenomenal. The Appalachia-style, farm-to-table restaurant is the
newest winner in town. Some beds do sag.
Sheraton Read House HOTEL$$$
( 423-266-4121; www.sheratonreadhouse.com ; 827 Broad St; r from $149; ) Set in a
historic building dating to 1926, this is the nicest of Chattanooga's chain hotels, and the
only one in the downtown center (most are on the northern edge near the river). Rooms
are clean and good sized with high ceilings, crown mouldings, wood desks and
flatscreens. It's within walking distance of the best restaurants and the riverside. Parking
is $15
Chattanooga Choo-Choo HOTEL$$$
( 423-308-2440; www.choochoo.com ; 1400 Market St; r/railcars from $133; )
One hundred years old at research time, the city's grand old railway terminal has been
transformed into a bustling hotel, complete with 48 authentic Victorian railcar rooms, a
retro Gilded Age bar, and stunning grand portico in the lobby. Standard rooms and suites,
in separate buildings, are ordinary.
Public House NEW AMERICAN$$$