The Urban Campout will take place Saturday at Renaissance Park.If You Go• What: The Urban Campout• When: 5:30-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18• Where: Renaissance Park, Manufacturers Road• Admission: $50 adults, $15 children 12 and younger for evening events; add $100 for overnight camping• Phone: 423-265-0771• Online: www.ChattanoogaPresents.com/whats-next-the-urban-campout
Ever wondered what it would be like to camp in downtown Chattanooga? Maybe a full-blown roughing-it experience isn't quite to your liking and you'd like indoor plumbing and maybe a little live music and even a catered meal to sweeten the deal.
Or, maybe you just want the food and drink without the sleeping-in-a-tent part of the fun.
The Urban Campout, a first-time event presented by Chattanooga Presents, will take place Saturday, Oct. 18, at Renaissance Park. There are two components to the event designed to promote low-impact camping using innovative equipment.
Twenty-five percent of the proceeds raised from The Urban Campout will be shared with the Audubon Society and North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy.
Before overnight camping starts, there will be a family-oriented evening from 5:30 to 10 p.m., including a brief educational presentation on Leave No Trace practices presented by Outdoor Chattanooga. Then guests will dine on grilled chicken with sides and dessert by GQR Catering & Events of Chattanooga, with iced tea, lemonade, Fat Tire beer or wine.
The Packway Handle Band from Athens, Ga., will entertain with alt-bluegrass music, and there will be a "fragrant fire" using herb and aromatic wood for a campfire in the center of the Cherokee Circle and a short outdoor film from the Lookout Wild Film Festival titled "Seasons of the Smokies."
Tethered hot-air balloon rides will be available if weather allows.
At 10 pm., the party component will end for those who didn't register for the overnight camping experience, and the park will be closed to all but registered campers. Those who did sign up will stay in one of the TentsileUSA "treehouse" tents, which will be strung off the ground between the trees along the Tennessee Riverwalk and the two parallel pathways in the park. TentsileUSA is a Chattanooga startup company that specializes in providing a distinct outdoor experience with no ecological footprint or environmental impact. Each tent can accommodate two or three people.
Reservations for campsites and tents must be made in advance.