See Rock City

Chattanooga, TN

The gnomes are from Rock City theme park in Chattanooga, TN. Rock City refers to actual rocks, the kind you would find on the top of a mountain. This is not like Detroit Rock City (sorry Michigan- Tennessee is a country music state).

In 1928 Frieda Carter "forged a path through the wilderness" and came upon the scene above. It is difficult to tell in the chain of events if the gnomes existed before or after Frieda's moonshine consumption. Eventually Garnet Carter (husband) figured he should make some money off of this wilderness bender and began an advertising campaign of painting "See Rock City" on barns near highways. When tourists got wind of the gnomes selling moonshine they decided perhaps Chattanooga was a good spot to stop for the night.




Rock City is a surrealist adventure- there's a fat man's squeeze, the needle's eye, black lit/neon dioramas of fairy tales, and a Mother Goose land that would delight Salvador Dali. AND there are Christmas lights and cocoa in December to make it a little more weird and fun.

I bet you thought there was no reason to visit Tennessee. Well, you were wrong. Make a vacation of it. Once you leave Chattanooga you can head west to the Mississippi River and that's Mark Twain territory.

To learn the real story of Rock City click here.


Not sure. Bo Peep perhaps? She is creepy.


Fairies visiting sleeping children.


The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker. That wave moves.