Car Rental - Chattanooga

 

Rent a car in Chattanooga for easy travel in Tennessee’s enchanting south. This is a place for embracing the great outdoors, finding historic sites and making creative discoveries.

Visit our Hertz Chattanooga car rental pick-up locations, including at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, about 20 minutes east of the center, and on Lee Highway. Whether you arrive by air, rail or road, it’s easy to rent a car in Chattanooga.

The Scenic City makes a great base for road trips in the wild South. Get behind the wheel of a rental car in Chattanooga and discover the famous Lookout Mountain only 15 minutes or so out of town. Or drive a bit further and visit the Chattahoochee National Forest – about 90 minutes east. Nashville and Knoxville are both two hours away, while Georgia and Alabama can be reached within 30 minutes.

Before you travel, choose a vehicle from our range, which includes large SUVs and quality sedans, then reserve your ideal rental car online for collection in charming Chattanooga.

Chattanooga Locations

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Map data ©2026 Google, INEGI
Map data ©2026 Google, INEGI

A Quick Guide to Chattanooga

Ruby Falls

TN, 37409

Lookout Mountain is known as a Civil War battle site and for its magnificent vistas. It also hosts hidden charms, including a 145ft underground waterfall. Head to Ruby Falls to see neon-lit cascades set deep within the mountain’s caves. The lantern tour takes you past stalactites and stalagmites towards the unforgettable waterfall. If you’re making a day trip from Chattanooga by rental car don’t fret – you’ll find parking on-site. 

Creative Discovery Museum

321 Chestnut Street, TN, 37402

Chattanooga has its fair share of art galleries, but the Creative Discovery Museum has adapted its exhibits for younger visitors. There’s a focus on art, science and music, so it’s a great place for family days out in Chattanooga. Be sure to leave time to visit the RiverPlay zone.

Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center

400 Garden Road, TN, 37419

See Chattanooga’s natural beauty from a new perspective at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center. Set on the edge of Point Park (close to the start of Kiddle Trailhead) this is a great place to learn about native plants and wildlife before a hike.

Chattanooga Choo Choo

1400 Market Street, TN 37402

Perhaps Chattanooga’s most offbeat hotel, Chattanooga Choo Choo is a railway station turned vacation complex, featuring two full-service restaurants, two music venues and a comedy club. The Beaux Arts-style building welcomed its first trains in 1909. Check in to a historic train car for the ultimate locomotive experience.

Chattanooga Marriott Downtown

2 Carter Plaza, TN 37402

This Downtown hotel is close to the city’s major attractions and is kitted out with plush provisions. All rooms come with down comforters, cable television, coffee-making facilities and work desks. There’s also an indoor pool, fitness center and generous event space. There is also self and valet parking available if you’re exploring Chattanooga by car rental.

The Edwin Hotel, Autograph Collection

102 Walnut Street, TN, 37403

The Edwin Hotel’s rooftop pool offers blissful respite in summer, while the artful decor and boutique touches make for pleasurable stays all year round. Rooms are cool and elegant, presented with items such as turntables and contemporary paintings. The on-site Whitebird restaurant serves Appalachian cuisine with a modern twist. If you’re renting a car in Chattanooga, don’t worry – overnight paid parking is available.

Aretha Frankensteins

518 Tremont Street, TN 37405

A favorite with Chattanooga locals, the humorously named Aretha Frankensteins specializes in breakfasts, including breakfast burritos, jalapeno scrambled eggs, fresh spinach omelets and indulgent pancake stacks. Fallen in love with the food? You can buy the pancake and waffle mixes to carry out.

St John’s Restaurant

1278 Market Street, TN 37402

American fare meets fine dining at St John’s, an eatery set in a flatiron building, a few blocks from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Executive Chef Patrick Sawyer works to perfect dishes such as Hudson Valley foie mousse, escargot and Hawaiian mero sea bass. It’s about 15 minutes from our Chattanooga Airport car rental lot, so you can get here in no time and indulge.

Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar

1459 Riverside Drive, TN, 37406

This is a great place to dine for majestic river views and, for seafood lovers, it’s paradise. Indulge in a pile of garlic-steamed clams from the raw bar, try a catfish sandwich or enjoy locally-raised trout almondine – a house specialty. But it’s not just fish on the menu. You can also treat yourself to barbecue-flavored chicken dishes and Havana smoked pork sandwiches.

Driving In and Around Chattanooga

  • Carta North Garage (37402) is open 24/7 and a perfect location in Chattanooga to park your rental car if you’re visiting the Tennessee Aquarium, Hunter Museum of American Art, Creative Discovery Museum or the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball field.
  • Chattanooga Parking Authority (37402) is a garage close to the Southside Historic District, Chattanooga Convention Center and The Coker Museum.
  • Coolidge Park Lot (37405) is situated in Northshore – the perfect place to drop-off your rental car in Chattanooga to get right to the heart of Coolidge Park.
  • Interstate 24 (I-24) connects I-75 to Chattanooga. Take your car rental northwest along this route to drive straight through to Nashville.
  • US Highway 64 (US 64), also known as Lee Highway, connects Chattanooga airport to Chattanooga. This major national highway also leads to North Carolina and Arkansas.
  • Interstate 75 (I-75) heads south to Atlanta and northeast to Knoxville and Kentucky.

How to Get From Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to Ruby Falls

It takes around 25 minutes to drive the 15 miles from the Hertz car rental lot at Chattanooga airport to Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain, depending on traffic.

  1.      Leave the car rental lot at Chattanooga airport, then join Airport Connector Road.
  2.      Turn right on to TN-153, following signs for I-75 South.
  3.      Follow the curve, then keep right to take Exit 2 on to I-24.
  4.      Use Exit 178 to join Market Street, heading towards Lookout Mountain.
  5.      Take a right again on to West 28th Street, then head left on Lee Highway.
  6.      Join TN-148 on the left, then watch out for the sign for Ruby Falls.

 

How to Get From Chattanooga to Nashville

Nashville is just a two-hour drive from Chattanooga in your rental car. Simply use US 27 to exit the city center, then join the I-24 West. Follow this highway for about two hours, then take Exit 211 to join I-40 and exit right into downtown Nashville.

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