‘See Rock City’ rides billboard wave to build traffic

Garnet and Freida Carter opened Rock City Gardens on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tenn., in 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression. They overcame great odds to build a successful tourist attraction that evolved into a national treasure.

 

Their “See Rock City” signage – painted on barn roofs – began in 1935 and quickly spread to speckle the landscape along highways and byways in numerous states, including North Carolina. The barns became landmarks and iconic symbols of Americana.

 

In the 1950s, with the development of national highways and interstate routes, See Rock City (as the company came to be known) pioneered the introduction of billboards to complement its traditional network of barns, thereby expanding its ability to reach out and connect to the traveling public. 

Tourists could “double their pleasure” at Lookout Mountain by including a tour of Ruby Falls, a separate attraction. It’s a spectacular 145-foot waterfall located deep below the surface among the mountain caverns.

 

The falls were discovered by Leo Lambert in 1928. He named the falls in honor of his wife, Ruby Lambert. The first tourists came in 1930. Lambert also was known to advertise SEE RUBY FALLS on barn roofs throughout the region.

 

Rock City and Ruby Falls would go on to build separate billboard divisions within their respective organizations. Occasionally, the two attractions would pair their messages on a single billboard face. 

In 2000, executives at the two companies were led to form an outdoor advertising partnership, known as R&R Hospitality LLC. R&R’s billboards advertised both Rock City and Ruby Falls as motorists drove nearer to Lookout Mountain. The reverse side of the billboards was usually leased to other clients. 

Ruby Falls acquired sole ownership of R&R Hospitality in 2018 and its portfolio of 92 billboard assets in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. 

At the time, Ruby Falls’ president Hugh Morrow said: “For many years, Ruby Falls has been a true believer in outdoor advertising. This purchase reaffirms our long-standing commitment to the medium, as well as our desire to enhance and grow it for continued success.”

 

Meanwhile, See Rock City retained ownership of 77 billboards that were not included in the R&R Hospitality group. Five years later, however, in June 2023, See Rock City opted to sell its remaining billboard assets to Trailhead Media of Laurel, Miss.

 

The transaction was viewed by See Rock City’s president Doug Chapin as a special “passing of the torch.” He stated: “Even with the huge role outdoor advertising has played in our story, we are not an outdoor advertising business at our core.”

 

Meagan Jolley of The Pulse, an online newsletter serving the Chattanooga market, said See Rock City Inc. is a diversified hospitality and entertainment company that provides the ticketing and concessions for the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, which is operated by the Chattanooga Area Rapid Transit Authority. 

Often called “America’s Most Amazing Mile,” the Incline Railway first opened in 1895. It’s an engineering feat accomplished by John T. Crass, a local contractor. 

“Passengers can enjoy the ride in a railway car that climbs the steep incline at a 72.7% grade, one of the steepest in the world. From the top of the mountain, visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of Chattanooga and the surrounding area,” Jolley said.

 

After the ride back down the mountain, passengers have “earned” a treat at Clumpies Ice Cream Company on St. Elmo Avenue, adjacent to the Incline Railway exit. Each micro-batch is made by hand. (Clumpies is part of the See Rock City family of businesses.)