Chattanooga Botanical Garden x Maclellan Island -- Paddlers' Rest Garden

Pending Approval

Hannah Lanning

Planted this seed

Picture this: it's a warm, sunny day in Chattanooga, and you're out paddling the Tennessee River. There's a gentle breeze in the air, and the water is gently lapping against the sides of your boat. You pass by the downtown Riverfront and Coolidge Park and head towards Maclellan Island--a uniquely wild nature sanctuary in the middle of Chattanooga's downtown core. You decide this is the perfect place to rest and enjoy your packed lunch. You dock your kayak and walk ashore, and notice a beautiful, woodland path, lined with gorgeous native ferns, flowers, and trees. A wooden sign greets you: "This way to Paddlers' Rest". You wander down the meandering path, enjoying the beautiful woodland garden path, and discover a gazebo in the middle of the woods....

Create a vintage WPA-era national park poster illustration of a community project in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a National Park City surrounded by mountains, rivers, and forests.

Composition: Vertical 4:5 poster layout. Bold foreground focal element representing the project. Use either a natural landscape or urban environment, depending on the subject.

Title: Paddlers' Rest Garden
Subtitle: National Park City

Typography: National park sans-serif, bold font. Sans serifs feel the pull of the Machine Age. Rough, worn, and perfectly imperfect. The individual letterforms do not strictly abide by all typographic rules, but this intentional imperfection adds to its charm. This typeface feels as if it was drawn by hand, just like the hand lettering in the vintage National Park posters. Just the title and subtitle, NO OTHER TEXT in the graphic.

Focus the composition on the project. "Picture this: it's a warm, sunny day in Chattanooga, and you're out paddling the Tennessee River. There's a gentle breeze in the air, and the water is gently lapping against the sides of your boat. You pass by the downtown Riverfront and Coolidge Park and head towards Maclellan Island--a uniquely wild nature sanctuary in the middle of Chattanooga's downtown core. You decide this is the perfect place to rest and enjoy your packed lunch. You dock your kayak and walk ashore, and notice a beautiful,". Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403, United States. Resources available: Joli Jardin Flower Farm, Foxwood Gardens, ChattBG Supporters & Volunteers, Audubon Society volunteers.

Style: WPA-era screenprinted travel poster. Bold graphic composition, simplified shapes, warm earthy color palette, dramatic light and shadow, mid-century screen print texture, minimal detail but strong silhouettes, layered depth, optimistic and heroic tone, clean vector illustration, retro travel poster design, subtle paper grain texture.

Area Geography: Chattanooga is defined by a dramatic transition from flat river basins to towering plateaus. It features sheer granite and sandstone cliff faces (famous for rock climbing) and hidden subterranean wonders like Ruby Falls. Just west of the Great Smoky Mountains, sharing that iconic blue-mist horizon.

Native wildlife and flora: box turtles, white-tailed deer, red-tailed hawks, eastern bluebirds, tulip poplars, dogwoods, rhododendrons, and mountain laurel.

Activities: Pick activities relevant to the project. People here enjoy mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, paddleboarding, trail running, fishing, rollerblading, white water rafting, and community gardening. Weave relevant activities and local nature into the scene.

City life: Chattanooga's urban core is compact, walkable, and layered — historic brick warehouses, Art Deco civic buildings, modern glass infill, pedestrian bridges, riverfront paths, and steep green bluffs all within a small footprint.

Flora & Water: The landscape is carpeted in dense deciduous forests of oak, hickory, and tulip poplars. No pine trees. Hidden in the folds of the rolling hills are moss-covered rolling brooks, limestone swimming holes, and tiered waterfalls that spill over rocky ledges.

Typography: National park sans-serif, bold font. Sans serifs feel the pull of the Machine Age. Rough, worn, and perfectly imperfect. The individual letterforms do not strictly abide by all typographic rules, but this intentional imperfection adds to its charm. This typeface feels as if it was drawn by hand, just like the hand lettering in the vintage National Park posters. Just the title and subtitle, no other text in the graphic.

Photos

Chattanooga Botanical Garden x Maclellan Island -- Paddlers' Rest Garden photo 1

Chattanooga Botanical Garden x Maclellan Island -- Paddlers' Rest Garden photo 2

Chattanooga Botanical Garden x Maclellan Island -- Paddlers' Rest Garden photo 3

Chattanooga Botanical Garden x Maclellan Island -- Paddlers' Rest Garden photo 4

Chattanooga Botanical Garden x Maclellan Island -- Paddlers' Rest Garden photo 5

Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403, United States

Maclellan Island is a large island in the middle of the Tennessee River, located in the heart of Chattanooga's downtown and tourism sectors. It's quite the unique gift to Chattanooga; what other city has a nature preserve island in the middle of their downtown core? Maclellan Island supports many species of flora and fauna, and serves as a rich Native American archeological and historical site.

Gardeners

Hannah Lanning & Becca Coleman, directors of ChattBG
Chattanooga Audubon Society
Maclellan Island Committee

Roots

Chattanooga Botanical Garden(not committed yet)
Chattanooga Audubon Society(not committed yet)
The Barn Nursery(not committed yet)
Other local craftsmen and carpenters to help with signs and construction(not committed yet)
Duck Boat Tours (for transportation)(not committed yet)
Landscaping companies to provide pea gravel(not committed yet)
Lumber companies to provide lumber for project(not committed yet)

Guides

Chattanooga Engineering Group
Logistic experts to help coordinate transportation of supplies and materials to island

Fertilizer

Joli Jardin Flower Farm
Foxwood Gardens
ChattBG Supporters & Volunteers
Audubon Society volunteers

Water

Landscaping materials--metal (or other eco-safe option) edging, pea gravel, mulch
Tools & heavy equipment
Lumber and tin roofing
Barge (or other water vessel) to transport tractors or other machinery to island

Budget

No more than $10,000

Obstacles

Transportation is a known obstacle, especially when we're talking about moving lumber, landscaping materials, and machinery. There is discussion around making Maclellan more accessible in the future though, after funding is secured for shoreline stabilization!

Community Insights

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Kristina C.20h ago

My husband and I would love to donate sarracenia pitcher plants for this project!!!!!

Blake B.2d ago

Farm Park supports this project, how cool!!!

Sunlight (12 supporters)

Madison Y.Madison D.Kristina C.Jon L.Barbara S.Susan

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