Chattanooga Double Decker, Chattanooga

Chattanooga resident Rufus Marye’s enthusiasm for his city is palpable. Fueled by a desire to transmit his immense love for the history and natural beauty of his hometown to others, he came up with the idea for a double-decker tour. Even as he was deployed to Iraq, he continued to forge his plan to create a fun and historically accurate tour. He began implementing his dream when he returned in 2010, eventually finding the vintage double-decker bus he dubbed “Eleanor,” a 1960s British vehicle whose horn honks with a Cockney accent. Determined to show tour-goers as much of the southern burg as possible, Marye mapped out a route that would whisk them over all three of the city’s bridges, through famous sites such as The Chattanooga Choo Choo and Underground Chattanooga, and along the south and north banks of the Tennessee River.

But Rufus didn't stop there. With Eleanor, he offered a family-friendly vessel on which passengers sit back and explore the city's scenic and historic sites. To create a more cost-effective, adult-oriented spin on the same theme of city exploration, he turned to the novel trend of the pedal pub.