The Chattanooga riverfront has a snack bar, known as Tadpoles, courtesy of Harry and Maura Phillips, owners of the Chattanooga Water Taxi and the Fat Cat Ferry.

The 58-foot craft that once ferried folks around the harbor in Baltimore is docked at Chattanooga City Pier and serves a simple menu of fresh sandwiches, ice cream, snacks, cold beer and soft drinks, and also features the $5 picnic lunch (sandwich, drink and chips).

“There are a lot of wonderful restaurants that support the riverfront,” Mrs. Phillips said. “But when you go down to the waterfront, there’s a lot of motion happening on the water, but there hasn’t been a place to get a cold drink or snack — something for the family, and for the riverfront.”

Tadpoles also sells tickets for the water taxi, which ferries visitors between Ross’s Landing and Coolidge Park, as well as dropping them off for a tour of Maclellan Island, an island nature preserve run by the Chattanooga Audubon Society.

Friends of the Festival’s Riverfront Nights kicks off its second season in August, and Mrs. Phillips believes Tadpoles will be a good addition to other vendors and activities.

Karen Shostak, director of sales for Friends of the Festival, agrees. “We have three to four vendors during Riverfront Nights, and they all serve a variety of foods,” she said. “The waterfront was made for families to enjoy and for venues like Riverfront Nights and Riverbend, and I think (Tadpoles) will be a another attraction. I think it will look pretty on the waterfront. Chattanooga is such a beautiful city and the waterfront is absolutely spectacular.”

Tadpole sandwiches are made in the kitchen at the dock at Coolidge Park, which is leased by the Phillipses and serves as the docking site for the water taxi. That kitchen also serves drinks and sandwiches for the Coolidge Park crowd as well sells taxi tickets.

Tadpoles will be docked at the pier most of the year except for the months of January and February, Mrs. Phillips said. It is open from 11 a.m. until sunset daily except in bad weather.

Rhonda Seeber, communications manager for Chattanooga Parks and Recreation, overseer of the Ross’s Landing area, said as momentum picks up on the waterfront, Tadpoles will be “very convenient for people” wanting a quick bite.

“We’re trying to get more people over to this side of the river and generate more excitement and animation there,” she said, noting the new Fun and Games Trailer that will be in the area every Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the summer. The trailer will be filled with items for backyard fun that can be played on the Chattanooga Green, such as badminton, croquet and volleyball.

“We encourage people to come and picnic and use the riverfront as a recreational area,” she said. “It’s not just for festivals, it’s for everybody all the time.”

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