One gets to Rock City via a cable car that crawls steeply up the side of Lookout Mt. in Tennessee. It's one of Tennessee's premier tourist attractions and is also the site of Civil War battles.
Rock City is 2400 feet above sea level. It consists of manicured grounds, huge and weird rock formations, 400 species of plants and trees, a reindeer herd and a famous swinging bridge over a chasm.
You can see seven states from Rock City if it's a clear day and you know where to look.
The attraction opened in 1932. The Depression kept tourists away, so creative advertising was in order. An employee was hired to paint a simple message on barn roofs across rural America. The message: "See Rock City". This message has become part of the American psyche.
Thousands upon thousands of little red barn birdhouses carrying The Message on the black roofs were sold over the decades.
Many of the real barns with "See Rock City" on their roofs are now remote and aging, but they're not forgotten. Some buff dude has been roaming around 8 states off and on since 1993 sprucing the lettering up when he finds an often crumbling barn. The owners of the barns and the locals love it.
There's a coffee table book out called "Rock City Barns, A Passing Era". The simple message has passed into folk culture in the south. The truth is that Rock City's advertising has almost overshadowed Rock City itself.
When I drive through Georgia and Tennessee, I still can barely see two old crumbling barns in the distance off the expressway with faint "See Rock City" letters on the roofs. Occasionally, a small metal sign or a red and black birdhouse with the Rock City message can be seen on the walls of Cracker Barrel restaurants. I have a tiny little red and black "See Rock City" Christmas tree ornament.....and I love it.
The ride up Lookout Mt. on the cable car is scary, but seeing Rock City and the breathtaking view and the battleground is well worth the time and trepidition.
Leni
As an adult, however, I do occasional travelling by rental car along the Nashville-Knoxville-Asheville route. Though usually I have to drive pedal to the metal to catch a plane or get to a relative's graduation or something, I do try to do the back roads if I have time, so I see those barns everywhere, especially in the Smokies. (Seems like I've seen a lot of 'em in Alabama & NoFla too)
And every single time I see one of those darn roof signs I keep waiting for Rock City itself to come up on the highway thinking "Aha, it must be nearby" & it never appears. It's always driven me nuts!
I just printed out a map & next time I'm going to take a deliberate detour to Chatanooga to see it once & for all, even if it kills me getting there! ;-)
Thanks for describing this - love it!