Paradise Motel and Restaurant
Known Name(s)
Paradise Motel and Restaurant
Address
Route 1 (Old Lee Hwy.) Ooltewah, TN
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel
Physical Status
Demolished
Description
7 miles east of Chattanooga
Detailed History
We could not locate any information regarding a Paradise Motel and Restaurant in Ooltewah. However, a Chattanooga newspaper article describes the Blue Bird Motel, formerly the 12-cabin Blue Bird Tourist Court, located "7 miles out on Lee Highway" that had been remodeled as a "colored motel" operated under management of Mr & Mrs A.L Meredith, graduates of Xavier Univ. This was the first of a planned chain of Blue Bird Motels in TN and the South. They had plans for restaurant and 20 more cabins. The newspaper article includes a photo and is possibly dated October 29, 1953. It claimed that this was the first Black roadside motel in the state. It's possible that perhaps the Blue Bird became the Paradise prior to the Paradise's listing in the 1960 Green Book. However, this is purely conjecture.
