Blending small town appeal with big city access, Catoosa County is your gateway to good times at tempting Georgia attractions. Nestled in the state’s Northwest mountains where clear rushing creeks meander through wildflower meadows, lush valleys and rolling farmland, it’s a place of dazzling natural beauty.

But if fast-paced fun is your ticket, you’ll find plenty of amusements, from music shows to museums, historic stops to enticing shops. Rich in Civil War heritage, Catoosa County includes Chickamauga Battlefield, with more than 1,000 monuments to pay homage to the bloodiest two days in American history. Take a self-guided auto tour of the 5,000-acre battlefield and hear an audio tape tell of the three-day conflict that claimed 34,000 Union and Confederate casualties.

The military legacy of a later era awaits in nearby Fort Oglethorpe. Established as an army post before the turn of the century, it first served to train soldiers for the Spanish American War and remained a key resource for readying World War I troops. It was here that then-Capt. Dwight D. Eisenhower taught trench warfare to American doughboys and here that the Sixth Cavalry was headquartered until 1942, when the facility became the four-year home of the Third Women’s Army Corps.

Now you can glimpse those bygone days of polo matches and parade grounds at the Sixth Calvary Museum, open May through October and serving as the centerpiece of a fascinating district that has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Enjoy a look at life in the past lane as you stroll around Barnhardt Circle, resplendent with restored homes in the Renaissance Revival, Victorian and neoclassic styles (706-861-2860).

When you’re ready to ride instead, head on over to Lake Winnepesaukah, just off Highway 27 on Lakeview Drive. Famous for its hand-carved carousel, antique log flume and Cannonball Roller Coaster (which hurtles along at 55 mph), the shade-rich playground since 1925 has been synonymous with old-fashioned family fun.

Claiming 35 rides from boats to trains to dodge ‘em cars, Lake Winnie’s 110 acres add up to a high-energy outing for all ages during the April through September period. But you’ll want a front-row seat for the lively summertime entertainment on the Lakeside and Jukebox Junction Stages (706-866-5681).

More music beckons at the Ringgold Opry on U.S. 41, where bluegrass performers wow a foot-stomping’ crowd on Saturday nights. The celebrated concerts are broadcast to radio audiences over a tri-state region.

All the pickin’ and grinnin’ takes place at the Ringgold Depot, built in 1850 as a rail link between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn. A vital supply center for the Confederacy during the Civil War, the sandstone landmark has undergone loving restoration and exists as one of very few antebellum depots still standing in the South (706-965-7438).

Catoosa County seat Ringgold boasts a number of other historic highlights that are not to be missed by Civil War buffs.

You can shop for antiques and Appalachian handicrafts on the same Main Street that saw General Sherman start The Atlanta Campaign in 1864. One of the quaintest stores is found in a former livery stable, dating from 1904. See the stately Whitman-Anderson House, once the former headquarters of Generals Bragg and Grant. Visit the Old Stone Church on U.S. 41, where wounded soldiers from both sides of the battle lines were brought to heal after the bloody fighting at Ringgold (706-936-5232).

Right up the road on U.S. 151, you can read about a different sort of general — “The General’’ steam engine — on an imposing monument just outside of Ringgold. The marker reveals how, in a daring Civil War escapade, a band of Union soldiers pegged “Andrews’ Raiders’’ stole the fabled iron horse near Big Shanty. When their Confederate pursuers closed in, the raiders left the engine and fled on foot into the forests around Ringgold.

Medal-winning wines are available for you to try at the Georgia Winery’s Taste Center and Outlet Store at Exit 350 on Interstate 75. Using his own carefully grown fruit and a special freeze-fermentation method, the state’s first commercial vintner began bottling his delectable wares in 1983 and opened the retail shop and gift store soon after. Today his signature vintages such as Muscadine Champagne and Georgia Peach Wine are the toast of industry competitions (706-937-2177).

Drop into the Georgia Visitor Information Center on I-75 and learn about other attractions to sample. Found in a brand-new spacious building, the conveniently located center is a showplace in itself, but Southern hospitality is still its hallmark. Whether you need phone numbers, maps, reservations or just a restaurant recommendation, friendly staffers can obligingly fulfill most requests (706-937-4211).

TOURISM LINKS

Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park - www.lakewinnie.com

Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park - www.nps.gov/chch

Area Attractions - www.chattanoogafun.com

Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails - www.gcwht.org