Highland Park

Highland Park sits two miles east of downtown Chattanooga, and its music life runs the range from a long-established performing arts institution to a record-store-turned-live-room opened in 2020. Barking Legs Theater, founded in 1993, is an intimate performing arts venue that has spent over 30 years hosting avant-garde, experimental, and boundary-pushing performances. Programming leans toward non-mainstream work, including a recurring Wednesday Jazz night with local performers, independent and spoken word theater, and experimental dance. With 76 fixed seats and a capacity up to 150, it also books theater productions and jazz sets from local and regional artists. It operates as a nonprofit dedicated to supporting contemporary performing artists in the Southeast. Yellow Racket Records was founded in 2020 by Ben VanderHart, frontman of the band Telemonster, and is first and foremost a record store on East Main, but the shop hosts shows and touring artists for live music, listening parties, and record release events. Yellow Racket also operates as an independent record label. The space has a well-equipped stage and sound system for local and touring bands. The neighborhood itself hosts the annual Highland Park PorchFest, founded in 2022, which holds the distinction of being the first Porchfest in Chattanooga.