For more than three decades, the distinctive, red-and-black Rock City Birdhouse has caught the eye and captured the imaginations of the nation's automobile traveler. The birdhouse, symbol of the world-famous 14 acre garden attraction atop Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, actually started out as a clever promotional campaign that splashed the now famous message "See Rock City" on barn roofs across America.

It�s said that the late Garnet Carter, a promotional genius and founder of Rock City, summoned an assistant, Clark Byers, to his office one day in 1935 and told him to find strategically placed barns along state and county highways throughout the South.

"Tell the farmer we'll paint his barn free if he lets us paint our message on the roof," Carter said.

"What's the message?" Byers asked.

Carter thrust a crumpled piece of paper across the desk on which he had scrawled the words: "See Rock City." The rest is history.

The barn-painting era peaked in 1956 with more than 900 barns bearing the famous slogan. Now roughly 90 of Byers' masterpieces remain.

The Rock City Birdhouse, first conceived during the 1950's as a small replica of the barn, was originally intended to be a mailbox. But when the U.S. Postal Service rejected the concept, Rock City promoters punched holes in the mailboxes and declared them birdhouses.

Originally, the Rock City birdhouses were designed to be placed on poles in open areas to attract Purple Martins. However, other birds like the Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, House Sparrow and Eastern Bluebird may also find it a cozy home.

With a continued eye on production quality, Rock City employees cut, paint, and assemble the birdhouses on-site at Rock City. In 2001, the production process was improved when a custom built laser was utilized to cut the side and top panels. This both sped up production and sealed the edges for improved weather resistance. Today, Rock City produces nearly 25,000 birdhouses each year. These are sold in gift shops at Rock City, on Rock City�s website and at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores.

The brightly painted birdhouse has become a bit of Americana as part of a permanent exhibit at the distinguished Henry Ford Museum, and as part of the collection at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Much like the perennial allure of the gorgeous gardens themselves, the message is unchanged, just the same as it was when rural barns beckoned vacationing motorists with the enticement: �SEE ROCK CITY.�

Rock City Gardens is located on Lookout Mountain, about 6 miles from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is accessible from Interstates I-24 from Nashville, Tennessee; I-75 from Atlanta, Georgia; and I-59 from Birmingham, Alabama.

Rock City Gardens is open everyday except December 25th from 8:30am until 5pm with longer seasonal hours in the summer. Holiday evening hours are 6-9pm during our Enchanted Garden of Lights. Admission is $12.95 for adults; $6.95 for children 3-12; 2 and under are free. For more information, call 706/820-2531 or 800/854-0675 and visit www.seerockcity.com.