Ruby Falls – a Unique Experience in Chattanooga, Tennessee

On our way home from the Smoky Mountains, we stopped in Chattanooga, Tennessee to take the Ruby Falls tour. Ruby Falls is located just a few minutes south of Chattanooga, and only a few minutes north of the Georgia state border.

We knew it would be a cool and interesting way to break up the car ride home, but *WOW*, this was an amazing adventure. I’ve never experienced anything like it!

We explored the caverns here and watched the light show at the underground waterfall. It’s definitely a unique activity and I’m so glad we did it. Here are some things you might want to know about Ruby Falls before your visit.

Things to Know About Ruby Falls and the Caverns:

• Ruby Falls is the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States
• Ruby Falls is a 145-foot waterfall
• Ruby Falls Cave is geologically part of Lookout Mountain Cave. It is one of the longest caves in America with 2.481 miles of mapped passage. 
• You will be standing 1120 feet deep underground at Ruby Falls – it’s like standing under the ground/rock that is as thick as the Empire State Building is tall!
• The opening of the cavern was found while building and blasting for the elevator shaft.
• There is no wildlife in the cavern or near the falls. This is partly because of the high mineral content of the water.
• There are more caves and waterfalls in Tennessee than anywhere else in the United States. Tennessee has more than 500 waterfalls and over 9,600 caves on record. Most of these caves are located on private property.
• Ruby Falls is privately owned by the Steiner family in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Things to Know About The Tour:

• You will be walking about a mile roundtrip (to and from the falls) and the tour lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes
• All tours through Ruby Falls are guided.
• Pictures and Videos ARE allowed.
• Tours are by reservation only, and tickets must be purchased online in advance. Availability is limited. 
• Tour guides do accept tips. Some of them are college students and greatly appreciate being offered some cash. I just thought I’d let you know so you can have cash on hand if you plan to tip.
• The walk to the falls is through a cavern that is always 60 degrees. I was comfortable in a t-shirt in August, but if you get cold easily, you might want to bring another layer.
• This tour also involves walking and hiking so you want to wear appropriate shoes.

The Grounds

The Entrance, Stairs to the Lookout Tower, Gift Shop, and Castle Cafe are located in the limestone castle. This castle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for historic significance in tourism and recreation. It was built in 1929 as a Welcome Center for people visiting the cave system at Lookout Mountain. The castle was also used as a venue for social events as well.

I do think it is a good idea to arrive early or make plans to stay after your tour to explore the grounds as well. It really is a lovely place with some gorgeous views!

There is an outdoor dining area called the Back Porch (pictured above) that offers seating and umbrella shading.  It’s a nice place to sit and rest, have a snack, or just enjoy the views.

The gift shop (entrance pictured above) offers:

• Grab-and-go snacks and drinks
• Clothing and Ruby Falls-themed Merch
• Fresh-Roasted, Cinnamon-Glazed Nuts
• Toys and Souvenirs

Castle Cafe

While waiting in line to have our tickets scanned, I noticed the Castle Cafe nearby. I stopped by for a coffee pick-me-up before our tour. This is the cafe that is located in the historic castle (mentioned above). You can dine in or get food to go (ordering online or at onsite kiosks is available so you can order in advance and have food ready at the time you select). The cafe is open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. every day except Christmas day. It’s a nice place to sit down, rest, and eat before or after your cave tour at Ruby Falls. See the menu and/or order online HERE.

Castle Café is open daily and offers:

• A seasonal menu
• Local craft beer (Local brews from Empyreal Brewing, Chattanooga Brewing Company, Naked River, WanderLinger, and more are on tap)
• Chattanooga-roasted, fair-trade coffee (from local Signal Mountain roaster Mayfly Coffee)
• Hot Chocolate
• Fresh-Roasted, Cinnamon-Glazed Nuts
• Pizza, Salads, Sandwiches, Snacks, and Desserts

Lookout Mountain Tower

If you have some time before or after your Ruby Falls tour, I recommend visiting the Lookout Mountain Tower. It’s a great way to see Chattanooga! From the tower, you’ll get a 360-degree view of the city of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley that lie below.

From the scenic Lookout Mountain Tower, you can see:

• Tennessee Valley
• Cumberland Plateau
• Tennessee River

The Tour

We’ve toured a few caves in the last couple of years, and we’ve really enjoyed it (see our tour of Lockport Cave and Boat Ride HERE and Mammoth Cave HERE.) Ruby Falls is unique because the tour includes an underground waterfall and a light show. It really is beautiful.

There are 3 tours to choose from:

• Classic Waterfall Tour – This tour lasts about an hour and a half and is a little under a mile. You will walk through the caverns, learn about the history of the cave from a tour guide, and view the geological formations along the way. Then, you will see Ruby Falls and a light show before returning to the elevator.
• Gentle Walking Tour – Perfect for history buffs. It includes a smaller group of people on tour taking a slower and more gentle pace. The tour is led by senior-level guides. Lots of historical content and extra time at the waterfall after the light show. This tour is available Thursdays and Sundays at 7:45 a.m. Reservations are required and can be purchased online only.
• Lantern Tour –. Tour the cavern and trail by the light of a lantern.

The entrance to the Cave Tour is on the opposite side of the Gift Shop. The bathrooms are also located here if you want to make a stop before your tour. There is a clock on the wall that tells you when your group (organized by reservation time) is ready to head to the cave. After walking through a hallway, you will get in line with the rest of your group to show your ticket. Your ticket will be scanned and you’ll get on the elevator.

The Cavern

First, you will descend 260 feet by the glass-front elevator. Not gonna lie, this elevator will be full of people and can feel a little tight. There is glass along the front, but on the other side is a wall of rock – all the way down. We didn’t have any issues, but this may not be the best activity for anyone with issues with Claustrophobia.

Leo Lambert

After taking the elevator down with your tour group, you will begin your walk through the caverns. Your first stop is to watch a video about Leo Lambert, his partner, and his wife and their discovery of this land and their creation of the cave. Leo was a chemist who had a slight obsession with caves. The Lookout Mountain Caves had been his playground when he was a kid. In 1905, the natural cave entrance was sealed when the Southern Railroad Company built a tunnel through Lookout Mountain.

In 1928, Leo Lambert was looking for a new path to the Lookout Mountain cave when he accidentally discovered the cavern leading to Ruby Falls. The opening of the cavern was actually found while building and blasting for the elevator shaft. Leo and his partner made their way down to the opening to explore. They actually crawled and wiggled 650 feet (through a passage that was only 18” high and 5’ wide) for 3 hours before they found a larger opening and were able to stand up.

The two men emerged 17 hours later and told Leo’s wife Ruby about their adventure. She was the next person to explore the caves and see the underground falls. Ruby also loved the caverns. She had special spots in the caves where she would sit and read.

Rock Formations

It was amazing to see the rock formations dating back to ancient times can be found within the caverns. Our tour guide pointed out pools and speleothems (stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone, drapery, and soda straws or tubular stalactites). These are well-lit and have signs telling you what they are named. Some of these I recognized right away (like the fish, cactus, candle, elephant’s foot, etc) but some I still don’t see even in the photos. Maybe you’ll have better luck seeing them when you visit.

The Falls

Ruby Falls is at the end of the main passage of Ruby Falls Cavern. The water stream is actually fed by natural springs and rainwater and flows through Lookout Mountain until it meets up with the Tennessee River.

After discovering the underground water stream, Leo Lambert named the waterfall after his wife, Ruby.

High Point Zip Adventure

If ziplining is your thing, you will probably want to check out the High Point ZIP Adventure at Ruby Falls. You can see gorgeous views of the Tennessee Valley as you zip 700 feet through the trees. This adventure also includes a 40′ climbing wall.

The zipline and climbing adventure is open daily in the summer and from August 20th through November 20th on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Read more HERE.

Ruby Falls // 1720 South Scenic Hwy – Chattanooga, TN 37409 // 423.821.2544

WEBSITE

If you’re looking for other things to do while in Chattanooga, you might enjoy these posts:

20 Things to do in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Lookout Mountain Railway in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Tennessee Valley Railway Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee

15 Great Places to Eat & Drink in Chattanooga, Tennessee

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