Ruby Falls – One of Tennessee’s Must See Attractions

We had a great tour a few years ago at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and looked forward to doing more. Thus while visiting some friends in Tennessee, we decided to tour Ruby Falls in Chattanooga.  It is a 145-foot high underground waterfall located within Lookout Mountain.

The Falls are located at the end of the main passage of Ruby Falls Cave, in a large vertical shaft. The stream, 1120 feet underground, is fed both by rainwater and natural springs. It collects in a pool in the cave floor and then continues through the mountain until finally joining the Tennessee River at the base of Lookout Mountain.

While Ruby Falls Cave combines with Lookout Mountain Cave to form the Lookout Mountain Caverns, the two caves were not actually connected by any passage. Ruby Falls Cave is the upper of the two and contains a variety of geological formations and curiosities which Lookout Mountain Cave do not have.

Sadly, Lookout Mountain Cave was closed in 1935 since it was not very popular with tourists. Apparently they were much more impressed with the upper cave. However, public tours began again in 1930 after electric lights were installed in the cave, making it one of the first commercial caves to be so outfitted.

Motorists traveling on I-75 in the 1970s were subjected to dozens, maybe even hundreds, of billboards along their route with the words “SEE RUBY FALLS” beginning hundreds of miles north and south of the falls itself. Ruby Falls remains a staple of Chattanooga tourism. Some of them are still there today as we saw quite a few as we were driving around. It definitely did its trick with us, and we had not heard about the cave and falls until we saw all the signs.

Tours:

After we made our way into the main entrance we found out that they had several tours to choose from:

• Classic Waterfall Tour: This is the main tour that most people take. It lets visitors explore the cavern trail to the falls while learning how the falls were discovered. You also see some amazing rock formations. I have to say, it was definitely worth the price of admission. These tours run daily from 8 am to 8 pm, begin approximately every 15-20 mins, and last on average 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Lantern Tour: This is a tour in which the cavern and trail are illuminated only by handheld lanterns. We didn’t do this tour, but they say the rock formations and shadows take on a new intriguing dimension. This tour only runs Friday nights from January thru November and there are only a limited amount of people allowed on this tour.
• Extended Cavern Tour Experience: This is a more in-depth guided tour led by senior guides. You get additional time at the waterfall and more detailed information about the geology and history of the cave. They also state you have plenty of time to view the formations, ask questions, and take photos. This tour is only offered on select dates, but it is year-round. More info is on their website.

We ended up doing the Classic Waterfall Tour, and it was an incredible attraction, however, we wished we had done the Extended Cavern Tour Experience. The downside of the regular tour is that they only turn on the light for you to see the Falls for 5 mins with about 30 people trying to take pictures and such. I felt it was too short of a time.

After the tour we spent some time enjoying the view from our Lookout Mountain Tower.  It was an amazing view.  Of course they also have a gift shop with knick-knacks and souvenirs. They take a picture of your party before you enter the falls, and this is also available in the gift shop. If you have kids with you, they also have a playground for them to play around in.

The Falls have been made famous through the following musician and bands: Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison co-wrote a song with the title “See Ruby Fall,” in the mid to late 1960s, an all-female American indie rock band based in New York City called Ruby Falls was active during the 1990s, is the title of a song by the indie rock band Guster, which appears on their 2006 album Ganging Up on the Sun, the hard rock band Mastodon filmed the performance footage of the music video for their song “Colony of Birchmen” from the album Blood Mountain inside Ruby Falls (the waterfall itself can be seen in the background), and Ray Stevens performed a song entitled “Ruby Falls”.

We had a great time on this almost hour and 1/2 cave tour. It is 4/5 of a mile, but it is not fast-paced to ensure everyone stays with their group. The elevator down was quite interesting and I felt like it was never going to stop, lol.  However it was beautiful and getting to the actual falls was half the fun. I loved all the formations and original entrance into the cave. If you are in the area, this is definitely a must-see. Again, here is a link to their website with more information.

Ruby Falls Visitor Information

Address:

1720 South Scenic Hwy Chattanooga, TN 37409

Phone:

423.821.2544

Hours:

Daily 8 AM- 8PM

Pricing: (As of Oct 2019)

Ruby Falls Classic Waterfall Tour

Adults: $21.95
Children (3-12): $12.95

Ruby Falls & Rock City Combination

Adults: $43.90
Children (3-12): $25.90

Ruby Falls, Rock City, & Incline Combination

Adults: $56.90
Children (3-12): $31.90

Parking:

Free

Driving Directions

FROM DOWNTOWN CHATTANOOGA

• Travel South on Broad Street US-11 S away from Downtown Chattanooga
• Proceed to the railroad underpass. Broad Street becomes Cummings Hwy (Highway 41)
• Continue on Cummings Hwy (Hwy 41) about 0.5 mile
• Take the ramp on the left side of the highway labeled Ruby Falls (Scenic Hwy)
• Ruby Falls is ahead on the Right

FROM GEORGIA I-75 NORTH

• Take I-75 North to Chattanooga.
• Near Chattanooga take the I-24 West split (Exit 2 on left)
• Continue on I-24 West toward Downtown Chattanooga (6.4 miles)
• Take exit #178-US 27 North toward “Downtown/Lookout Mountain/Market Street”
• Stay right and take the second exit on the right “Lookout Mountain – South Market Street”
• Immediately stay left on the Lookout Mountain Ramp off the exit
• Proceed straight through the next two stop streets to the traffic light at Broad Street
• Turn Left (south) on Broad Street US-11 S
• Proceed to the railroad underpass. Broad Street becomes Cummings Hwy (Highway 41)
• Continue on Cummings Hwy (Hwy 41) about 0.5 mile
• Take the ramp on the left side of the highway labeled Ruby Falls (Scenic Hwy)
• Ruby Falls is ahead on the Right

FROM KNOXVILLE I-75 SOUTH

• Take I-75 South to Chattanooga.
• Near Chattanooga take the I-24 West split (Exit 2)
• Continue on I-24 West toward Downtown Chattanooga (6.4 miles).
• Take exit #178-US 27 North toward “Downtown/Lookout Mountain/Market Street”
• Stay right and take the second exit on the right “Lookout Mountain – South Market Street”
• Immediately stay left on the Lookout Mountain Ramp off the exit
• Proceed straight through the next two stop streets to the traffic light at Broad Street
• Turn Left (south) on Broad Street US-11 S
• Proceed to the railroad underpass. Broad Street becomes Cummings Hwy (Highway 41)
• Continue on Cummings Hwy (Hwy 41) about 0.5 mile
• Take the ramp on the left side of the highway labeled Ruby Falls (Scenic Hwy)
• Ruby Falls is ahead on the Right

FROM ALABAMA I-59 NORTH

• Take I-59 North.
• I-59 will end at I-24
• Merge with I-24 East
• Continue on I-24 East to Chattanooga
• Take Exit #174 “Lookout Valley US 11 Lookout Mountain”
• Turn right on Cummings Hwy (Hwy 41) Continue 2.5 miles
• Take Right onto Alford Hill Drive
• At the stop sign take a left onto Old Wauhachie Pike
• Continue to the next stop sign and take a right onto Scenic Highway
• Ruby Falls is ahead on the Right

FROM NASHVILLE I-24 EAST

• Take I-24 East to Chattanooga
• Take Exit #174 “Lookout Valley US 11 Lookout Mountain”
• Turn right on Cummings Hwy (Hwy 41) Continue 2.5 miles
• Take Right onto Alford Hill Drive
• At the stop sign take a left onto Old Wauhachie Pike
• Continue to the next stop sign and take a right onto Scenic Hwy
• Ruby Falls is ahead on the Right

Accessibility Amenities

Due to natural formations, narrow passages and small groupings of steps, the cavern is not wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair accessible venues at Ruby Falls include Blue Heron Overlook, Village Plaza, TreeTops Observation Room, Ticket Atrium, Village Gift Shop, Journey 360 VR Experience, Back Porch Dining, Ruby’s Kitchen, Restrooms, Cavern Cafe and Dining Area, Castle Front Porch, and Ground-Level Guest Services in the Ruby Falls Castle. Historic Lookout Mountain Tower viewing decks built prior to current accessibility standards are accessed by stairs. Additional accessibility information is available by contacting Ruby Falls at info1@rubyfalls.com.