Ruby Falls - Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

Ruby Falls, I have some great memories of visiting Ruby Falls and Rock City near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The 145 foot waterfall is located deep inside a cave, 1100 feet down, in Lookout Mountain. That is only a part of what makes Ruby Falls unique. It is an amazing natural wonder.

The cave itself that leads to Ruby Falls features many formations such as amazing natural columns and drapery, along with long-forming flowstone, stalactytes, and stalagmites.

The actual waterfall is located at the end of the cave in a huge open space that reaches way up 145 feet to the top. Ruby Falls is fed by natural springs and rainwater, which gathers at the bottom of the falls in a pool before continuing to filter through Lookout Mountain and eventually joining the Tennessee River.

Ruby Falls History

The history of Ruby Falls is an interesting, but claustrophobic one. And by claustrophobic, I mean because it was a tight squeeze inside that cave!

To visualize the discovery of Ruby Falls, I guess you need to know a little bit more about the area. Ruby Falls is considered to be part of the Lookout Mountain Caverns, which includes Lookout Mountain Cave.

Well, to make a long story short, the natural entrance to Lookout Mountain Cave was closed in 1905 to accomodate construction of a railroad tunnel. However, in the 1920's a man named Leo Lambert planned to re-open the cave as a tourist attraction. His company started drilling an opening further up the mountain to transport visitors to Lookout Mountain Cave by an elevator. During the drilling, in 1928, Leo Lambert's company discovered a very small passageway that was only about 18 inches high and 4 feet wide. Lambert explored this opening by crawling in the tight space to the end, where he discovered the beautifully hidden waterfall way underground. On his next visit to explore this new cave, Leo Lambert took his wife with him.

Ruby Falls was opened to the public in 1930. The cave was one of the first of it's kind to be equipped with electric lighting. Today, Ruby Falls is owned by the Steiner family of Chattanooga, Tennessee and continues to be a major part of Chattanooga's tourism, and is often associated with the popular Rock City attraction on top of Lookout Mountain. The United States has designated Ruby Falls and the Lookout Mountain Caverns as National Historic Landmarks. Being more than 1120 feet below the Earth's surface, Ruby Falls is the largest and deepest waterfall open to the public in the United States.

If you have the chance, I definitely suggest visiting the falls here. You can buy Ruby Falls tickets online in advance, which is probably the best way to buy tickets to Ruby Falls just so you can plan ahead and know for a fact that you will be able to get in on the day you want. Ticket prices are fairly low and affordable considering the experience you will receive. Also, look for Discount Combination tickets to Ruby Falls that will get you into the other Lookout Mountain attractions. Parking at Ruby Falls is free. RV parking is also available.

Weather doesn't matter at Ruby Falls because it's way underground, you can visit anytime! If it's raining outside, it actually improves the tour of Ruby Falls because the rain adds more water volume to the waterfalls. The temperature inside the cave is 60 degrees year round, but the high humidity makes it feel like 70 degrees. Some guests prefer to wear a light jacket or sweater.There is plenty of food available at Ruby Falls. The walkway inside the cave is paved nicely, and there is a short walk through the cave to the waterfall, with only a few short sets of steps along the way, but I would recommend wearing comfortable shoes. However, due to a handful of narrow passageways, strollers are not allowed on the tour. I would suggest using one of those front-carrier things for babies. Unfortunately, the cave tour is not handicap accessible because of the narrow passages and steps.

Lodging is no problem, there are plenty of hotels and motels in the Lookout Mountain area. Check Hotels.com or Hotel Guide for the best deals. Whatever you do, just make sure to visit Ruby Falls! You will be awestruck at the geological wonders and amazing scenery.