Ruby Falls in Chattanooga is a breathtaking underground waterfall that everyone should see!
Ruby Falls, located on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is one of the state's most beautiful attractions. The tour to the underground waterfall is both fun and educational. Tourists, sightseers, and school groups alike all find the view amazing and the trip worthwhile.
For more than 70 years, people have visited Ruby Falls thanks to the efforts of a man named Leo Lambert. In 1928, he discovered the opening in a cave in Lookout Mountain that led to the spectacular site of this underground waterfall. He personally explored the tunnel, which was barely wide and tall enough in places for him to crawl through, and named it after his wife Ruby. He developed the cave and made the path to the falls into a walkway for visitors to use and opened it to the public in 1929.
To get to Ruby Falls, visitors must enter through a building that looks like a castle, then ride an elevator shaft down into the mountain to the beginning of the path. The temperature down there stays at a constant sixty degrees Fahrenheit year round, so visitors must make sure to dress appropriately. Also, the cave floor tends to become wet from underground water, so visitors shouldn't wear shoes that slip easily.
Tours are always guided and several natural geological formations are pointed out during the trip. Dripping water that contained minerals made these formations - each formation grows only about one cubic inch every 150 years! The stalactites and stalagmites that hang from the ceiling and grow upward from the floor are children's' favorites. These formations are also awe-inspiring for adults because of the amount of time they took to grow to the size they are and the sheer beauty of them.
At the end of the cave is where visitors find the falls. Water falls 145 feet, flowing over a ledge overhead into a pool of waiting water. Visitors are allowed to walk around the pool and behind the waterfall on a railed pathway where they can gaze straight up at the spectacular sight.
To enhance the experience, music is played when the lights are turned on and the visitors see the falls for the first time. Colored lights shine on the falling water, also enhancing the wonderful experience.
The entire trek is a little less than one mile (round trip), but the walking is at a fairly leisurely pace, as people look at all the formations. Also, part of the tunnel is only one way, so many stops are made to let passing tours go by. Thus, it is a great trip for the elderly and children as well. Unfortunately, certain portions of the path are very narrow, so wheelchairs are not allowed.
Directions and ticket information about Ruby Falls can be obtained by searching for 'Ruby Falls' on the Web.
