Ruby Falls

I have never been in a cave before so I did not know what to expect. People have told me in the past that when you go into a cave you end up crawling and getting dirty — and that just sounds awful. But Ruby Falls is nothing like that.
When you arrive you stand in a line waiting to take the elevator down to the bottom. They take you down in 2 – 3 groups depending on how many are waiting at that time. Once you are all reunited at the bottom the tour begins. Due to lack of space you walk in a single file line. If you like to take lots of pictures, I recommend that you make your way towards the end of the group. This way you don’t hold up the people that are a little less interested in taking tons of pictures.
The temperature down there is somewhere around 60 degrees. So it’s comfortable. Your tour guide will stop at various points of interest, explain why they’re interesting and then move you along.
When you make it to the falls you walk into a fairly dark room. The lights are on a timer so that once everyone is inside you can enjoy the falls. The lights change color and there is music. Once the lights come on you have maybe 3 – 5 minutes before the shut off and you continue your way back towards the beginning.
The tour is about 1 hour long — maybe a little less. But I think it is worth every minute. Because it is technically a cavern there aren’t spiders, cave crickets, bats, etc… which is perfect if you don’t want creepy crawlies all around.
I definitely recommend taking the tour and seeing the falls. It’s cool. Not sure if I would do it again more or less because I feel that once you see it you don’t need to see it multiple times. BUT it is something that you NEED to see if you’re in the Chattanooga area.

Ruby Falls is this thing, people visiting from out of town want to do it. But man, I’ve grown to dislike it.
1. They have really, really, really, obnoxious lighting in the cave. They use these colored lights and uv (black) lights. They recently I think got new bulbs because the most recent time I went the lighting was more intense and it hurt my eyes. UV lights, when too bright, cause eye damage. This is why people who use UV lights for work, such as dentists, or crime scene people, wear those fashionable yellow glasses. Because even if the light is reflecting off a surface it can hurt your eyes. That I have to avert my gaze from cave features to avoid eye damage is a big minus for this place.
2. You don’t really get a good education on the geology of the cave. You get an education on Ruby Falls, but that is about it.
3. They run a stupid light show at the falls themselves, which are gorgeous and wonderful, with obnoxious music too out of the worst sort of elevator. They never heard that less is more. They should just let the falls sit in their natural glory would the mood lighting and music.
4. Overall, not a whole lot of cool cave features.
5. So many portions of Ruby Falls are man made. They’ve had so much concrete work added its ridiculous.
I would like to recommend instead Raccoon Mountain Caverns a couple miles a way in Lookout Valley. Only natural lighting, way more cool cave features (if no waterfall), excellent educational guides, less busy (until everyone reads this review perhaps), and cheaper. They also have multiple tour options, including some deep cave explorations that take a few hours, and no fake concrete nonsense. I’ve never spoken to anyone who prefers Ruby Falls after having been to both.

Visited with our 7 and 12 year old. We’ve been to quite a few caves (around 8) and this was pretty much at the bottom of the list. The waterfall is nice but they have this ‘light show’ which is pretty corny and absolutely takes away from the natural beauty of the falls. The rest of the cave is lacking in any real features of interest and at least our tour guide was nothing short of annoying. Kept using the same stupid phrases over and over again («you feel me»). After about the 10^th time hearing a phrase it is really annoying… They pack the tours in because the place is so popular so you end up spending a lot of the tour making yourself as small as possible so another tour group can pass in the opposite direction.

Majestic, beautiful waterfall. The walk there was as interesting and beautiful as the destination. There were stretches of walking where the group walked uninterrupted by the tour guide, which I appreciated. The kids got cards to fill with clues in exchange for ice cream at the end, which we enjoyed followed by playing on the playground and viewing the lookout over the city. Overall, it was a bit touristy but worth a visit. There is no set times for tours, which poses a problem for planning around small children. I’m glad I was not the caver who spelunked the discovery.

Very cool trip (not as awesome as Rock City, but well worth the «double ticket» option they offer). Nice cave with some great formations (nothing on the scope of Carlsbad, but a very nice tour well worth the admission IMO). Some might call the Disney-​esque light & music show at the falls cheesy, but I really liked it and it makes for cool pics.
You are only allowed 4 minutes at the falls total due to crowd flow, so take advantage and be ready to take pics. I can’t believe people complain about that fact!
Arrive early if possible, and try to make sure you are at the front of your group (closest to the tour guide) when you get started.
No restrooms below, and the tour takes 45 – 60 minutes so be warned.

The falls and the rock formations are beautiful! But there was just too much waiting and marketing to really appreciate it… The tour takes over an hour because you spend half the time waiting and watching videos. The videos are unnecessary and the guide didn’t really add any value to the tour. One of the few good things (besides the rocks and the waterfall) was that there was wifi. If you’ve seen other caves before or have time for only one attraction on lookout mountain, go to Rock City instead.

I’ve always loved observing natural geographic formations, so the journey through the cave to Ruby Falls was something I had to experience. My husband and I made the trip from ATL a Sunday morning and it was fascinating!
8:55am we joined the line.
9:30am we got to the counter and purchased the «Double Play Combination: Rock City & Ruby Falls’ tickets @ $ 80 (2 adults).
9:40am we descended the elevator, had our photo taken and started the tour. The journey through the cave was remarkable, so many amazing formations to see.
10:30am we arrived at the majestic Ruby Falls, a beautiful site.
11:00am got back to the elevator and off to the gift shop and lookout point for some more amazing photos. The view here is beyond spectacular, spine-​tingling and wondrous. I could’ve sat there all day just enjoying this phenomenal view.
The tour groups are big and you may have to wait a while for everyone to get down in the cave with the tour guide. While on the tour, tall people can have an issue as some parts of the cave do not provide much clearance. You also have to stop a few times to allow exiting groups to get through.
I would recommend getting here early because when we were exiting (11:30am) the line was almost 3 times the length than when the we got here.

Mother nature gets 5 stars… the commercialization and cattle herding is one star… so I averaging it to 3. Be prepared to do an underground jog in 5’5″ high tunnels so narrow that people rub bellies to pass. There are a few cool formations but they dont stop to let you see them. When you reach the falls, the group of 30 gets 4 WHOLE MINUTES to take pics at the falls before the lights go out. Our group had 4 elderly guests who could NOT keep up the pace and the tour guide could not have cared less despite being asked to slow down. The path is narrow, uneven, dark, and not suitable for anyone with disabilities. As far as caverns go… This place does NOT have the beauty or grace of Luray Caverns in Virginia.

A bit more commercialized than I had hoped for. It’s ok though. It’s not too long and not too short. The guides are pleasant and when I went, the tour group I was with were fine. Been to a few caves before so I was surprised to see tiled floor almost all the way. I’ll come back for the lantern tour though. That sounds awesome.

The waterfall is neat but they fail to tell you that it takes nearly an hour underground to get to see it. I find it extremely careless to not post warnings before going down for elderly people, pregnant woman, and people who experience claustrophobia. Nearly everyone we passed who were heading out had a look of exhaustion on their face. I’m very active and I felt the same.
Also, point to note, even if you have tickets in advance, they still make you wait in the same line with those who do not.
From the time we got on the elevator to the time we made it up took around and hour and 45 minutes. Good luck if you have small children like we did.

We toured Ruby Falls last Friday afternoon. When we arrived the line was very long. We were told to expect a 45 minute wait. It ended up being closer to an hour and 15 minutes. We later found out that this is because there is only 1 elevator that takes groups up and down into the cave.
The cave also only has one narrow path in and out. Once in the cave, you make your way to the falls about a half mile away. Since the path is for entering and exiting visitors, those entering the cave must push to the side to let the exiting groups pass. This happens probably a half dozen times. lt causes the trip to be much more drawn out than necessary. By the time you get to the falls, you just wish it was over. The falls were pretty, but I’m not sure it was worth all of the time spent waiting to get there. It was a pretty underwhelming. Perhaps this might be solved by organizing the tours differently.
As a side note, this might sound obvious, but if you suffer from even minor claustrophobia, this probably isn’t for you. I’ve been in plenty of caves and have been okay. However, this cave has low ceilings and heavy stale air from the beginning. It takes a bit before the ceiling opens up and things feel a bit better. If I weren’t doing it for the kids (focusing on them), I’m not sure I would have been able to proceed.

Get ready to walk! The tour takes about an hour or so, but it’s well worth it. The tour guide with my group has done over 5K (!!) tours down there and because of it, was super pun-​y and fun to be with. It’s really beautiful and these aren’t things you see every day. Or ever!
Don’t know why the rating isn’t 5 stars. Must not be for everyone. But if you’re into nature and like interesting new things, try this place out.

GO TO THE BATHROOM before you take the tour! It’s such an amazing time! Nestled inside of Lookout Mountain you will find ruby falls. If you are claustrophobic or if you have really bad panic attacks I wouldn’t recommend doing the tour. I went when I was over 32 weeks pregnant and it was really fun. A lot of walking. People thought I was crazy but it was such a good time! The falls are beyond beautiful! I wish I could have stayed by the falls longer but once you get there they play loud triumphant music like you just finished a 10 year voyage. The limestone caves so so pretty! The story they tell about how it was founded by Leo Lambert and he named the falls after his wife Ruby. The chat about the stone formations and what they had to do to get to the falls. It’s a great experience. If you have not gone it’s a must!

Ehhhh! I went to this attraction twice, my first experience was great because the tour guide was knowledgeable about the history of the caves and the temperature was very cool.
As for my second time, there was an hour and a half long wait but it wasn’t that bad of a wait as we stand and enjoy the city view scene. But once we got down in the caves, it as a bit suffocating and I had a minor anxiety attack throughout the whole tour because we would have to stand and wait for the other tour to pass by in such a small space– which made the tour really long. I heard other tourist saying that it was hot and no fresh air unless your near the falls, which I was in the same boat.
Overall, mentally prepare yourself for lots of waiting and standing out.

Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, Tennessee is an underground rock cavern with a grand waterfall being the highlight of the tour. There’s your typical stalagmites and stalactites from water and erosion throughout the years that’s helped shape the caverns. They are nice to look at.
The waterfall at the end of the tour gets lit up for a portion of the time when they turn the lights out in the cavern. Although it’s tough to take a picture of in the dark, the waterfall is still something special to look at.
Otherwise the tour doesn’t take long… maybe an hour at most. And after coming off spectacular Rock City Gardens, Ruby Falls doesn’t compare as much. But still doing the whole trio of Incline Railway, Rocky City Gardens and Ruby Falls are absolutely the best things to do in Chattanooga.

This place is awesome. I would have given it five stars if it were not so crowded. Try to come when it has just rained the waterfall was amazing. Definitely something worth viewing.

2 stars comes with a «Meh. I’ve experienced better.»
It’s hard to say that for Ruby Falls because… I’ve truly not experienced anything else like this before. I lived in Chattanooga for 4+ years, and hadn’t been here, so our family decided to give it a try. It’s a cave that leads to a large room with a large waterfall. Very cool!
Now, here’s what would’ve made it better.
1. Not a $ 20 ticket. Come on now… I live in CO and can get access to incredible natural wonders without paying a dime. You’re charging me $ 20 for a 50-​person, guided tour of a cave?
2. Long Lines. Now, there was a «buy ahead» option on the website. My family chose not to do this. Glad we didn’t, because it didn’t seem to matter. Everyone (even advanced ticket purchasers) had to stand in a long line to then either go to the ticket counter or get in another line to actually go down in the cave.
3. Waiting. I feel like all we did on this tour was wait. We waited to get tickets, then waited to in the line to get on the elevator. We waited at the bottom while our tour guide went and got 40 more people to add to our group. We waited for other groups to pass us. The tour lasted easily over an hour and a half, and I think it could’ve easily been done in half the time (and still have gotten all of the cool info from the tour guide).
They do offer an «after hours» lantern tour of the cave for your private party, but I’m guessing that’s a bit more costly than the $ 20.
The fall was beautiful and impressive. I have a hard time (again, maybe it’s all of the access we’re afforded here in CO) with all of the people, cameras and flashes, selfy sticks and whatever else you’ve got… Maybe I just need to get over myself! :)

This was a fun experience. I’m a local for 9 years and I’ve never been so I crossed it off the list. The tour guides are corny and that lightens the mood a bit. There are some tight squeezes in terms of passing other groups. And as a 6′+ individual I had to duck several times. The falls are neat and there and some cool formations too. A fun little tourist place

I was SUPER excited about exploring a cave for the first time. I’ve visited several man made caves in the past, so the thought of actually exploring a real cave was kind of a big deal.
I visited in a Sunday evening around 4, so the crowd wasn’t bad. I waited in line for about 30 mins outside in 90 degree weather before making it to the ticketing counter to pay. Once I paid, I waited for an additional 20 to 30 mins inside of the lobby area where there were restrooms, a set of water fountains, a small café and a gift shop.
Finally, it was my group’s turn to enter the elevator, which went over 1,100 feet underground! I did get a tad bit overwhelmed at the thought of being that far beneath the earth, it only lasted a few moments though. Once inside the cave, each family had there picture taken & then we proceeded on to watch an informative video.
After the video, the tour of the have officially began. It was a long, in my opinion, boring walk to get to the actual water fall. Although the cave is real, there were lots of artificial lighting, electrical wiring, video cameras, and other miscellaneous things that just gave the cave a very commercial feel. I was hoping for something a bit more authentic. The walk through the gave was too long, and drawn out. I thought that the names for the formations were corny, and they added to that «commercial cave» feel.
The walk out of the cave is just as boring as the walk into the cave, only faster. Once we made it to the elevator there was another wait (about 20 mins). There was a concessions area, additional gift shop, and playground available once we exited the elevator. I let the kids play for a few moments, bought a few souvenirs & we left.
Final thoughts: The long walk through the cave leasing up to Ruby Falls offers a great opportunity to spend time with your family. There’s plenty of time for laughter, joking, talking and snapping pics. The waterfall itself is beautiful, and I guess I will say worth the wait. Ruby Falls is definitely something to do if you’re in Chattanooga, but one of those things that only need to be done once. Overall, not a bad experience, it was just a little too drawn out for a girl like myself.

After spending sometime in GA and hitting the road for home, my fiancé and I decided to come here at the spur of the moment; and it was worth every penny. I loved hearing the story of how the man who found the falls crawled through a tiny little cavern hole for 7 hours before he finally was able to stand up and see the beautiful underground waterfall. I loved it even more when I learnt that he had named the falls after his wife.
If you are in the area then I definitely recommend you come and see this beautiful place. The only problem I had with this place is that I kept on bumping my head on the caverns low ceiling, but that’s expected. All the tour guide’s (aside from one) were really friendly and seemed to enjoy working in such a beautiful place.
If you’re planning on going there I suggest you get there as early as possible because the lines can be out the door to get in. Luckily, we were there when hardly anyone else was.

Ruby Falls ist ein unterirdischer Wasserfall in den Lookout Mountains in der Nähe von Chattanooga. Entstanden ist dieser Wasserfall in Höhlen die durch etliche Erdbeben im Laufe von 200 Millionen Jahren entstanden sind.
Dieser Wasserfall wurde im Jahr 1928 von Leo Lambert im Rahmen seines Projektes eine Höhle in den Lookout Mountains per Fahrstuhl Besuchern zugänglich zu machen eher zufällig gefunden. Während des Baus wurde eine Öffnung entdeckt, die zu einer größeren Höhle mit diesem Wasserfall führte. Der Wasserfall selber ist ca. 40 Meter hoch und man weiss bis heute nicht genau woher das Wasser dafür kommt.
Seit 1929 werden Führungen zu diesem Wasserfall angeboten, und das
Eingangsgebäude wurde wie eine irische Burg gebaut.
Der Name Ruby Falls wurde gewählt, da die Frau des Entdecker Ruby hiess.
Ruby Falls ist leicht zu erreichen und man erhält auf der Homepage Anfahrtsbeschreibungen aus mehreren Richtungen. Parkplätze sind in ausreichender Menge vorhanden.
Die Öffnungszeiten sind ganzjährig von 8.00 Uhr bis 20.00 Uhr und ich würde einen frühen Besuch einplanen, da es ab Mittags sehr voll wird und man dann längere Wartezeiten bis zur Einfahrt einplanen muss.
Die geführte Tour selber dauert ca. 1,5 Stunden und man sollte einen Toilettenbesuch vor der Einfahrt einplanen, da es unten keine Möglichkeiten gibt sich zu erleichtern.
Die Toiletten selber sind im Eingangbereich untergebracht und waren bei unserem Besuch sauer und in ausreichender Anzahl vorhanden.
Die Tour selber:
Man wird in einer großen Gruppe in den Aufzug gelassen und fährt dann in schneller Fahrt ca. 90 Meter nach unten. In der Höhle selber erhält man die Einweisung vom Führer, der ein gut verständliches Englisch sprach. Die Temperaturen in der Höhle sind angenehm und man kann sie in leichter Sommerkleidung betreten. Festes Schuhwerk sit zwar nicht unbedingt nötig, erleichtert aber die Wanderung über die unebenen Wege.
Unser Führer erklärte die verschiedenen Formationen und gab immer wieder Hinweise auf Besonderheiten. Es bleibt trotz der grossen Gruppe 8ca. 40 Personen) immer Zeit die einzelnen interessanten Punkte in Ruhe zu betrachten und auch zu photographieren. Der Weg bis zum Wasserfall dauerte ca 30 Minuten und wurde durch einige sehr schöné und farbenprächtige Troptsteinformationen versüsst. Durch die verschiedenen Beleuchtungen kamen die Einzelheiten gut zu Geltung.
Nachdem wir dann kurz vor dem Wasserfall waren, mussten alle anhalten und auf den richtigen Moment warten. Dieser war auch nach kurzer Zeit erreicht und mit Licht-​und Soundeffekten wurde dann der Wasserfall präsentiert. Es sah schon toll aus wie sich das Licht veränderte und so immer neue Eindrücke vermittelte, wir empfanden es allerdings etwas übertrieben.
Nachdem die Lichtshow vorbei war, durften alle dann im Gänsemarsch am Wasserfall vorbeimarschieren, wobei wir von einem feinen Sprühregen berieselt wurden.
Danach bleib noch Zeit für ein paar Fotos und dann ging es schon auf den Rückweg. Dieser wurde viel schneller absolviert, da nun die Erläuterungen fehlten.
Am Fahrstuhl wurden wir dann von unserem Führer verabschiedet und in die oberen Etagen entlassen. Der Aufzug endetet natürlich im Souvenirshop, der mit recht hohen Preisen aufwartete. Wer wollte konnte sich auch ein Bild kaufen, das von einen Fotografen in der Höhle gemacht wurde. Dies war uns jedoch viel zu teuer, zumal wir selber auch eine Kamera dabei hatten und etliche Fotos gemacht hatten.
Wer mag kann in angeschlossenen Bistro Fast Food zu sich nehmen, da wir die Möglichkeit jedoch nicht genutzt haben kann ich zur Qualität der angebotenen Speisen nichts sagen. Sie sahen jedoch reichlich und ansprechend aus.
Nach einem kurzen Aufstieg auf den Burgturm und einem Rundumblick verliessen wir dann Ruby Falls um weiteres zu besichtigen.
Mein Fazit
Der Ausflug hat sich auf jeden Fall gelohnt und der Wasserfall so toll aus. Der Weg durch die Höhle war gut gangbar, jedoch nicht Rollstuhl oder Kinderwagen geeignet.
Die Eintrittspreise waren mit 14,00 US Dollar für Erwachsene bzw.7,00 Us Dollar für Kinder von 3 – 12 Jahren für amerikanische Verhältnisse durchaus noch im Rahmen. Ich kann einen Besuch empfehlen und vergeben die volle Wertung für dieses Naturschauspiel. Wie bereits geschrieben sollte man den Besuch vormittags einplanen, denn ab mittags wir es voll und man muss dann schon mal 1 Stunde auf die Einfahrt warten. Wir selber hatten gerade mal Zeit zur Toilette zu gehen und konnten dann schon mit unserer Tour anfangen.