My family took a much-needed vacation to Chattanooga during fall break in early October. When traveling to Chattanooga, one has to stop at Ruby Falls to experience the waterfall inside a cave. I recommend buying your tickets ahead of time so you don't have to wait a huge amount of time. Your ticket has a time where you can enter the line for the elevator into the cave, so you still have another 15 to 20-minute wait. When we arrived for our 10 o'clock tour, the line to buy tickets was rather long and the tickets were for the 11 and 11:30 time frame, so people have to wait in a long line and then wander around the gift shop for another hour to an hour and a half before they can enter the queue.
Once you enter the elevator, they cram as many people as they can, and you descend very rapidly into the cave. There are lights throughout the cave, as well as benches right when you exit. There are no benches along the route to the waterfall, but there are stopping points where you can lean up against the side of the cave while you let the people exiting pass you. However, there are some narrow passages and well as slick spots, so this is not recommended for people that have mobility problems, or young children you're not willing to carry the whole way in and out. I did have a scare a time or two that my 3 year old would disappear into one of the holes, but she did well overall with staying with us. Tennis shoes are also recommended as there is a significant amount of walking to get to the waterfall and back. On your walk to the waterfall, the tour guide tells you stories of the excavation of the cave and the significance of the name Ruby Falls. Our tour guide was knowledgeable as well as personable, so made our experience enjoyable. Our children don't do well with lots of walking, standing, and things that aren't "fun", so you can't base my children's reactions as the norm. My husband and I fully appreciated the tour and I recommend Ruby Falls next time you're in Chattanooga.
Ruby Falls is located at 1720 South Scenic Hwy Chattanooga TN
Phone Number: 423.821.2544
Website: https://www.rubyfalls.com/
