Ruby Falls — Attraction in Chattanooga

Growing up on the Chattanooga area and living less than 45 minutes from Ruby Falls has made it a frequently visited park for me and my family and friends. Although it is a beautiful place no matter what time of year you visit, fall has always been my favorite time to go. Even the drive up to Ruby Falls in the Autumn is breathtakingly gorgeous with all the different colors. Once you get to the actual park, there are plenty of places to park and pretty close to the entrance. I don't think I have ever visited the park without it being pretty crowded, but we have never had any issues finding a good parking place. The actual walk thru the cave takes about an hour and a half and is timed entry, and all tours are guided. The walk is about a mile round trip. Unfortunately, due to the narrow walkways, the Falls are not wheelchair accessible. There is also a small cafe on sight that serves food and drinks. There is also a zip line on the property. This is nothing like you see online! It is a small zip line between a few trees. Nothing major. It includes a 40-foot climbing wall in the price of the zip line tickets, which are $21.95 per person. NO MATTER THE AGE. Kids under the age of 10 yrs old must be accompanied by an adult, which means that you will be purchasing 2 tickets at $21.95 each. Also, no matter the age you need to keep in mind, you have to weigh at least 60 pounds but no more than 275 pounds. So if you have a child that is 8 years old that weighs 50 pounds, they will NOT be able to go on the zip line. Same if you have a child that is 9 years old and 65 pounds and you are the only adult with them, and you weigh 295 pounds. Neither one of you will be allowed on the zip line. You both must meet both age and weight requirements. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because of the pricing. It is $25.95 for adult tickets, $15.95 for children 3-12 years old and free for children 2 and under. Although I realize that it takes money to keep the park up and pay the park employees, feel like if they would lower their prices where more families could afford it, they would make up the difference...

2024-Feb. We arrived here on a Saturday afternoon. We previously bought tickets and reserved our tour time.

There was a small parking lot in front of the entrance and more parking spaces on the side of it.

We went through the souvenir shop. A restroom is located at the back. There is no restroom in the caves so better visit the restroom before you go. Also at the back of the souvenir shop is the electronic sign that shows the tour time that needs to fall in line. You have to go through the corridors under the e-sign because the actual entrance is at the end of the corridor, beside the restaurant.

When your tour time is next, the staff will allow you to fall in line where our tour guide meets us. After an elevator ride, the tour begins.

The cave is well-lit with different colored LED lights. The atmosphere is quite nice- not cold or warm. You are not allowed to touch any of the formations.

There was also a flat-screen TV where you had to watch the history of the discovery of the cave.

I believe it took us 30 minutes or so to get to the falls. We had to make a few stops to make room for the people who were heading back to the elevator.

The cave ground surface has been cemented- flat in some areas and with staircases in other areas.

The falls is spectacular. With the lighting installed, the visibility is great! The water under the falls is about 5-ft (according to our guide). She didn't mention how big that area was when it was discovered.

After the falls, you get to see your green-screen photos. I believe it was $35+, with digital prints.

We visited the castle after the caves. There is an elevator that will take you from the 1st floor to halfway up the tower. We only took a few minutes on top of the tower. There's nothing to do up there aside from seeing downtown Chattanooga.

It was a good experience if you can stop by.

Happy caving 😊 and give this review a thumbs up if it helped...

You get what you expect. If you have ever toured a cavern, you know the glitz and glam they add to it. Electricity coursing through with colorful lights and music. Either way, it is a very cool experience. Especially if you have never done one. I have been to a half dozen now and this one is up there on the list to see.

Obviously places like this are looking to make money. Rarely does anyone actually buy the pictures they take of you for $35. But if it’s something you want, go for it! Gift shop is your typical consignment shop “goodies” mixed with the branded Ruby Falls clothing, which were actually decent quality, to be honest. The cafe looked nice, but we didn’t stick around for it since there wasn’t anything notably worth eating that was gluten free.

I won’t give it 5 stars simply because, as everyone else has mentioned, they really shove you through it. The only time you stop moving is if another group passes or there is a video/audio clip they need to play for some cave-context.

We went right around 9:30am, which left plenty of space for parking. By the time we returned to the surface, there were 3 other groups passing us and dozens of people waiting to go down the elevator.

Ethan was a great tour guide and knew his stuff. We appreciated his effort and enjoyed his humor. I don’t know if it was training or just his energy, but he was going hard on the path. Which left a little to be desired in terms of the wonders of the cave. Overall, he was great though!

I’m not sure why others are mentioning that online tickets are required, other than the fact that slots are taken quickly. You can buy tickets at the counter or at kiosks just inside the entrance. You WILL be waiting for your time slot though since most will pre-purchase their tickets online in advance. So you should probably...