Hi, I am Jim, I love Kentucky, and traveling in and around Kentucky! I also love the entire country, and all of the beautiful and strange places here and there! This blog covers the overlooked, forgotten, and underrated places, people, and moments in history in America, with a focus on Kentucky! It will cover great tourists stops, books about people and history, and include photos and postcard scans.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Ruby Falls- Chattanooga, TN.
We finally had a chance to visit the legendary Ruby Falls in Chattanooga!
I was very excited to make this trip because of all of the hype. Everyone knows about the place.
I did get confused on Lookout Mountain. You keep zigzagging states while you are there! AND, there is a lot to do on the Mountain.
We went in to the Cavern Castle visitor center and bought our tickets. The line at this time was not long.
People were coming in by the car loads, and they were moving people along. We were able to get on an elevator to take us down to the Falls. Because of the crowds, they do pack the elevator tight and they do herd you along.
Still, it is fun and it is a must see for all road trippers at some point.
They did do the souvenir photo. I usually decline this but we went ahead and let them take our photo early on and we did buy it later.
I hate how some tourist attractions try to take your photo in front of a green screen, then edit something in, and try to sell that to you as a souvenir photo later. I can photoshop myself in to a photo on my home PC.
I really liked the photo at Ruby Falls. They actually take it in the cave and they do use some fun and colorful lighting making for a nice photo. In my opinion, they do have a very nice souvenir photo.
The passage ways leading to the Falls are actually much more spacious than in other show caves. They obviously went to a lot of trouble at some point cutting out these walkways.
Getting to the actual water fall was a bit of a hike. The tour guide did make a couple of stops on the way to point out certain formations, and to watch a video on the history of the place.
It was very exciting seeing the water falls! They change to the color of the lights shining on it which is very unnatural, but it is also very nice.
The lights are timed though, and each group is only able to get in and see the Falls for 5 or 6 minutes, then it is back to the elevators.
After the tour, you are taken by elevator to an upper level of the visitor center. They do have a very nice observation area there. It was very foggy and rainy on our day there, but it still offered a great view.
On the way out, we noticed that the lines to get in were much longer! Getting there early was a good idea!
Our tour guide mentioned that the cave we saw and Ruby Falls are above the old Lookout Mountain Caverns. For safety reasons, the old cave is no longer accessible. I don't know about you, but knowing that you can't get to the old cave makes me really want to see it!
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