This week we are going to venture into the world of gnomes, fairies and fairytales, and beautiful rock formations. We also will be exploring the cavern that leads to an underground waterfall that was inspired by a love story.  We are headed down to Tennessee and Georgia to check out two hot spots in the area.  Rock City and Ruby Falls, here we come!

Our first stop is Ruby Falls. This epic cave and waterfall is located in Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. Discovered in  1928, this attraction boasts three different cave tours along with zip lining adventures and season passes.  There is a nighttime lantern tour which would have been a dream come true for me, however we were only in the area for the afternoon.  In the end we opted for the $24.99 Cave Walk to Ruby Falls.

When you arrive, you are greeted with beautiful mountain views.  The Entrance and Ticket Atrium is your first point of contact.  Here you can shop for souvenirs, catch a bite to eat, and wait for your time tour to start.  Tickets for tours are currently sold online in time slots.  If you are wanting to social distance a word of caution, you will be on an elevator with a very large group.

The first activity on the tour is a short video that talks about the origins of the cave.  Being a history buff I was amazed at how Ruby Falls came to be what it is today.  I was also amazed that it came with a love story.  Who knew we were in for an adventure and a love story.  Ruby Falls is kinda like the Romcom of tourist attractions.  When it was discovered in 1928 by Leo Lambert he named it after the love of his life Ruby.  

They say true love comes with grand gestures, my husband better get cracking on his waterfall discovery.  Tonya Falls does not have the same ring to it though, even if Korey discovers a beautiful waterfall on our property we will have to go with another name.

Our journey began on a glass elevator that took us 260 feet down to the beginning of the cave tour.  It is a wonderful 60° year round, so if you get cold easily, bring a sweater.  Currently the outside temperature was set on the surface of the sun, so 60° was welcomed.  This cave tour was about a mile long walk. Let the exploration begin.

Our group I would like to say was about 40 people, I could be wrong, so do not take my word for it.  We have a tour guide, however we prefer to stay towards the back, not because we want to social distance, but because, well sometimes people are a little too much.  We brought up the rear with a family with several young children who kept us laughing the whole tour with their childlike innocence and silly chatter. If you read my last blog post, my son was kicked out of a cave once for the same behavior, we are not joy crushers so we embrace it.

For all of you that are impatient and just want to see the waterfall, you are going to have to hold your horses and relax. The waterfall is the payoff at the end.  You will walk through paths that can be a bit tough for those not sure footed.  You’re not scaling a mountain or anything, but you will walk through some areas with uneven rocks and some places can be damp and slick.

We had learned on the tour more information on how the waterfall was found and we also got to see the tiny pathways that Leo had to worm through to find the falls.  All the while you are surrounded by extraordinary formations named with imaginative flair.  There are some named after animals, The Donkey and Elephant’s Foot, to food, like Steak and Potatoes. I was a picture taking fool while down here, just be mindful of the rest of the group.

After a short hike into the cavern you finally come to the main event.  You have arrived at the base of Ruby Falls.

Here you are graced with expansive views of the largest and deepest underground waterfall that is open to the public in the United States.  There are color changing lights that reflect on the water that makes the waterfall even more eye-catching.  The water puts off gusts of air as it cascades down a 145 foot drop.

The tour is not a loop so after we get our time by the falls we make our way back to the top.  When your tour is over, you can explore the rest of the property.  There are several lookouts that you can venture to as well.  We went to Lookout Mountain Tower, Blue Heron Overlook and Ruby Falls Village Plaza. We took the stairs and by the time we got to the top I wished for death, but the views were amazing and kinda made me forget that my guts were melting.

After we left Ruby Falls we continued our little adventure and went to Rock City. 

Rock City is located a few miles from Chattanooga in Georgia.  According to their website, “Rock City is a unique geological and botanical wonder.”  I completely agree with this statement.

I had been to Rock City many years ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth when I was in a softball tournament in Chattanooga, I remember nothing other than rock candy.  See where my priorities were. Because of this I did not quite know what to expect as I did no further research and the only knowledge I had was that you could see 7 different states from a lookout point.

Friends, let me tell you, Rock City is AWESOME!  I had such a good time here, even if it was 1000° outside.

When you first enter Rock City, you have the option to go into a small gift shop and a photo op with a giant gnome.  This  sets the stage.  If you like gnomes, fairies, and nature you are in the right place.  If you do not like the outdoors and hiking, you may want to sit this one out.  Afterall it is a nature trail surrounded by rock formations, flowers, art and other whimsical items.  There are a few indoor areas, but not many.

When you enter and if you are able, you want to take the entire trail.  There are some shortcuts for those that don’t want to do the whole hike or those with limitations.  We made a mistake and did not read the signs and had to start over.  We learned that reading is fundamental on this adventure.

There are some cool points along the trail to check out if you are an art lover as well.  We saw these along the way but apparently according to the website, 7 of these unique statues and sculptures were added to the path since 2009.  If you get on the website it tells what each one signifies.  Sadly, I am not sure if these explanations are with each piece within the park, I should have paid more attention,

There are three landmarks that stand out to me on the trail, well I guess 4.  Fat Man’s Squeeze, The Swinging Bridge,  Lover’s Leap, and Seeing the 7 states

There was also a part of the trail that had glowing doodles(that’s what I am calling it) on the path.  I wish I could remember what it was called, as it could be my favorite.  

If you are claustrophobic Fat Man’s Squeeze may terrify you.  It is a small opening in the rocks that you walk sideways through.  Lover’s Leap gives you spectacular views and there is a viewpoint from below the lookout where you can take photos with a waterfall.

Finally, we need to talk about the 7 states. You can see Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky,  South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Alabama.  There are arrows showing you the direction to look.  I will just have to take their word for it.  I could be looking at the same state and would never know.

There are some cafes where you can buy some refreshments as well. There is also a wine booth, with the hot July heat you better believe I got a wine slushy, yummo!  When we were there there was a one man band playing which was pretty entertaining.  I now want music lessons because of it.

The most fun thing about Rock City is their See Rock City birdhouse.  It is everywhere!  As a matter of fact when looking at the landscapes below there are barns with this logo painted on their roofs.  Do yourself a favor and get one for yourself so you can bask upon its glory all year long.

There are several things I am sure we missed in the area, no worries for me though, I will be back again.   According to the Rock City website there is a Rock city self-guided  barn tour.  There is a map on the website that can guide you to the information needed for this.

Another regret is that we missed riding the Incline Railway. Boo!  This railway is known as “America’s most amazing mile.”  It is a steep one mile journey to the top of Lookout Mountain. Turns out you need to get tickets IN ADVANCE.  We, I mean me, himhauled(don’t judge my hillbilly lingo) around until the day that we were going was sold out.  Learn from my mistakes and don’t be a loser, buy the tickets in advance.

All in all this area is awesome!  Rock City was probably my favorite.  So much so that I am planning my daughter’s wedding there, well one day, when she is getting married.  There are things to see in every season and I am sure we missed all the hidden gems, gnomes, fairies and other critters along the way. Take your time and take it all in.  Get a wine slushy and a birdhouse.  While you are at it, don’t forget to buy some rock candy and get into nature and enjoy the adventure.