Local Guides World
Top Nature preserves in Chattanooga, United States
Top Rated Nature preserves in Chattanooga
Top Reviewed Nature preserves in Chattanooga
Reviews
Took a 1st grade field trip here during Pioneer Days. Other than it was a very cold day ..... one of the better experiences I've had on a school trip. Beautifully maintained park. I would recommend Pioneer Days to anyone wanting an educational outdoor experience!
We came to this hidden gem last Thursday for my daughter's field trip. The kids learned about what life was like back for the pioneers, a bit about agriculture and food preservation, cooking (they even got to try the johnny cakes and apple butter, and even learned how to make rope! My daughter absolutely adored the animals and speaking with The Pony Lady.
Thank you all for keeping this important piece of history alive.
Thank you all for keeping this important piece of history alive.
Nice visitor center with museum and gift shop. Friendly knowledgeable volunteers. Beautiful scenic trails with abundant plants and wildlife.
Really nice place tucked away in the middle of all the rush. Enjoyed the hike around the property. Trails are easy for all.
We unfortunately weren't able to stay long but we enjoyed watching two pileated woodpeckers going in and out of their nest. Beautiful land, peaceful. We'll be back!
It was a wonderful experience to walk thru the narrow caves to see the waterfall named Ruby Falls. The tour is well organised and safe, so long as you take care not to bump your head against the rocks! The history behind the discovery of the falls is very romantic. Definitely worth a visit. They have a well stocked souvenir shop. If you feel adventurous, they have a zip line to try to have fun.
Amazing Cave full of beautiful rock features and of course its namesake Ruby Falls. After a brief talk, about do’s and don’t, we stepped into an elevator and was whisked into the land below… Easy to walking in the cave! Many amazing features in cave while walking to the falls. There is ample parking, several shops to enjoy. One especially enjoyable shop is the glass blowing store. Hand-blown figurines, pretty pricey, but a visual experience you sho up don’t miss. There is a self order cafe if you are hungry while you wait for your tour! Be sure and reserve your time slot. They have tours every 30 minutes!
Magnificent location to check out and enjoy some beautiful sights while in the area!! We enjoyed it so much that we plan to come back this time next year!
Ruby Falls, one of the three attractions visited while in the area of southeast Tennessee, Chattanooga, and even Georgia. I had heard good comments from family members so I decided to go as well.
The place itself is really neat and very well organized, having a gift shop, a place to eat, and then the shaft for an elevator to go down into the Earth quite a distance, which I forget the real amount.
Once you’re down there, everything begins with a nice story of how these falls were found and named.
This adventure/Explorer crawled his way until he found this amazing site.
In my opinion the journey to the falls are more exciting than the falls itself, yet it is really amazing to see how this was found, and what lies beneath the Earth.
Good to take good walking shoes,(saw some ladies with some type of high heels, which was nonsense).
It can get slippery and a bit dangerous for some people therefore, railways have been added to hold onto them. A lot of nice interior formations, for those who are earth engineers, geologists or topics alike should really enjoy this.
Recommended!
The place itself is really neat and very well organized, having a gift shop, a place to eat, and then the shaft for an elevator to go down into the Earth quite a distance, which I forget the real amount.
Once you’re down there, everything begins with a nice story of how these falls were found and named.
This adventure/Explorer crawled his way until he found this amazing site.
In my opinion the journey to the falls are more exciting than the falls itself, yet it is really amazing to see how this was found, and what lies beneath the Earth.
Good to take good walking shoes,(saw some ladies with some type of high heels, which was nonsense).
It can get slippery and a bit dangerous for some people therefore, railways have been added to hold onto them. A lot of nice interior formations, for those who are earth engineers, geologists or topics alike should really enjoy this.
Recommended!
Great tourist stop. Quality tour. A must when visiting Chattanooga.
Savanah was our guide. She was fun and led a tour and included much valuable information.
Walking through the cavern was beautiful. It is not too strenuous and is fairly easy. Just watch your head there are low spots. Lots of interesting formations and photographic opportunities.
Once at the falls, it is lit up with changing colored lights, quite an interesting site. This is a must do when visiting.
Also big shout out to the beautifully cinematic short film that plays before the tour, giving a bit of history on how it was discovered. Very well done.
Savanah was our guide. She was fun and led a tour and included much valuable information.
Walking through the cavern was beautiful. It is not too strenuous and is fairly easy. Just watch your head there are low spots. Lots of interesting formations and photographic opportunities.
Once at the falls, it is lit up with changing colored lights, quite an interesting site. This is a must do when visiting.
Also big shout out to the beautifully cinematic short film that plays before the tour, giving a bit of history on how it was discovered. Very well done.
I highly recommend coming here. It’s good for kids, adults…everyone! This is a very unique experience that everyone should enjoy.
Buying tickets in advance was the most convenient for my family of 4.
Staff is VERY kind and helpful. The tour guides were superb!
Buying tickets in advance was the most convenient for my family of 4.
Staff is VERY kind and helpful. The tour guides were superb!
This place was so beautiful, amazing, and very interesting on how ruby falls became ruby falls. Beautiful view inside the cave was breathtaking. I 1,000% recommend going so you can see just how beautiful it really is. Photos just don’t give it justice on what you actually see.
The caves and falls deserve 5 stars. They are gorgeous and it was really cool seeing the underground waterfall. The amount of tours that they run simultaneously and the amount of people that they pack into a tour deserves negative stars. Our tour guide was worthless as we were in the back of a line of 30 or more people(or so it seemed). We couldn’t hear anything that she was saying. They start off by making you watch a very cheesy film about the caves, which made the tour guide even more worthless. Every 10-15 minutes you had to meld yourself into a very narrow cave wall and let another huge tour group wriggle past you. Very uncomfortable. I added a few Timelapse videos to illustrate this fact. Once we got to the falls and hung out for a while, we realized that our tour group had left us. We didn’t hear the tour guide announce leaving and didn’t really notice until another group came along. We walked back a little ways with the other group, but now that we realized the complete lack of concern about missing people(because the groups are WAY to big), we decided to take our time and walk back out on our own. I say definitely check it out but hopefully the people running the tour will put the safety of their guests, instead of how many people they can pack in there at once, first.
My daughter and I took a 2+ mile hike on a misty day and loved it. She has a membership and really gets a great value. There were birds, frogs, beautiful mosses, and colorful lichen everywhere. It was an easy walk and good well kept paths. This place is super peaceful. Plenty of parking.
I loved this cave tour!! We got there earlier than our tickets so they gladly exchanged it for an earlier time. We only had to wait 10 mins. Taylor was our humorous and very informative Guide. I enjoyed the history and am fascinated with how it was found by Leo Lambert and developed into what it is today. . The labeling of the formations was very nice but the reward for the long walk in was definitely…Ruby Falls. It’s spectacular and beautiful! I didn’t mind the colored lights at all! There are some very low spots, watch your head and some narrow spots. We had some kids Field Trips pass us on the pathway, but for the most part we were the only ones in the cave. We could hear Taylor anytime he talked. I definitely it recommend it! 👍👍👍
Gorgeous, but super touristy. You will be forced through the gift shop twice, they will take a photo of you and edit poorly in front of the waterfall and try to charge you $30. But you can also take your own photo in front of the falls and the guides will hold a light for you! The guide we had, Taylor, was hilarious and gave great recommendations. The falls are gorgeous and the tour was fun. Just prepare for it to feel a little like a theme park.
The cave was incredible. The waterfall was even better. It was so beautiful especially when they had the lights on. The only downside is they were rushing. Didn't really get the time to grasp the amazement of the cave. Go at night and make sure to go to the top of the tower to see the beautiful view of the city.
Haleigh was our guide, she said she’s new but man, she seemed like a pro! Absolutely hilarious, seemed to care for us as a group and make sure we all made it through okay. Checked on us a bunch. Just asking if everyone is doing okay. Personally, he’d personality made the tour much better! She took pictures of us as a family! It was my husband, myself and our three year old. The tour was really pretty and all the facts made it so much cooler. Thank you for making our tour awesome! Keep cash to tip your guide. We didn’t have cash and didn’t know we could do tips and felt awful. Not once did she ask or bring it up. It’s just on the wall as you leave.
Ruby falls is an underground cave & waterfall.
This place is beautiful!
It was a nice one mile guided tour walk (hour & 20 minutes).
Our group was small ( around 10 people), but other groups passing by were much more.
It was around 60 F down there, so maybe you need a sweater & wear good shoes!
Buy tickets in advance, and be there 10-15 minutes before the scheduled time.
This place is beautiful!
It was a nice one mile guided tour walk (hour & 20 minutes).
Our group was small ( around 10 people), but other groups passing by were much more.
It was around 60 F down there, so maybe you need a sweater & wear good shoes!
Buy tickets in advance, and be there 10-15 minutes before the scheduled time.
IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT COMING HERE DO IT! You have to do this at least once in your life for me, I’ve gone two times. Both times the employees were nice and had fun with you. They tell jokes on your tour, which is 25 dollars and some change for the adults, some jokes are corny but it will make you laugh, if not smile. We had an amazing tour guide this trip named Kien, he’s only been there for 1 month and 1/2 but he was so great, we thought he had been there for years. Once you get to the falls you have about 8 minutes to take pictures and take in the breath taking view. After you can shop at the gift shop, you can buy pictures that they take of you when you arrive underground, then you can go to the outlook (free when you by the tour).
The tour is about 1-1/2 hours. Bring shoes. All ages were there. On our tour some were in their 60s/70s, it depends on you. There are some steps, you may have to duck a few times, and it can be slippery but they have handrails. You also go down 200+ feet in an elevator and walk the rest of the way.
Please go you won’t regret it.
The tour is about 1-1/2 hours. Bring shoes. All ages were there. On our tour some were in their 60s/70s, it depends on you. There are some steps, you may have to duck a few times, and it can be slippery but they have handrails. You also go down 200+ feet in an elevator and walk the rest of the way.
Please go you won’t regret it.
Great tour and the waterfall was amazing. God is such an awesome Creator!!! Definitely worth the spontaneous trip to Ruby Falls today. Making memories is a great joy. We only live once. Might as well enjoy this beautiful creation called EARTH...
What can I say? If you are in town, you must come, and you must be early. I'll tell you why later.
The place is all about love. The name itself is already filled with love. The history, nature, and love are mixed inside this adventure toward Ruby falls. It is a journey between millions of year of geological formation. Words themselves cannot describe.
The temperature is around 60-65 down there, so wear appropriately. Shoes are recommended, so you walk better on slopes and wet, and your feet won't get wet.
There is a tower in the building that you can look over on the city, ask the staff.
You must come early, before everyone wakes up. 8:30AM is the latest, so that your group is small. You will get more quiet and quality time walking through the path. You will get more time taking pictures with the fall.
The place is all about love. The name itself is already filled with love. The history, nature, and love are mixed inside this adventure toward Ruby falls. It is a journey between millions of year of geological formation. Words themselves cannot describe.
The temperature is around 60-65 down there, so wear appropriately. Shoes are recommended, so you walk better on slopes and wet, and your feet won't get wet.
There is a tower in the building that you can look over on the city, ask the staff.
You must come early, before everyone wakes up. 8:30AM is the latest, so that your group is small. You will get more quiet and quality time walking through the path. You will get more time taking pictures with the fall.
We stopped here on a whim, at 8:20 AM on a Sunday (8/6/23), whilst halfway through our road trip to Florida from Michigan. We walked right in, purchased tickets for the 8:30 AM tour on the kiosk located near the main entrance. Waited all of 2 minutes and headed down the elevator into the cave where 6 other guests joined us. Our tour guide was Carter. He was GREAT! He shared with us great humor and information about the cave/waterfall.
The cave and waterfall themselves were amazing! I love all of the different colored lights that really make it unique. It really was an all-around great experience! I have been to Mammoth Cave & Diamond Caverns of KY and Ruby Falls didn’t ‘fall’ short of meeting my expectations.
By the time we were leaving around 10:15-10:30 AM, the place was filling up with people. So my advice to anyone reading this, is to GO EARLY. If you would like a smaller group and a more personal/intimate tour, GO EARLY.
The cave and waterfall themselves were amazing! I love all of the different colored lights that really make it unique. It really was an all-around great experience! I have been to Mammoth Cave & Diamond Caverns of KY and Ruby Falls didn’t ‘fall’ short of meeting my expectations.
By the time we were leaving around 10:15-10:30 AM, the place was filling up with people. So my advice to anyone reading this, is to GO EARLY. If you would like a smaller group and a more personal/intimate tour, GO EARLY.
Audubon Acres is a must to see and experience. It is on the Trail of Tears so it felt like sacred ground to me. The beauty is astounding and serene, but I also couldn't help but think of the weary souls who had been forced to walk along this creek. I honored their memory as I hiked through the woods. It is easily accessible and part of history. I would highly recommend a visit here. Nature and history come together. It left a lasting impression on me.
AAARGH! Between prehistoric mosquitoes, man eating cow head spiders, zombie pain ivy, and haunted abandoned campus inhabited by the incarnation of the ghost of the candy man, it was a decent camping trip.
It's only a short paddle upriver from Coolidge Park, but it can be difficult if the dam is releasing. The island itself is beautiful and you'll have it all to yourself. There are three campsites on the island but the one at the east end is the one you want. The views from the dock at the west end are a must and worth the journey,
Chattanooga Audubon Society owns the island and takes reservations on their website.
Chattanooga Audubon Society owns the island and takes reservations on their website.
Loved the green. Really loved the rock and tree formations.
Good place to take Blue Heaven to get over there.. Hike the island and go camping..bird sanctuary.. Lots of history..
What a neat island .. Come do a riverboat tour and learn all about it ..and get a lift out to the island if you like .. and picked back up too. Blue Heaven River Tours is the way!!!
Wildlife sanctuary in the middle of downtown Chattanooga and you must access by water.... Awesome place to camp or hike
Super cool place in the middle of Downtown, not the most up kept, but you can kayak, paddleboard, canoe, or boat our to here. There is a landing (on the north-east end) for the former, and a dock (on the southwest end) for the latter. Multiple campsites, not many people ever out there, quite if you stay away from the bridge the goes over it.
What an awesome spot right in the middle of the city!