Darkness. Tight squeezes. Towering underground chambers. Deep canyons. Sheer drop-offs. For 3.5…read morehours, it was just my guide and me exploring the wild side of an underground cave beneath Raccoon Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee. This wasn't a tourist cave tour--it was true wild spelunking that pushed both body and mind. Every twist and turn brought a new challenge as we climbed, crawled, scrambled, and carefully navigated rugged terrain where every step demanded focus. It was exhilarating, physically demanding, and an absolute adrenaline rush from start to finish. The last time I experienced wild caving was at ages 10 and 11 with the Boy Scouts. Back then I was probably half my current weight and a lot smaller! Returning to the underground decades later made this adventure even more rewarding. My guide and I hit it off, and I told him that when he visits family in Eustis, Florida, I'll return the favor by taking him on a kayaking adventure. Life's greatest adventures often begin where most people turn around. I can't wait to find the next wild cave and do it all over again! That cave reminded me that adventure has no age limit--only a willingness to keep exploring.

Truly an amazing and exciting adventure! Raccoon Mountain Caverns provides you with everything you…read moreneed in terms of gear, and guides. Tristan and Emily were our guides and they were absolutely amazing. Very knowledgeable and friendly helping you get through the challenging parts of the cave with step by step instructions. For the majority i would probably not recommend carrying the following: keys, phones, selfie sticks, backpacks, bags, wallets, loose articles and anything you would be sad to lose. The price and value of this adventure is excellent and that the facilities are attached to a wonderful campground is amazing also. Tip: there is an onsite washer and dryer so you can easily wash your clothes after going through the spelunking and yes you will get dirty. Helmets, gloves, lights And knee pads are provided. 5 stars for Raccoon Mountain Caverns!

Good drinks, food not really available, 3 floors and great staff. Good view, goes over bridge and…read morethe speaker tells fun facts about the area.

Beautiful Sunset Cruise, But Inconsistent Hours at the Gift Shop…read more We had a lovely time aboard the Southern Belle for their Sunset Cruise. When we boarded, we made our way to the middle deck, front of the boat--and found the perfect little spot with a private table and chairs. It felt like our own peaceful corner of the river. No crowd, just a quiet, relaxing ride with amazing views of the Chattanooga skyline and surrounding scenery as the sun set. Absolutely gorgeous. After docking, we decided to eat at the restaurant above the gift shop. It was a great way to end the evening--the food was tasty, and the river views from the deck made it even better. We asked the staff what time the gift shop closed and were told 9:00 PM, so we waited until after dinner to pick up souvenirs. Unfortunately, by the time we finished eating (maybe 10 minutes later), the shop had already closed. Kind of a bummer. Since then, we've tried to return twice while driving through Chattanooga--hoping to grab some mementos--but no one answers the phone, and the gift shop hasn't been open either time. Their posted hours on both the website and Google are clearly off, which has made it pretty frustrating. All in all, we loved the cruise and highly recommend it, especially if you can snag a quiet spot on the deck. Just don't count on the gift shop being open--even if you're told otherwise. Buy your souvenirs before dinner just to be safe!

What a beautiful experience. I booked the evening 2hour tour. Great views but we definitely…read moreshould have done the 4 hour cruise.

We had a great day on the Tennessee River with Captain Kerron. We learned so much about the area…read moreand scenery we saw. The 6 hour private tour was very relaxing and not spoiled by a spot of rain when we started out. We stayed nice and dry inside the boat's cabin and ventured back out as soon as skies cleared. If we return to Chattanooga, we would like to see the companion trip heading the opposite direction down to the gorge.

We moved to Chattanooga about 4 years ago. We had not done the Trolley Tour yet here. We go on a…read moretrolley tour everywhere we travel. And we have done a lot of traveling for leisure and work. Our tour guide Ed was welcoming and had a wonderful personality. He made everyone laugh and enjoy the experience. Learned some interesting things and it was the perfect amount of time. Chattanooga is rich in art and history and I would recommend it to people visiting and moving here.

The trip included the car museum and speed shop. Loads of information. Very friendly folks…read more Only thing for seniors is the slatted wooden seats on the trolley get the best of you.

This was a great experience! Jason is a great storyteller, and is full of general history knowledge…read moretoo. Lots of fun, would totally recommend!

We had the best time! Our guide Jason was awesome and very knowledgeable. We learned history while…read morehaving fun. Would 100% recommend scheduling a tour!

Ruby Falls has been on my "must see" list for years and every time it pops up in a video on my…read moreinstagram account, I'm more determined to come for a visit. Finally, was able to do it last month. Purchased tickets in advance and showed up with enough time to shop in the gift shop and use the restroom. They have a very nice facility here with plenty of parking, a cafe, a large gift shop, and an observation tower. Spotless inside and well-run. Also, a penny press! Our tour guide, Chuck I believe, was wonderful. Extremely friends and funny and knowledgable about the cave but also about Chattanooga and the surrounding area. They are really doing a lot of tours. Since you walk 0.5 miles to the waterfall underground, it's a bit of a slog to keep getting to the side so groups of 30-40 can go by (tight space). We probably had to do this about 5-6x during our tour. The falls are amazing, but, walking the half mile through the cave and seeing all the other formations was wonderful too. There really are a lot of examples of formations and some unique ones like Angel's Wings, Western Sunset and Leo's Passage. Our group was large, but we had a good time and everyone was polite. The only thing I was disappointed in was that the waterfall wasn't illuminated for us to walk up to it - instead, we walked in in the dark and all crowded around it - so, when the lights came on, I wasn't able to get an approach or long shot of it in full length. They do have first tours of the day and adult-only tours so, if I come back again, I may look into that.

Ruby Falls was such a fantastic adventure! I was truly amazed by the beauty of the waterfall and…read moreall of the incredible rock formations we were able to see along the way. It was an unforgettable experience from start to finish. I was a little skeptical about whether my younger kids would be able to handle the walk, but it ended up being very manageable. We just stayed attentive and reminded them not to touch the formations, just as our guide instructed. I also thought the timed viewing at Ruby Falls was a really smart idea. I initially wasn't sure how I'd feel about the time limit, but the coordinated lighting gives everyone enough time to take photos, enjoy the waterfall, and then make room for the next group. It kept everything moving smoothly without taking away from the experience. My kids absolutely loved it, and so did I! We also enjoyed browsing the gift shop and picking up a few souvenirs to remember our visit. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and we'd love to come back the next time we're in the Chattanooga area.

Amazing beauty, it'll take your breath. I know Soldier's on bother side's had to stop and just…read moreenjoy the view. I've been from top to bottom on the trail several times and I never get tired of it. It's full of beauty and history. My brother's awesome wedding was here. Go see and enjoy

Up the road from Rock City is Point Park, a section of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National…read moreMilitary Park. There's some parking nearby, or you can take the Incline Railway up from the base and walk here, the location is amazing! You can get a Passport Stamp here, too, if you're into that sort of thing (‍). Check out the view of the Moccasin Bend and the monument in the center of the park, or head down to the connection trail section for a hike to Sunset Rock or Craven House. The views are gorgeous from the overlooks, and definitely worth the small price of admission, which you can purchase in advance from the National Parks website.

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is another popular attraction located in downtown Chattanooga,…read moreTennessee. You'd never expect an under the radar city like Chattanooga to have so many wonderful landmark attractions like Ruby Falls, Rock City Gardens and now here at the Incline Railway, but Chattanooga is a worthwhile stop for any adventurer's journey. It's $22 roundtrip to ride 1450 feet at an incline grade of up to 72% to and from the summit of Lookout Mountain. It's about a 10 minute journey in total for riders to enjoy forest surrounding views while trekking up inside a customized railway car. Once up at the Summit Station high atop Chattanooga, there are two lookout observation points to check out. The first one is up a flight of stairs right in front of the train car exit area. Here you can admire Chattanooga's valley floor looking down below with the train tracks being the centerpiece focal point. Next, up two flights of stairs is an Upper Observation Platform. This section has more room for visitors to walk around and take family photos while breathing in the fresh air from 2400 feet high. It's a similar vantage point to the first observation deck, but still, nice to take in perspectives from all angles. There's a small gift store and cafe/fudge shop to purchase snacks and keepsakes. If interested, you can learn history about the Incline railway walking through the Centennial Exhibits located off to the left hand side of the Summit Station. Tourists can take as much time as they'd like enjoying the sceneries atop Chattanooga. Most folks seemed to hang out for about 45 minutes - 1 hour before departing back down Lookout Mountain. Extra notes... - To control crowds, train departures leave every 30 minutes. But, if you purchased a ticket for a 10am ride and the railway car is full, you'll be forced to wait in line for the next departure, not necessarily at 10:30am, but more like 10:20am given the 10 minute rides each way to and from the summit. My suggestion would be to get in line 15 minutes early prior to a 10am departure. The specific 30 minute intervals are used more as a guide to help to spread out the crowds from arriving all at once and then creating a bottleneck situation. - Incline Railway hours are 9am - 6pm/7pm daily. The railway is located in downtown Chattanooga. You can find limited parking on the side streets for free, but there's also a large parking lot for visitors to leave their cars. It is pay by the hour. It'll cost a few dollars extra ($3 - $5) for parking. - The railway car and ride to the summit is not scary. For those with a fear of heights, you should not be deterred. In the end, Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a pretty worthwhile activity that should not be missed for visitors coming to Chattanooga.

Took some friends to Incline Mountain Railroad while in town for MLK weekend. This isn't my first…read moretime as I have been two other times and every time I enjoy myself. It's a great ride to introduce friends to Chattanooga and to be able to look out and see the city and surrounding state. Make sure your friends don't have issues with height before you go. I had two friends, who were not prepared for how sharp incline is. For some reason, they thought we would be on flatland once we got to the top, but the railroad is inclined the entire top stop. We enjoy looking out at the surrounding states and then going down to the bottom floor to look at how the rail system works. Don't forget to stop in the gift shop as they had some of the best shortbread cookies. I've been two other times and these were a new item. I'll definitely return if I have friends in town visiting!