Darkness. Tight squeezes. Towering underground chambers. Deep canyons. Sheer drop-offs. For 3.5 hours, 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. read more

Truly an amazing and exciting adventure! Raccoon Mountain Caverns provides you with everything you need 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! read more

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It was absolutely amazing!!!! The trail inside the caverns was relatively easy and not too long of a guided tour. It actually felt as if you were inside a geode! As one's imagination takes them. It was interesting to find crinoids in the ceiling of the cavern (cave). Proof that the earth was once covered in water. It is a definite 'must see'. BTW, are you a spelunker? They can accommodate!! Now off to Point Park. See my review coming real soon. read more

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Well guided tour. Easy and fun. Not steep or too narrow spaces. The 'ceiling' is little low in some spots. Enjoyed viewing the creatures who live there and fossils. read more

Lovely tour with our guide, Corey. The cavern is beautiful and the stalagmites and stalactites are amazing. It blows our minds at how old Mother Nature is and how beautiful it is. read more

We enjoyed our tour and the tour guide was knowledgeable. Our tour wasn't all that long, about 5 1/2 miles, but it was fun all the same. Book your time and make sure you show up when your time is booked. I think everyone needs to try this place or at least once. The work they are doing is preserving a legacy of hard work, adventure, and danger performed by our ancestors to explore these caves. read more

Awsome adventure. took my boyfriend out for his bday and we both loved it and we want to spelunk more now. Our tour guide Jack was super sweet and knowledgeable. It was out first time spelunking and we felt very at ease and safe on the 2hr cave tour read more

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This was hands-down the most fun and exciting thing we did on our vacation! My 9-yr-old son and I did the 2 hr cave crawl, and it was amazing. Would 100% recommend!! I want to go back and do one of the longer crawls. read more

Raccoon Mountain Caverns - My son and I underground in Raccoon Mountain Caverns, TN - Tours Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

The employees were so kind from the second we parked! We did the short cavern tour which was awesome our tour guide Timothy was great and knowledgeable. Will definitely come back to camp or take one of the longer tours. Had a great time thank you guys! (Also photos don't do it any justice) read more

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Our tour guide Corey was wonderful, engaging, and knowledgeable! It was a wonderful tour and beautiful cave. Highly recommend! read more

Raccoon Mountain Caverns - Tours Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Staff were very nice and knowledgeable. Our granddaughter loved the panning for gems. Raccoon Mountain is so under advertised and should be on everyone's list of things to when visiting the area. read more

Our group was a nice size. We were able to interact with our guide and he made the tour interesting. The caverns were very nice and interesting. read more

Military/First responders get a discount! The staff are super friendly and very informative during the trip read more

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A Sunday afternoon in June and we had a private tour. This was a fun, informative and cool activity for the family to do. We were in the cave for about 50 minutes and our guide Timothy, was punny and up beat. We drove past a line of traffic going to ruby falls to find this little gem of an experience. We have visited many caves around this country and the unique part of this one, was when our guide cut the lights. Wow hello darkness my new friend. I'd like to return for the down and dirty cave crawl 2-3 hours) just as soon as I get some nerve. read more

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Forget tourist trap Ruby! Raccoon is a truly wonderful/educational/natural cave experience. The cave is being treated as a natural wonder to enjoy and is being kept that way. Tristan was great, stopping for questions, answering them, taking time. He knows his stuff! Our group of 8 was pretty chatty. Our 45 minute walk went double! He never once cut anyone off, trying to just get us through. 100% would tell folks to come. And keep in mind that if you are able to do it they have a 2 hour and 3 hour experience that will really give you the full cave experience. If you can-do it!!! read more

Excellent educational tour, no tourist trap. Our guide Corey was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Great experience! Jack our guide was amazing ... he gave us a lot of neat information...definitely recommend

Super cool experience and our tour guide Timothy was awesome and very knowledgeable. I would recommend this place to anyone who is coming and wants a cool experience. read more

What a great experience we were lucky enough to be the only couple on the tour with Katie How fantastic was she ..... unbelievable She knows her stuff lol She took a great deal of time explaining all we were seeing and answering all of our questions We learned so much it was an experience we won't forget Every one we met in the office was so friendly as well. All very personable yet professional What a great team Thanks sooooo much Frank and Australian Joy read more

The Waterfall Dome tour was a great time, largely due to Emily being an awesome guide! I have come across many many guides throughout my adventures and Emily definitely stands out! The only thing I wish was better was the equipment. Some headlamps were not able to be adjusted, others kept going out. We also had to double up on the knee pads, which affected mobility. 5 stars for the tour itself, 2 for the equipment. Overall, it was great and I plan on doing it again next time I am in the area! read more

Lilith was a wonderful care guide. She was informative, patient and humorous. So glad we included this tour

BEWARE. We have taken 5 R.V. trips across the USA. This is the ONLY RV park that requires 100% prepayment with ABSOLUTELY NO REFUND for emergencies. Book the day you are going or you may have to write off $233 like we did. read more

Reviews suggested this was the better cave tour in the area our experience suggests the reviews were spot on. We didn't feel like cattle being rushed through a tour nor did we feel jam-packed with other tours on top of us. Instead we had an incredible tour guide (Timothy) and a wonderful small group (9 of us in total) from different walks of life to share this experience. I have toured Mammoth Cave several times and like a previous reviewer preferred this experience by far! Next time I'll bring my daughter for one of the crawl tours and request Timothy. Thanks to the entire team and especially Timothy for a wonderful experience! We will be back! read more

You shouldn't miss this experience wether you want the 45 minutes walking tour or down and dirty cave crawling several hour experiences they have it all here in an active chain of caverns. Glad I did it and an enjoyable memory and experience for years! read more

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First time cave crawling was so much fun! We enjoyed the experience and had a blast with our guide Emily. She was super sweet, super fun, and very knowledgeable. The knee pads were not that great and my knees are definitely bruised up from the lack of padding left but it was an amazing time with my friends! read more

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This place is amazing sight to see, great guides with plenty of information. Not overly crowded and well done. Great to see everything as it should be. Don't recommend if you have mobility issues thought, steps can be slippery and spaces to duck under. read more

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We enjoy our caverns tour. Planning on returning to do the crawling tour. Rachel was an excellent guide and was very helpful with all the questions. Can't wait to return to the caverns. read more

This is one of our favorite caverns. No matter how many times we take a tour, we always see something different. Our very knowledgeable, passionate tour guide did a fantastic job! We look forward to visiting again when we pass through Chattanooga, TN on our next road trip! read more

I had a great time at Raccoon Mountain Caverns! I went there for a first date & can't wait to go back every year for our anniversary! read more

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Had a fantastic tour with Lillith yesterday who was as informative as she was hilarious! Thank you for the great experience read more

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The guide was awesome So knowledgeable, interesting, fun, and humorous . The caverns were wonderful. The 1 hour tour was perfect . read more

The caverns were beautiful (and cool on a hot day!). our tour guide, Lilith, was very knowledgeable and seemed to really enjoy her work. She also took time to engage the kids on the tour, one of whom was very interested and had several questions and comments; such a great way to learn! Would definitely recommend this tour. read more

We visited the morning after a heavy rain, so there was lots of water flowing. The flowing water was definitely an enhancement. I would have given 5 Stars, except the caverns were excessively (and dare i say obnoxiously) decorated with Christmas lights and inflatables. The decorations distracted from the beauty of the cave and often blocked viewing. The caves could be significantly enhanced by (professional) strategic placement of lighting throughout (not random Christmas light strings). We only did the short tour. No doubt the extensive tour would be great, we just didn't feel like crawling around, getting muddy and spending 3 hours in the cave. A little effort could make these caverns spectacular. Our guide Nick was very knowledgeable and personable. We were sad to learn Nick would soon be leaving, very unfortuate for the caverns. read more

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Eric - our guide was phenomenal! His expert knowledge made this stop one of the most memorable on our recent vacation. Eric knew so much about the caverns - far more than a scripted tour guide. Highly recommended! read more

Raccoon Mountain Caverns - Tours Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

#1 on our list of things to do while in Chattanooga, especially if your family is more adventurous. We've done plenty of cave/cavern tours, but the Waterfall Dome tour was an entirely different way of experiencing the amazing underground world beneath TN. It's an into to spelunking with an experienced guide who allows the group to choose their own adventure and who encourages and cheers everyone one. It is slippery. You will bump you head a few times. You will get wet and muddy. And you may be uncomfortable at times, but all in the name of good fun! We were lucky and also got to see baby salamanders, bats, and the elusive Crystal Cave Spider. read more

I honestly think I liked this better than Ruby falls. Yelp won't let me post this review unless it has 85 letters.

Our tour guide was amazing and taught us a lot about the cave in an entertaining way. The tour group was small, allowing for a more immersive experience. read more

Raccoon Mountain Caverns - The cavern's old "wishing well" - Tours Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

The whole experience was amazing! Our tour guide William was phenomenal as well! We will definitely be back.

Corey was our guide; we did the normal walking tour but there's a ton more to see if you have a few hours and the willingness to do some crawling. Ruby falls is good if you haven't seen it but this is definitely a better experience read more

This was a fun one too. I'd go again. Guide had a sense of humor. Would have liked to check out the gift store but had to back out the door. Extremely strong candle/fragrances. Unfortunately, can't do it. read more