We have done this tour 10+ years ago. Recently went back, and the experience was just as amazing as we remembered. Yes it has gone up in price, but we expected that. We loved hearing the background on the caves discovery, and our tour guide was very entertaining. Lots of walking, but very fun time. read more

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This was amazing! Our guide orey was awesome! Knowledgeable and witty! Highly recommend him and this tour! You won't regret it read more

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Not worth the $48 for two, tour guide was so uninterested in giving the tour. All the wires, bridges, tools, and garbage seemed intrusive to nature, but there were a couple cool sights. Wouldn't go again or recommend it. read more

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With the coupon it was a little over $78 for 3 people. The people are nice and it's family owned. It isn't too cool, so you don't need to dress too warm. Plus, the workout with all the stairs will warm you up. The cavern is pretty and the formations are nice. I don't know how much it costs to run a cavern, it just seems a lot, but the Forbidden Caverns are about the same so I guess it's the going rate. read more

We loved it.. very cool cave, about an hour plus from start to finish of the tour.. Definitely check this out.. read more

This was such a cool experience less than one hour away from Knoxville! Tickets are $20, but you get to be in the cave for about 2 hours! I went with a party of 5 and it was our first time in a cave. It was quite breathtaking being in a place we all never been! Summer was a great tour guide providing facts and history of the cave and even enlightened us with some humor! I will say that this requires plenty of physical activity as there are a lot of stairs you will need to go through and you have to duck your head in some areas, depending on height. Dress accordingly with a pair of sneakers or shoes with good grip. At the end there is a gift shop you can explore and some mouthwatering fudge. I definitely recommend this place! read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

Great experience for the entire family! Guides are very knowledgable. The caverns are around one mile walk. It is 58 degrees F year round.

I've been to 5 caverns. This one was a tight squeeze with something like 400 stairs and lots of ducking! I didn't mind that but I wasn't prepared and brought my parents who aren't the steadiest on their feet. My mom has bad knees, claustrophobic, and afraid of heights so this was interesting. She did well though considering. All the other caves/caverns I've been in weren't like this so I want pelear at all for this much of a work out and ducking and squeezing. But it was cool and I highly recommend it. It has the tallest subterranean waterfall in the eastern us. read more

Love this place... it's a classic roadside attraction for a good reason. Tour does require you to be slightly fit (lots of stairs) but is so worth it. read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Cave formations - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

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Best thing we did anywhere near here. Definitely worth the visit. Everyone was so friendly & the cave is SO AMAZING!!! 10/10 would visit again. Make sure you grab some fudge on your way out too. read more

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After visiting Cades Cove we came over to tour the caverns during a Tennessee vacation. Tuckaleechee Caverns is a 20 to 30 million year old, mile long cave system that reaches a depth of 150 feet. Local legend tells stories of Cherokee hiding in the caverns to evade white settlers who came to the area in 1850's. Tuckaleechee takes its name from the Cherokee word Tikwalitsi. Loggers working in the Smokey Mountains in the 1800's named this area Dry Valley because there was very few streams. All of the water was draining underground into the cave system. Some people believe it was sawmill workers who discovered the cave after watching storm water pour into a sinkhole. Guides on the tour credit two young boys for officially discovering the cavern in the early 1930's. Six year old W.E. "Bill" Vananda and Harry Myers of Townsend were poking around a rural sinkhole when they found a four foot opening that led to a network of caves. They dragged a dead tree to the opening and slid it down into the mouth of the cave. Climbing down they explored and lit their way with glass bottles filled with kerosene. While college students at Maryville College in 1949, the friends talked about opening up the caverns as an attraction. The caverns were first opened to the public in 1931, but closed just a year later because of the Great Depression and lack of tourism dollars. After moving to Alaska and working odd construction jobs, the two friends raised the money needed to open the caves to tourists. They spent four years carrying in hundreds of tons of sand, gravel, and concrete to build passageways and steps down into the cave. The attraction opened in 1953. In 1954 the Big Room, an enormous cavern in the middle of the system was discovered by members of the National Speleological Society. The Big Room is more than 400 feet long, 300 feet across, and 150 feet deep. Stalagmites, rock formations that grow from the floor toward the ceiling, reach up to 24 feet in the middle of the Big Room. Another highlight of the tour is the 210-foot high Silver Falls, a double waterfall. Only the lower section may be fully viewed but you can look into a lighted upper room where the upper falls is located. In 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis the government installed its first seismic measuring equipment deep in the cavern. Tuckaleechee is one of the few seismic collection sites in eastern North America that monitors nuclear test explosions. The government is using the cave to monitor nuclear explosions in North Korea. You can view an episode of NBC Nightly News about it on YouTube. Bill Vananda, Harry Myers and their spouses jointly owned and operated the caverns until 1982. Each couple ran the business on alternate days from April through October, seven days a week. The Myers sold their interest in the Caverns to the Vanandas in 1982. Benjamin Vananda, a member of the National Caves Association and National Speleological Society and Bill's grandson, now manages the attraction. Today over 50,000 people a year visit the caverns. A tour covers 1.2 miles. You have to be in relatively good health because there are a lot of narrow walkways and stairs. Air temperature in the cave is 58 degrees year round. Admission is $18.00 for adults and you have to take a tour but they run it often so you don't have to worry about showing up at a certain time. While you wait for your tour to begin you can browse their gift shop that has a lot of interesting items. As others have pointed out there is no social distancing. My friend and I wore our masks and stayed first in line or last. I didn't get sick so it all worked out. Lauren was my tour guide it is customary to tip after your tour. After you finish your tour you are invited to pick out a rock the size of a quarter from the stream bed as a souvenir of your visit. I loved my visit. This is such a unique and interesting attraction in the Smokey Mountains. If you are in the area this should not be missed. read more

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Had a great tour of the Caverns! The guide was very knowledgeable! He a lot of patience for you younger son who was fascinated and asking endless questions, luckily the guide knew all the answers! The group we had also started to be very intrigued by my sons Q&A with the guide and they made sure to squeeze in and listen! It was a great time!! I would highly recommend making the stop. read more

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We enjoyed the caverns. The tour guide was great, Chase. The walking path through the cavern was textured the whole way, so it wasn't slippery! read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

My husband and I visited here yesterday while on vacation and were really looking forward to it as we enjoy the one in our state. From the moment we paid I knew it wasn't going to be a great experience, the cashier was rude, as were other employees we encountered. We waited for about 10 minutes and then entered the ramp where the guide explained everything with our group - and it was a large group - probably 30. Lots of tight spaces, steps and wet areas - all expected and not an issue. (However, when you are done, be prepared for a very steep climb out) The tour guide was terrible. She rushed through far ahead and didn't wait for the entire group before taking & people in the back couldn't hear her. In the large room, you were asked to sit - the other large group went in before us, so they got actual seats - while our group was asked to sit on the floor. That was not fun or easy - for someone with knee and back problems. Getting down wasn't fun but getting back up was really a problem - and I'm not a very big girl. I was very upset about that. SO many people were crammed into that tiny room. It was ridiculous. We encountered other large groups that we had to wait on and pass multiple times - sometimes grouping up with. Very clustered. They have entirely too many groups and people going at one time. It's all about the money - the tour guide stood at the ramp at the end and took money from you if you wanted to hand it to her - which she pointed out she would accept numerous times. Overall, we picked this cavern over another one - and I wish we would have went with the other option. This was not a good experience at all. read more

Cool spot. Been here a couple times - by myself and with a large group. Guides are solid and have some good quips. The caverns are fascinating and a neat adventure in the mountains. It'd be great for a group or family activity. read more

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Aggie was our tour guide she is very knowledgeable and a lot of fun! We found the caverns incredible and fun for our whole family. I'm 60 and not real active and was able to climb the stairs and complete the tour without any difficulty. I recommend these caverns they are really spectacular. read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Waterfall inside cavern's - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

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You won't find a better bang for your buck anywhere! The views in these caverns are absolutely breathtaking! Can't recommend it highly enough! Be prepared to do some ducking at certain areas which are not much higher than 4 feet, but they are few and far between. Some of the steps are slippery so wear good traction sneakers/boots. Temperature is 58 degrees down there year round so dress accordingly. read more

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This is an amazing well kept secret in Townsend TN. It was only $22 per person and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience! It is somewhat physically demanding but well worth the time and effort. The history of the caverns is very interesting. Brandy was an excellent and experienced tour guide! Very knowledgeable read more

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We weren't expecting too much coming into the cave, with there not being much advertising or much mentioning of it at all in our research of the area. We would say this is a must do. It's very close to the national park, making it an easy stop. We had Michael as our tour guide, he was really great. There is a lot of stairs, and I would suggest wearing tennis shoes or hiking shoes. I was wearing skater shoes and was slipping around because the ground is wet and slippery if not wearing the correct shoes. If you have breathing problems definitely bring your inhaler as I needed mine. read more

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Our tour guide, Travis, was very upbeat, friendly, and funny. The cave is very cool, my husband and I wore hoodies because we knew it would be chilly. It felt great being down there on a 97 degree day! Would definitely recommend making this one of your stops when visiting Tennessee. read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

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Who ever didn't give this place 5 stars is a hater. Disclaimer: steep stairs and narrow pathways. This was an awesome experience, we unsure what we were getting ourselves into but pleasantly surprised. Our tour guide Aggie was phenomenal. She was knowledgeable, friendly and made our tour even better than we could have imagined. She gave us all sorts of fun facts and made sure we knew when potentially dangerous pathways and protruding rocks were up ahead. We loved the tour and sweet treats available in the gift shop. Thank you for a great time :) read more

Nice family outing. Be ready to climb up and down stairs. Tour guides do a great job.

Family reunion, 12 of us, grandparents, siblings with our spouses and six children all under the age of 13, and we all did the tour pretty comfortably! Our guide Olivia was so cool - she made the tour fun, interactive, a fantastic history lesson, and she was personable - highly recommend this place! Once in a lifetime kinda thing - it's 58 degrees Fahrenheit all year, so it's naturally air conditioned, and wear sneakers! read more

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These caverns are gorgeous! Five of us went on this tour, and for four of us, it was the first cave we had ever been in. Our guide was Brandy, and she was very knowledgeable & personable. We had a huge group, though, and I felt like we moved through the caves pretty quickly, considering we all like to have a few moments to take pictures. We did stop to take pictures a few times when we would reach some really beautiful areas, but then the group would move on pretty quickly. We were left behind two or three times and had to hurry to catch back up, missing some of what was said by the time we reached the bulk of the group. We absolutely loved the huge room that could practically fit a football field. Our guide turned the lights off here and it was pitch black. I can't imagine being the kids who discovered the cave, going in there with little molotov cocktail lanterns to explore by! The information about the seismic reader was really cool -- that it was put in by the government mainly to detect any nuclear testing in North Korea. Wild that that would be located in the middle of Tennessee of all places! The waterfall was beautiful, but again, I would have liked more time to just hang out there & enjoy it before moving on so quickly. Be prepared to walk a lot and to move up and down more than 400 stairs. My mom & dad were going to do this tour with us, but after reading about all the walking & stairs, they decided against it (my mom has bad knees & my dad has a bad ankle). I think they definitely made the right choice. Something to consider if you have trouble on stairs or doing a lot of walking. read more

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Amazing, must see!!! Absolutely have to stop here, best caverns we have seen out of anywhere. Staff is great and super nice. 10/10 read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

So as we prepped for our vacation to Gatlinburg, this place crossed our google search path a couple times and we couldn't resist. What's not to like....Cave - Check .... Underground Waterfall - Check .... Chance to go on an Adventure - Check .... Add in the company I was with (gf and her boys) there really isn't anything else you could ask for. You should note, make sure to get this plugged into your nav system, once you start heading here through the windy mountain roads signal is not very good (Verizon and Sprint) and you will have a hard time finding this place. We went in and got signed up for the next guided tour. Note 2: they only offer guided tours, there are unexplored areas and they need to make sure people stay on the intended path. With about a 15 minute wait we did some shopping in the merch store. Some cool stuff and some really nice shirts (some of the softest fabric ever). Shirt prices are good, and they also have some clearance items (clothing too) that are really reasonably. Tour starts with a story of how the caverns were founded and what we should expect on the tour. A few guidelines to keep in mind and we were off. The very beginning (coincidently the end too) was the most exerting part of the tour as you have several hundred stairs to go down/up. Note 3: there are some gaps between the stairs so you don't have to go non-stop once you start, and they sell this as a casual tour, so there isn't any reason to rush. The guide never made anyone feel like they needed to hurry. The tour was awesome and you relearn about all those things you learned about in school (stalagmites and stalactites). The view from the caverns are awesome and you'll get plenty of photo opps as you go. Note 4: make sure that you take a long sleeve shirt and/or dress for cooler weather. The temp remains a consistent 58 degrees year round. So even if you think it's hot outside you will cool off while you explore the caverns. We all had a blast and were really glad that we added this as one of the 'MUST-DO' vacation things. Check it out, very fun! read more

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When we first arrived and bought our tickets I was totally not impressed the man selling tickets was very unfriendly. So I was expecting the worst. But our guide chase made up for it. He was amazing and upbeat. Answered all questions and even asked if anyone had any questions. The cavern itself is amazing! I have been to a few other caverns and would vote this one at the top. read more

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This tour was truly memorable. The caves are so historic and beautiful. Definitely something worth seeing while in TN. Our tour guide was full of historical facts and had an awesome sense of humor. He kept both adults and children entertained. The tour took around 1.5 hr to complete. Be sure to layer your clothing since it drops to around 55F when in the caves. Also, sneakers/hiking shoes are desired so you would not slip/fall; the ground gets a little slippery during certain parts of the tour. I highly recommend this cave if you love historical sites and want to learn more about the history of the TN caverns. read more

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Fascinating trip under ground. This was a good activity for a rainy day. Four stars because I think the tour groups need to be a little smaller so people at the front don't have to wait for everyone to catch up. If you have any problems with mobility this is not the tour for you. The steps are very steep in some areas. I also saw people with flip flops on, not a good idea. read more

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So cool! I have never been in a cave before and this was amazing!! Just a super neat thing to explore. The tour guide was great and explained everything. Learned so much. Definitely check it out. read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

We got to explore Tuckaleechee Caverns during our vacation to Gatlinburg. It was one of the highlights of the trip! The drive from G-burg through the Smoky Mt. park to Tuckaleechee was part of the pleasure, and it's not very far from Cades Cove loop. (I refer people here in my review of that as well, see link at bottom if you're interested.) First of all the temp in the cave is about 58 degrees year round. A sweater is not a bad idea! (They say in colder months it feels pretty warm tho) You purchase your tickets and wait for the next tour, about 15 minutes max they said. You can easily kill that time by making a bathroom stop and checking out the gift shop. They had some very nice T-shirt's and we got a few. Your tour starts as you go down the ramp straight from the building into the cave. Pretty neat set up! You get the interesting history (discovered by 2 young local kids in the 1930 or 40s who played in it and pretty much kept it a secret until they were adults who bought the land and opened the Caverns up for tours in the early 1950s), and we thought our tour guide Gavin did a fantastic job from beginning to end. Your guide will lead your group down and stop at all the interesting places to let you know what you're seeing and make sure everyone is accounted for. There were even some families with small kids and I was worried we might lose someone but he said they haven't yet. (Haha ... I think?) They welcome pictures and my bf took about a million, which he has posted. The cave tour itself took a while. I literally lost track of time but it's around an hour I think. You can see where they have made the walkways and stairs and added a lot of lights, and I couldn't help but imagine being one of the first explorers of the cave. In "the big room" Gavin had everyone sit down and he shut the lights off. That was super dark! On the other side, you can stop and fill a bottle with amazingly clear, fresh water from the underground cave spring. We drank a bottle and then refilled it, and even in sunlight up top it was perfectly clear. (Try and do that in the creek by Gatlinburg parkway... no way, right!?) Finally, the you go down to the waterfall / which is not a straight down waterfall, but it's still pretty cool. This is the end of the tour and we skipped a few rocks and made our way back to the bright sunlight! Active level: easy to moderate. I "felt" it a couple times going up stairs especially but it wasn't too bad. And my fitness level is this basically: I can walk all day long but can't run a mile. There was some older people in our tour and I bet they got a workout but no one passed out or anything. And our guide patiently waited each station/ stopping place and we all chatted while the rest of the group caught up. It's pretty much single file most of the way, and no one is running, so it's not like anyone felt like they were holding up the tour or anything. Very laid back overall. They move and stop at a good pace I think. Cades Cove review / click and scroll to bottom for Cove to Tuckaleechee day trip idea: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cades-cove-great-smoky-mountains-national-park-townsend?hrid=fcKXb2-EawUvlLbiFkXptQ&utm_source=ishare&utm_content=review read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

Our tour guide, Gabe, made all the difference. He was great, informative and had a great sense of humor. The cave was really cool. Gift shop was great. They also have a small refreshments section. Go for it. read more

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I've been going here since I was a kid. It hasn't changed much over the last 30+ years, but it has become much more expensive. I was glad to take my kid to see something that amazed me at that same age. She seemed to enjoy it just as much as I did all those years ago. Hopefully, she will be able to take her kids there one day. Plenty of parking, no appointment needed, and a gift shop to boot. Worth the trip for me. read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Falls - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

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Absolutely one of the coolest experiences ever. If you ever come to Tennessee, this is a must! read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

So beautiful! This cavern is amazingly huge. We had a great time on our tour. Tour guide Brandon did a great job. We've been on few cave tours and this one is at the top of our list. It's just so massive and well maintained. We would definitely recommend coming here for a tour. So worth it!! It even has a waterfall!!! read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

First come first serve for a tour of the cave so no reservations need or can be made. Tours leave every 15 minutes and the tour lasts about an hour or two depending on how quickly the guide brings you through. Our guide was great! He was personable, funny and knowledgeable of everything we asked about. This is a guided tour and there are parts of the tour that are steep to climb down or up. I suggest wearing tennis shoes and a thin long sleeve jacket because it is a bit chilly in the cave. Small children may not like this tour but it's perfect for children 6 and older! My son loved it, he is 7. read more

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If you're in the area this is a must do activity! I've been on many cave tours and this was by far the best one! We had Travis as a tour guide and he was friendly, happy, and knowledgeable! This cave tour wasn't rushed like the others I've been on before. The cave, river and waterfall are beautiful! I highly recommend you stop by! read more

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Visiting Tennessee with some friends. Really cool experience highly recommend trying out! read more

Tuckaleechee Caverns - One part of the cave - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

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Irresponsible and reckless. The people that run this place only care about making money. We joined a tour of over 50+ people to see the caverns. Few wore masks and none of the staff did. We squeezed into tiny sections of the cave and would cross other large groups. Not a single mention of social distancing or suggestion of wearing a mask. The few that asked were told that Blount county does not require it. That is NOT TRUE. Indoor groups of 25+ people should wear masks. There were hundreds of people in that cave and dozens in small confined spaces. Shame on you for creating an environment that is dangerous to public health!!!! read more

Love that Natural beauty of these caverns. Terry our guide was very well versed on the science and history of these caverns and that made the tour fun. Terry worked well with our group of about 20 people. He answered everyone's questions thoroughly and his humor was an unexpected treat. The gift shop and the people at the business have lots of country personality/charm and the prices of the merchandise was very reasonable. The price of administration is cheap and you wouldn't expect all you get for the price. I give them 2 thumbs up and more. A must see attraction if your in the area. read more

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