The tallest underground waterfall can be found inside a cave in Tennessee.

Tennessee Travels

My husband and I love to visit the mountains and caves of Tennessee.  With nearly 10,000 known caves in the state, Tennessee is the cave capital of the United States.  Recently my husband and I went to Chattanooga for the weekend and we had a blast.  Rock City was absolutely incredible (even though Rock City is technically in Georgia), and then we went to a cave that led to a stunning waterfall.

A Happy Accident

Nearly a century ago in 1928, Leo Lambert was exploring Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee where he accidentally stumbled upon something incredible, an underground waterfall. According to Ruby Falls, Leo named the waterfall after his wife, Ruby.   How romantic is that?  My husband has yet to name a waterfall after me.  Anyway, I digress, there is much to do at Ruby Falls as they are home to Lookout Mountain, underground cave adventures, gorgeous views of Cumberland Plateau, zip lines, and of course, the most incredible sight which is the tallest underground waterfall in the United States.

Ruby Falls

My husband and I got to go to Ruby Falls and if you're ever in the Chattanooga area, you have to take a tour!  You take a glass elevator 260 feet down into the cave and then embark on an hour-long tour of an incredible cave system with massive formations.   However, the best part is at the end when you get to see Ruby Falls, the tallest underground waterfall in the United States.

While there is never a bad time to go an see Ruby Falls, if you can plan your trip after a rainfall, you'll be in for a special treat, a really strong waterfall.  According to our tour guide, we chose the perfect day to tour the cave, because Tennessee had just gotten a ton of rain so the waterfall was extra powerful that day.  When they turned on the lights so we could see Ruby Falls, I can honestly say it was breathtaking.

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Cave Tour Information

If this sounds up your alley, you can find all of the cave tour options on RubyFalls.com.They have the standard Cave Walk tour which takes about an hour to an hour and twenty minutes to complete and is the one my husband and I did.

They also have specialty tours like the Lantern Tour which takes place after hours! And if you want a more leisurely tour where you can hear more about the history, Ruby Falls offers a Gentle Walking Tour as well. You can see all tour options, and plan your visit to Ruby Falls, here.