You have to take an elevator down 260 feet to get you to the Ruby Falls Cave. After this, you walk a half-mile and stop and look at various stalactites before you see the waterfall. Once you get to Ruby Falls, you are in pitch darkness. Then all of sudden, there is an illumination of the falls. You will see various colors like ruby and plum blue highlighting the Falls and a reflecting pool. It is a spectacular view because of this, and it funnels 300 gallons of water per minute into a subterranean river.

In addition to the geological formations, the caverns, and the Falls, this place has a 10-story observation tower and Ruby Falls Fun Forest for children. Along with this, it can be considered a historical site as well. A section (off-limits to vistors) of another cave below Ruby Falls was supposedly utilized as a Confederate hospital, and another relic is Andrew Jackson’s signature etched into a rock down there.

Many believe that the name for the Falls, Ruby, was given to it because of the color ruby that illuminates it. This is not so. Instead, the man that discovered it, Leo Lambert, named the Falls after his wife Rube. Therefore, the Falls was named "Ruby Falls".

We really enjoyed this tour. We were fortunate because we only had about 15 people in our group. The caverns, the geological formations and Ruby Falls were all intriguing to view. The only thing that was annoying was that we were told by our guide to "hug" the sides of the caves so another group could get out.

The best advice I can give you for this tour is come right when it is opens or go just before it closes. In this way, you have a smaller tour group. This in turn will provide you longer time to view all the natural wonders. In addition, from what I was told by other tourists, the guides prefer smaller groups and thus will be in better spirits giving it.

The directions to Ruby Falls from downtown Chattanooga is as follows: Take Broad Street south and remain on it. You will go through several traffic lights. Then you proceed to the Railroad underpass. Then Broad Street becomes Highway 41. You then continue on Hwy 41 about 0.25 – 0.5 mile and you take the ramp on the left side of the Hwy labeled Ruby Falls.

A Ruby Falls ticket for adults is $12.95, and for kids, 3-12 is $5.95. But if you purchase a combo (includes both Ruby Falls and Rock City), an adult ticket is $24, and a child 3-12 is $12. And if you purchase a combo that includes Ruby Falls, Rock City, and the Incline Railway, an adult’s ticket is $33, and a child's ticket is $16.50.

The entrance of the cave can be obtained after taking the beautiful drive up historic Lookout Mountain. The views along the drive are very scenic, especially in the spring and autumn. My wife was pleased when she noticed that there are several antique stores that were passed. (She always enjoys stopping in the stores and looking at the antiques.) After a few miles (that seem to take hours to drive), you pull into the parking area and walk to the entry/gift shop to visit this natural wonder.

Tickets for a tour of the cave can be purchased for less than $10 per person. There is usually a short wait so that sufficient tickets for the tour can be sold, and then the tour group boards an elevator that whisks you down into the mountain to reach the cave level. The elevators open to allow access to the cave passage. Several quartz formations can be seen as the group heads toward the ultimate view on this trip. The tour guide takes the time to explain how several of these formations were formed.

Finally, as the group rounds a final corner, the lights are turned out. You can hear the roar of water cascading into the cave. The lights are relit; a torrent of water can be seen through the filtered lights. The red, blue, and green of the filters plays off of a 200 foot stream of water pouring from the roof of the cave into an opening in the floor. Visitors are given the opportunity to walk around and behind the falls. Eventually the group makes the return trip to the surface.

Each time that I visit this attraction I gain new insight into it. The first few visits bored me, but I have gained a greater admiration for this wonder of nature. This is a MUST SEE for every visitor who passes through the Chattanooga area.