Ruby Falls
Chattanooga, TN, 60°F inside, from $29.95
A cave in Townsend, Tennessee whose 1.25-mile round-trip tour takes in the Big Room and Silver Falls.
The story
The cave first opened to the public in 1931 but closed during the Depression. Townsend locals Bill Vananda and Harry Myers decided to reopen it in 1949 and spent about four years building steps and passages by hand, funding the work with construction jobs in Alaska, before opening in 1953. National Speleological Society cavers found the Big Room in 1954, and it opened to visitors in 1955, when electric lights replaced kerosene lanterns.
- Open to visitors since
- 1931; reopened 1953
History source: tuckaleecheecaverns.com.
What you'll see
- Big Room
- Silver Falls (a 210-foot double waterfall)
Tickets and timing
- Adults
- $28 + tax
- Kids
- $15 + tax (ages 5–11), free for 4 and under
- Hours
- Open 7 days, March–November: 10am–5pm in March and November, 10am–6pm April–October.
Getting around underground
- The walk
- 1.25 miles round trip.
Getting there
Tuckaleechee Caverns is in or near Townsend, TN.
- Knoxvilleabout 22 miles
- Ashevilleabout 69 miles
- Chattanoogaabout 96 miles
Distances are straight-line from each city center.
Checked on 2026-10-22 against tuckaleecheecaverns.com (official site). Prices and hours change, so confirm on the official site before you drive out.