Ruby
Falls - Chattanooga, Tennessee
The
Chattanooga, Tennessee area is blessed with not one, but two
legendary roadside Americana attractions which are Rock City and
Ruby Falls. Both of these classic tourist destinations (Rock
City opened to the public in 1923, Ruby Falls in 1929) are family
owned to this day which is a modern wonder in the age of
homogenization in America evident by a coast to coast glut of
franchise restaurants and shopping malls. Ruby Falls is
located in the limestone layer of the mountain. As the
subterranean streams found their way through the crevices, the
water dissolved the limestone and released an acid which aided
in the formation of the Ruby Falls.
At Ruby Falls you will experience
the 145-foot underground waterfall, ferociously pumping over 300
gallons of H2O per minute into a crystal clear pool, but the
mile long walk you'll take as you travel to and from the falls
also contains wonders and oddities at nearly at every turn.
You'll start your journey at Ruby Falls at the top of 260-foot
glass-fronted elevator that gently drops you down into a cavern
within Lookout Mountain and It's the same route, more or less,
taken by local explorer and cave enthusiast Leo Lambert in 1928.
Ruby Falls offers visitors an up close perspective on what it
must have been like for Lambert on his first exploration of the
cave, without actually having to endure the claustrophobia
inducing discomfort he had to go through in order to discover
this underground natural wonder. Along the trail is evidence of
the small size of the original cracks and crevices Lambert had
to fit through a mere18 inches high and four feet wide.
When you are nearing Ruby Fall the
sounds of rushing water gradually builds to a dull roar before
the tour guide stops the group before the final turn in the
trail reveals the grotto that houses the falls. A complete
blackout leaves the group in utter darkness while dramatic music
booms from unseen nearby speakers. When the lights come on you
see Ruby Fall, and your eyes are bombarded by with one of the
most spectacular natural sights ever imagined, beautifully
enhanced with some creative lighting effects (without lights you
would see nothing, and there would be pitch blackness). After
experiencing Ruby Falls a misty hike completely behind and
around the cascading torrent of water, the tour retraces its
steps for one last look at the magical cavern before returning
to the elevator to ascend back to earth and to the gift shop
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