While most people consider Lookout Mountain to be a part of Tennessee, people in North Georgia know that the mountain extends some fifty miles into Georgia and Alabama. The area has a number of caves, used by Native Americans and others throughout time. 

Lookout Mountain Cavern was used by both Union and Confederate troops as a hospital during the Civil War. In the early 1900s, crews building a tunnel through the mountain for a railroad permanently closed the only natural opening. In the early 1920s the idea of re-opening the cave as a tourist attraction began to grown in popularity and an elevator shaft was begun in 1928, at a cost of $25,000. Engineer Leo Lambert, working in the depths of the mountain, felt a breeze through a crevice about 18 inches high and four feet wide.  He and a small crew crawled into the hole, and were gone for 17 hours. When he returned he told people that he had crawled 650 feet before he could stand up, but his exploration had uncovered the waterfall, 1100 feet beneath the top of the mountain.  The story is that many didn’t believe him, so he took his wife Ruby in and she helped to convince people that it was true. The waterfall, which measures 145 feet from top to bottom, is named for his wife.  The attraction called Ruby Falls opened in 1930 and for five years, both Lookout Mountain Cave and Ruby Falls Cave were open for exploration, but most people only wanted to see the falls, so Lookout Mountain Cave was closed in 1935.

Guides take visitors down the elevator shaft now and into the cave. It’s a comfortable walk, but the tight space that Leo crawled through is open for inspection. You'll walk for a while before you see that sign that marks the 650-foot mark where he was able to stand up.  The cave is lit by computer-controlled lights highlighting the stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the interesting formations called draperies and bacon. Take one of the lantern tours to really get a feel for what it was like to discover this cave. Unlike many caves, there are no bats, salamanders or blindfish inside. Ruby Falls is Green Globe certified for environmental sustainability.

Last May, Ruby Falls opened a ZipStream Aerial Adventure. It includes a total of 20 “elements” in just four acres. They include off-the-ground bridges, obstacle lines, a short tunnel and two thrilling (but quick) zips. No electricity is used and the platforms that hold participants between elements are specially engineered not to hurt the trees. It’s quite safe, with trained guides and double-locked carabineers supporting your body. There is a course especially designed for children age 6 to 10. The other courses can be done by children 11 and up and yep, even old folks.