Spelunking. That word should be added to the list of most hated words along with “moist,” “phlegm,” and “panties.” It sounds like something contagious or dirty, but really all it means is “cave exploring.” As in: We did a ton of spelunking in Chattanooga, TN at Ruby Falls Cave.
Ruby Falls is the largest underground waterfall open to the public in the nation. We took a 1.5 hour guided tour through the caves to reach the falls and it was, as Zavier would say, “Awesome!”
Before I share our journey with you in photos taken with my handy-dandy iPhone, here are 3 tips on how to survive the Ruby Falls tour should you ever find yourself spelunking somewhere in Chattanooga:
- Bring a hoodie. Even if it’s 90 degrees in Tennessee – trust me – the cave was cold, damp, and drafty like the creepiest of creepy basements.
- Wear your baby. They allow babies and children of all ages on the tour, but no strollers! Wearing Alyssa in a baby carrier was super helpful when walking through the narrow and low passageways.
- Pee first! There are no bathrooms in the cave. You certainly don’t want to be standing next to a waterfall with a full bladder!
We were in a group of about twenty people, lead by a tour guide. We only stopped a few times to learn about how the cave was discovered and to point out the interesting limestone formations:
The path inside the cave was narrow and had low ceilings. At times, we would have to squeeze along the sides to let the other tour groups pass by.
Although the tour was an hour and a half long, I almost wanted to stay a little longer because there was so much to see. I was mostly concentrating on what was directly in front of me so I wouldn’t fall and bust my head. The cave was lit in certain areas and made interesting shadows.
The big finale was the actual Ruby Falls waterfall. They played this up by adding cheesy music and dramatic lighting. It was pretty spectacular.
Then we were quickly guided back above ground. Alyssa and I welcomed the warm, fresh air and sunshine while the kids played in the park:
We couldn’t resist going to the top of Lookout Mountain Tower to check out the view and take a few more selfies:
And just when we thought we were safe…they got us! Yeah, they got us with that souvenir family photo in the gift shop. I cave in every time they ask us to buy those darn photo souvenirs. (See what I did there?)
Thanks for reading along our spelunking adventure!
ha. It is a funny word!
The photos are incredible. Cassidy has a real falls/caves fascination so I know he’d love this a lot.
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Falls and caves – it’s like a 2 for 1 deal for Cassidy if you guys come to Ruby Falls! LOL There’s also zip line tours here but we didn’t have time to do that. Or I was too chicken. Most likely the latter. 🙂
I first read and knew the word spelunking when I was reading Sweet Valley High book years ago. Haha. It did sound a little weird to say it. I am amazed you did that and you have Alyssa with you! You’re sucha super! I’d love to have that kind of adventure too.
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Did I mention that she was in the carrier AND nursing almost the entire time? LOL
Your pics remind me a bit of our visit to Luray Caverns in Virginia, and it was cold and damp there too! It’s amazing to see what nature has created over thousands of years. Glad you had fun doing you know what (I refuse to use that word too!)
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I was happy to see that the kids have a genuine interest for nature and that it doesn’t always have to be theme parks and ipad games.