Just Outside Of Chattanooga Is A Tucked-Away Tennessee Mountain Town Home To A Gorgeous Hidden Waterfall

Near the southeastern border of Tennessee lies the stunning riverside town of Chattanooga — crowned North America's first National Park City in April 2025. Over the years, Chattanooga has made a name for itself for its outdoor recreation scene and rich history. But it isn't the only town in the area known for stunning views. Just over 6 miles away lies the small but beautiful mountain town of Lookout Mountain, located on the hillside along the Tennessee-Georgia border.

Lookout Mountain is a small town in Tennessee, sustaining a population of around 2,000 people. Despite its small size, Lookout Mountain has several incredible attractions just a few minutes away, from the incredible underground hidden waterfall of Ruby Falls to the Incline Railway, known as America's most amazing mile. It's also fairly simple to get to. Several airline carriers have flights from major national airports to Chattanooga, and Lookout Mountain is only a 35-minute drive from there. You can even take the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) Route 15 shuttle from Chattanooga to the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.

Over 240 million years ago, a collision of tectonic plates created the magnificent limestone mountain ridge known as Lookout Mountain, spanning three states from Alabama, through Georgia, into Tennessee. These limestone mountains have become the key to Lookout Mountain town's tourism, with stunning mountain views, and in one spot, a view of seven states at once. Ruby Falls, in particular, is one of the highlights of any trip to Lookout Mountain, as the tallest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States.

In 1928, Leo Lambert, a chemist who moved to Chattanooga to be with his high-school paramour Ruby Losey, established a company to excavate the nearby Lookout Mountain Caves, which had been closed to the public for railway construction. His company began drilling into the limestone and hit a crack in the mountain, leading to what would be the discovery of a century — a hidden, underground waterfall. In 1930, the newly named Ruby Falls (named for Lambert's wife) welcomed its first tourists.

Today, Ruby Falls draws regular crowds, with its entrance built to resemble an old-fashioned castle, made with the same limestone Lambert excavated in the 1920s. Visitors descend 260 feet down a narrow shaft in a glass-front elevator and embark on a quarter-mile walk along the tunnel, with pauses to admire stalactites and stalagmites on the way, including a particular formation that resembles fossilized steak and potatoes. The tour also has signs for interesting sights, with one sign marking the point where Lambert was first able to stand in the tunnel.

The waterfall itself is a narrow stream that falls through a crack in the ceiling 145 feet above, with soft ambient lighting in shades of blue, green, red, and purple. You can even see little rivulets of cold water gathering in naturally occurring basins, with soft, serene lighting at strategic locations allowing visitors to admire the setting in natural-looking light. Tickets cost around $30 for an adult and around $19 for children aged 4 to 14. Children aged 3 and below can enter for free. The Cave Walk tour can be a bit rushed, according to visitors on Yelp, but many had great things to say about the slower-paced Gentle Walking Tour and evening Lantern Tour.

At the entrance of Ruby Falls is a cozy cafe with a seasonal menu and local craft beer. The Castle Cafe (inside the limestone castle) has a fireplace inside and a porch with panoramic views of the valley. The cold edges of the limestone structure are softened with warm, wooden doors and furniture, and soft indoor lighting, allowing visitors to enjoy their locally sourced and freshly roasted coffee in an intimate, friendly atmosphere.

Two miles from Lookout Mountain town is another popular attraction: the fairytale-looking rock trail of Rock City in Georgia. Right outside the entrance to Rock City on Mockingbird Lane is a set of gorgeous stone-wall cottages built in a European-meets-rural-mountain style. The rooms feature olden style upholstery and wooden furniture while also offering modern amenities like bathtubs (whirlpool tubs available in select rooms), coffee machines, and in-room thermostats. Built in 1927, the inn has been a favorite with visitors for years, with reviewers rating it at 4.9 on Tripadvisor. It usually costs around $250 per night for a room accommodating two people.

If you're looking for something a little less pricey but with the same old-world charm, check out the Read House Hotel in Chattanooga. It offers "1920s splendor while catering to modern tastes," according to the Read House Hotel website, with 241 rooms decorated to resemble the stately rooms of the Roaring Twenties. Built in 1872, this hotel stands as a witness to Chattanooga history, having hosted multiple eminent personalities like Winston Churchill (who infamously slammed a door in a reporter's face here), Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, and more (via Smoky Mountain Living Magazine). Room prices vary according to availability, but regular rooms begin at around $150 per night.