Raccoon Mountain Caverns was discovered in 1929 by Leo Lambert, who also discovered and opened Ruby Falls. (An attraction we haven’t gotten to, yet.) The Caverns was one of the attractions we went to with my parents when they visited.
The Caverns features 5.5. miles of passageways. There are two different tours. We took the main one, the Crystal Palace Walking Tour, which only takes you half of a mile, and the highlight is the main room, dubbed the Crystal Palace. The second tour is the Wild Cave Expedition, which is more for adventurers and explorers! Our tour guide pointed out some of the tight squeezes that the Wild Cave tours go through. As someone who experiences claustrophobia, no thank you!
Raccoon Mountain was the only attraction that we went to that was inside, but oddly enough, it was where we felt the most safe. Our temperatures were taken before we even entered the cave. We were also treated to a private tour, we were the only ones there, aside from the guide. I am not sure if this is something they try to do in non-pandemic times though. Everyone wore masks, too.
Our guide explained the history and formation of the caverns and pointed out formations that were shaped like objects, such as the lizard’s head, Abe Lincoln and Darth Vader’s mask! He gave us plenty of time to look around, ask questions and take pictures.
The Caverns is on the site of the Raccoon Mountain Campground. It is a small campground, but they have the usual gift shop, camp store and pool. They have cabins for rent, which I hope to take advantage of someday. I have not been camping in a long time, and I miss it so much!
