raccoon mountain caverns

Just finished the overnight expedition at Racoon caves with my girlfriend and we absolutely lived it! Ask for Rhett as your guide, young guy with lots of energy and good knowledge of the cave. Weather outside was freezing cold so we thought this would be a convenient way to combine an adventure with good temperature camping.The cave itself is stunning and perfectly laid out. Crystal Palace in the beginning has nice formations, but easy to walk. Then as we climbed deeper and deeper things got more technically challenging with less formations to worry about damaging. The layout of the cave has lots of loops so I feel like we could do this multiple times and go a different route eveytime. Rhett kept things interesting giving out fun facts and helping us through the tricky parts. Camping was closer to the entrance (which was convenient to go grab a shower and food before tucking in for the night).Best part of the whole tour? For 4 hours during the expedition and all night we had the whole cave to just the 3 of us! I would highly highly recommend this to anyone, especially campers with a bit of an adventerous side. Ask for Rhett and the overnight expedition and you won't be disappointed!Thanks guys!

Our group did the 4.5 hour waterfall tour with Jerry and we had SO much fun! Def cooler than expected. We got to challenge ourselves squeezing in tiny places or having the option to walk around. I took the harder way every opportunity to get more out of the experience. It was beautiful inside the cave. We will be back for the 6 hour tour next time. I wouldn't recommend this for kids, some of it was actually dangerous and if you are really claustrophobic then this probably isn't for you. But if you like a challenge and alot of adventure this is Def something you don't want to miss.

Thank you very much for your visit last April and for taking the time to share your thoughts. I certainly agree that it is a "Nice Cave." While the Crystal Palace Walking Tour covers just under 1/3 of a mile, the cave is actually significantly larger with over 7 1/2 miles of explored passageways. The Crystal Palace Tour examines the front and oldest portion of the cave. The close proximity of this section of the cave is why we have the extensive array of diverse cave formations that you saw.One of the amazing aspects of our cave is its close proximity to downtown Chattanooga. We are less than a 10 minute drive (normal drive time) from the downtown area but still out in the country. Despite this close proximity, we have an array of rare and endangered species that live within the cave. Thanks again for visiting, and I do hope that you will consider a return visit and, perhaps, consider joining us on a wild cave adventure tour that goes deeper into the cave. We have a wide variety of tour for all interests such as cave life and ecology, fossils, viewing our large, natural flowing waterfall.

We had our son's 5 th birthday party at the Cavern today and thorough enjoyed ourselves. I spoke with Patty and booked it. The process was very easy and she kept in contact with me via email. My son has a food coloring allergy so she catered all the goody bags to include only toys and no treats. Our party had to be rescheduled by a day due to weather and that was seamless as well. We had their pirate party so they had one of the tour guides dressed up as a pirate. He was quiet but very engaging with the kids. He asked them tons of questions and kept them entertained. The tour was 40 minutes, which also included fighting a bad pirate to secure their treasure (goody bags). After the tour, we went outside to do some gem panning which had lots of treasures. We later went upstairs to their party room, which was all decorated for the pirate party and enjoyed our food. The room was a bit hot but the kids still enjoyed themselves.Overall, the party was a huge success. We were very happy and my son and his friends had a blast!! I highly recommend this place.

Thank you very much for your visit last month and for taking the time to leave a detailed review. The cave is typically at its wettest during the winter months since the cooler days and lower temperatures allow for more water to seep into the cave. The Crystal Palace tour is along a graveled pathway. At times, small pieces of mud can dislodge from the shoes and boots of wild cavers as they walk along the pathway after exiting the wild cave. There were several items that you mentioned that I felt needed clarification. First, the cave is actually a little warmer at 58-60 degrees. This is the year round average temperature of the Chattanooga area. The rocks within the cave act as giant heat sinks and warm the cool winter air and cool the hot summer air. The temperature of caves therefore tends to be the average year round temperature of the location. As you go further north, the year round average declines and the caves in these areas are therefore cooler than ours. By the time to you get up to Lake Erie, the caves are around 50 degrees.Second, we actually do not have any lizards within the cave because they are reptiles that need the warmth of the sun. The Fire Salamander that you mentioned is a European variety that is not seen in our area. Rather, we have Spring Salamanders, Slimy Salamanders and the Tennessee Cave Salamander. We are quite fond of our salamanders which live within the cave along with bats, crickets, and an exceedingly rare, blind cave spider. Our focus is to display the cave for the benefit of others while preserving and protecting the cave and its delicate eco-system. I was concerned about your mention of "well worn glass" that was found in your panning sand. I spoke with our geologist and she indicated that it was most certainly a piece of clear quartz which can be mistaken for odd-shaped glass. When in doubt, come to the counter and ask because we are more than happy to have our geologist identify any rocks if she is on duty. She was also concerned because the vast majority find significantly more including pyrite, agate, calcites, petrified wood and more. I was somewhat concerned that you thought our adult admission price of $14.95 was high because it is actually one of the lowest attraction admission rates in the area. In addition, we only start charging admission at age 5 (under age 5 are free with a paid adult) whereas virtually every other attraction in town does so at age 2! We strive to keep our rates as affordable as possible but, at the same time, also make sure that our guides earn a living wage and receive a variety of benefits. This results in our company having a great staff with an exceedingly low turnover rate versus other area attractions. They, like most service workers, certainly appreciate a tip if their guests decide to provide one. Many years ago, after numerous inquires about tips, a small sign was made that says "Tips are appreciated but never expected." Thanks very much once again for your visit to the Chattanooga area and I hope that you will consider a return visit the next time that you are in the area. The cave actually experiences some slight seasonal changes. While it is wettest at this time of the year, it is the driest in the summer and fall. While many for the formations were simply damp during your visit, those same formations can dry to show amazing display of spectacular calcite crystals.

Thank you very much for taking the time to take our Waterfall Dome Expedition and for posting your comments. Your status as a Top Contributor on Trip Advisor means that you have visited numerous attractions and, consequently, we really appreciate the "5 star" rating that you gave us. I will be sure to thank Dylan for doing yet another good job when I see him this weekend.The Waterfall Dome Expedition that you took is one of our most popular expeditions. I think that we are all amazed by waterfalls and ours can be quite impressive. We prefer to leave it as a natural, free flowing waterfall so the amount of water can be as slow as a dripping trickle to as much as a thundering waterfall. It all depends upon Mother Nature and how much rain the land above receives. It is indeed the highlight of the trip. I am glad that you had a great time and hope that you will consider a return visit.

Thank you very much for taking the time to visit our cave on your recent visit to the Chattanooga area. Obviously, I am biased, but agreed 100% with your statement that our cave is "A Must See". We try our very best to keep our rates as low as possible so that they can be "family affordable" and I am glad that you recognized the great value that we offer our guests.I will be seeing Tucker this upcoming weekend and will be sure to mention your review to him. The cave is indeed beautiful and its close proximity to the surface is the reason that you were able to see so many beautiful and diverse cave formations. I do hope that you will consider a return visit, either for another Crystal Palace Walking Tour or perhaps one of our signature wild cave expeditions.Thanks you once again for your visit and for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Thank you very much for taking the time to visit the scenic side of our city. Ruby Falls, as you mentioned, is located across the valley from us and was discovered by Leo Lambert. A year later, he was invited by the property owner of the land above our cave to investigate the possibility of a cave due to large volumes of cool air that would blow out between cracks in the rocks on hot summer days. He enlarged the gaps in the rocks, crawled in and discovered a pristine cave system. He is credited with opening but not discovering the cave. He fell in love with our cave and made arrangements to open it for tours in 1931. We also have a large waterfall in the back of our cave but it is kept 100% natural which means that we do not pump it but rather rely upon rain water seeping into the cave system after rains. The waterfall is in the back portions of the cave and can be viewed as part of the Waterfall Dome Wild Cave Expedition.I saw Rhett in the Gift Shop this morning and mentioned your review to him. He was very appreciative and wanted me to pass along his personal thanks for your family taking the time to visit. Since the cave is always 60 degrees, it is awesome of hot summer days as well as the cold winter days that we will be experiencing this week.I appreciate your comments regarding the gift shop and tram buildings. It has been at least ten years since they were last painted and they are starting to sun fade slightly. We actually have several projects planned this year and are exited about recently receiving a food service permit for an outdoor café. As part of this project, we will be replacing exterior trim and painting the gift shop building, removing the old cable car hold cable and replacing exteriors panels on the rear of the old cable car building, removing the small, metal picnic structure and replacing it with a significantly larger one, along with several other items. We hope to have all this accomplished by the end of May so I would encourage you to stop back by and see all the wonderful things we are doing.Thanks again very much for your visit and comments.

Thank you very much for stopping by and taking the time to take the Crystal Palace Walking Tour of the cave with your family. I am glad that everyone enjoyed their visit and that you all were able to see a bat. We have several species of bats that live within the cave but we never know where one will decide to sleep. The bats in our area are basically insect eating bats and their favorite meal of choice is mosquito. Considering that mosquitoes can transmit a variety of diseases if they bite us, it is actually good to have bats to control these pests.All caves are unique in their own way but our cave is set apart by others by its close proximity to the surface. Your family was able to simply walk into the cave as there were no elevators or lengthy flights of steps to enter the cave. This close proximity also means that a good bit of water is able to seep into the cave over a widespread area, and the result is the abundant formation growth that you saw during the tour.Thanks very much once again for taking the time to visit and for sharing your comments.

Thank you very much for your recent stay. As you mentioned, we have some (9) camping cabins that are ideal for someone who wants to enjoy the camping experience but who does not have an rv or tent. You can sit outside your cabin in the evening and cook dinner on a grill or sit back and relax by a camp fire while enjoying the view great scenery. They are very economical and we strive to keep all of our rates "family affordable" but, at the same time, they are maintained at very high standards. As you mentioned, we have an absolutely beautiful cave system under Raccoon Mountain that is well worth visiting while in the Chattanooga area. Thanks again for your recent visit and I hope that you will consider staying with us during your next visit to Chattanooga.

Thank you very much for your recent visit and for the wonderful review. I stopped by the gift shop yesterday afternoon just before closing to thank the staff for yet another great job. I certainly agree with your statement that our cave is "Best in TN" and, a few years a national publication rated us as having the best cave in Tennessee as well. We are exceedingly proud of our cave and have a great staff of dedicated guides who love to show it off.We strive to be able to offer tours of the cave at the lowest possible prices. It has been a few years since the last increase in admission and current plans are to maintain our current rates. Credit card theft / identity theft is a major issue and Visa / MasterCard have regulations which require that a card must be signed in order to be valid. Many choose not to do so for security reasons and will therefore either write things like "See ID", "Check ID", etc. Visa / MasterCard regulations permit the card to be accepted unsigned provided that identification is checked. It takes a few moments longer to complete the transaction but the safety and security of your credit card is well worth the extra effort. I am also glad to hear that you are considering a return visit to experience one of our wild cave expeditions. You will get to see even more of the cave but, whereas the Crystal Palace Tour that you took is a "come as you are" tour with casual dress, the wild cave tours require that you wear a helmet with light along with gloves and pads. The great news is that we provide all the needed equipment. Thanks again for the visit and excellent review.

Thank you very much for taking the time to visit our cave and for posting the wonderful review. Obviously, I am biased but totally agree with your statement that our cave is "Absolutely NOT to be missed." We take great pride in our cave and love to share it with our guests. Lighting in the cave is difficult and I am glad that you felt that we do a very good job in lighting the cave. We do not have any of the crazy, colored lights that some caves use because, quite simply, we want to present the cave in its natural state. When I read you review, I went by the gift shop to share it with the guide staff that was present so that I could personally thank them for doing another wonderful job. Thanks again for your visit and I hope that you will consider a return visit the next time that you are in the Chattanooga area.

Thank you very much for taking the time to visit our cave and for posting your comments. I will be sure to pass you comments along to the guide staff at our next meeting. Our cave is indeed a beautiful cavern and I agree (obviously biased) that it is a "must see." Visitation is typically down during the winter months as folks tend to travel less when school is in session. Those that do travel, typically find it to be a great time to do so because there are no crowds. Regardless of the time of year, we always try to keep enough guides on hand at all times so that the group sizes can be kept as small as possible. We believe that this leads to a higher level of guest satisfaction. It is not unusual at times for you to essentially have a private tour.Thanks very much once again for your visit and we hope that you will consider a return visit the next time that you travels bring you to the Chattanooga area.

Thank you very much for your visit on your way to Nashville. I spoke with Rhett this afternoon when I ran into him in the gift shop. He mentioned how you had taken the Crystal Palace Walking Tour one day and like the cave so much that you came back for a Wild Cave Expedition. He was very appreciative of your comments and the personal recommendation. There is an amazing world that exists beneath the mountain and you only see a small portion of it on the walking tour. The wild cave goes beyond those lighted pathways and takes you a little deeper into the mountain. There you find interconnected passageways, more formations and some fossils, and more. Thanks again for your visits and we hope that you will consider stopping by when your travels bring you back towards the Chattanooga area.

Thank you very much for taking one of our wild cave expeditions. I ran into Jerry this morning in the cave gift shop and mentioned your review to him. Naturally, he was most appreciative and asked that I pass along his thanks. Thanks also for noticing that the cave does not have a commercial feel to it. This is because we operate the cave with protecting its delicate eco-system in mind. We are very proud of the fact that numerous rare and endangered species exist within the cave. Then we have the absolute amazing array of 100% natural cave formations. The cave is, indeed, beautiful and we love to show it off. Thanks again for all of your visits and I hope that you will consider a return visit for our Waterfall Dome Expedition. Our waterfall is 100% natural (no pumps to enhance or maintain the flow) so the water flow can vary from a trickle to thundering.