Near the base of Lookout Mountain is a natural entrance to Lookout Mountain Cave. Though it is closed to the public today, it wasn’t always. Cave enthusiast and explorer Leo Lambert remembered it when it was open to anyone who wanted to go into it. He made many treks into the cave and arrived at the determination that people would probably pay for tours of the cave.

However, in 1905, the entrance to Lookout Mountain Cave was sealed off when the railroad built a tunnel that intersected the natural entrance. Lambert decided that he and his group of investors could have a new entrance made above the point of the original one. An elevator would take visitors down to the cave floor. In 1928, their newly organized company purchased land on the mountainside, above the entrance and started drilling into the limestone.

At some point while a worker was using a jackhammer at the 260 foot level, he hit a void. When he removed the jack hammer, he felt a breeze coming from the tiny opening he had just made. After further investigation, it was determined that the worker had drilled into an opening about 18 inches high and five feet wide.

Lambert assembled a crew and one-by-one they entered the small opening to explore the newly found passageway. As they worked their way deeper into it, they noted some unusual rock formations, some quite beautiful, but there was also a roaring sound. It was a sound that rushing water would make. Finally, after hours of exploring, the party stopped in awe and stared at the grandeur before them, a full sized waterfall, spilling into a crystal clear pool in a huge cavernous room!

The return trip to the surface was quicker than the descent. All members of the crew were eager to tell of the beauty of the falls. The excursion lasted a total of 17 hours.

On his next trip down to the falls, Lambert took his wife, Ruby, with him. It was then that he told her he was naming the falls after her.

Lambert then had two attractions that he had to develop, the original Lookout Mountain Cave and the new Ruby Falls. At some point in 1930, tours began of both sites. Ruby Falls quickly became the more popular of the two.

In 1935, Lookout Mountain Cave was closed and Lambert concentrated more on promoting Ruby Falls. In the 1930s electric lighting was installed at Ruby Falls, making it one of the world‘s first underground attractions to get it. Many billboards were placed along highways within several hundred miles or so north and south of Ruby Falls.

Many years later, in 1954, a pathway was developed around the pool to allow visitors a better, closer view of the falls. A warning was necessary for the visitors to not drink the water, it contains a high level of magnesium, which is a natural laxative!

In 1975, in order to comply with the laws of Tennessee, a secondary exit was opened, which led to the base of the mountain. This gave visitors a way out of the caverns in the event the elevator failed.

Ruby Falls has remained one of the main tourist attractions in the Chattanooga area since it opened. Farther up the road from its entrance is Rock City, another attraction that takes advantage of its mountainous beauty. It is located at the top of Lookout Mountain, where the visitor may stand in one spot and view parts of seven states! And if you're feeling really adventurous, take a ride on the Incline, the world's steepest passenger railroad!