Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Goa's Daugim Cross
The two 36-inch refracting lenses in the Lick Observatory telescope are among the largest ever built.
James Lick’s Grave
The Lagoda
Human figures at Miculla Petroglyphs
Miculla Petroglyphs
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
about 16 hours ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
3 days ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
4 days ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Tennessee Chattanooga Raccoon Mountain Caverns

Raccoon Mountain Caverns

More than five miles of underground passageways.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Added By
Myrandis
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashvil...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashvil...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffgunn/5700...
Raccoon Mountain Caverns. (Creative Commons)   http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/pho...
Raccoon Mountain Caverns. (Creative Commons)   http://www.bsatroop752.com/mymedia/graphic...
Raccoon Mountain Caverns. (Creative Commons)   http://www.bsatroop752.com/mymedia/graphic...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffgunn/5700...
Raccoon Mountain Caverns (07/2014)   Steven Ricard
Raccoon Mountain Caverns (07/2014)   Steven Ricard
Part of the beautiful walking tour   John Aljoher
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A vast cave system on the outskirts of Chattanooga Tennessee, Raccoon Mountain Caverns consists of more than five miles of underground passageways. Many caves have some small areas of formation growth—you remember, stalagmites and stalactites, crystals, etc.—but the Raccoon Mountain Caverns have countless formations located along a lighted walking trail.

The Raccoon Mountain Caverns are considered one of the most geologically active in the southern half of the United States and also known for being remarkably well preserved compared to other cave systems. They even still house an active ecosystem with salamanders, bats and even a rare spider that only exists there and nowhere else in the entire world. This rich ecosystem is quite a feat, considering the caverns were opened to the public way back in 1931 and have seen countless footsteps and the prying hands of many visitors.

The Caverns, at the time on the property of the Grand Hotel and used as a farm for the hotel's restaurant, were opened by Leo Lambert. It was said that the farmers in the area would relax in front of some cracks in the ground because cold air would blow out of the cracks even on hot days. Lambert was asked to explore and figure out where the cold air was coming from. An experience cave diver, Lambert quickly realized that a large cave with a huge volume of air had to be hidden behind the limestone cover.

After exposing the caves, Lambert himself built walkways and laid lights to guide visitors through the long passageways. He knew that, sitting next to a major highway, this could be a huge tourist attraction. He was right—and it has remained a must-see destination for visitors to the south for generations.

It's possible to take a guided walking tour through the caves, where you'll wind through a beautiful half-mile route. There are also guided  spelunking tours with a lot of crawling and fun, as well as gem panning and a great campground at the foot of the cave site so you can make a weekend trip out of your visit . 

 

 

Related Tags

Plants Caves Natural Wonders Ecosystems Nature

Know Before You Go

Raccoon Mountain is just seven minutes from historical downtown Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, the Tennessee Aquarium, and less than five minutes away from Lookout Mountain.

Community Contributors

Added By

Myrandis

Edited By

st7n, kostas1964ath, jasmin12holt, nbj914

  • st7n
  • kostas1964ath
  • jasmin12holt
  • nbj914

Published

May 17, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Written by RMCC employee
Raccoon Mountain Caverns
319 W Hills Dr
Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37419
United States
35.021223, -85.407925
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

miles away

Ruby Falls

Chattanooga, Tennessee

miles away

Rock City

Lookout Mountain, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chattanooga

Chattanooga

Tennessee

Places 10
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

miles away

Ruby Falls

Chattanooga, Tennessee

miles away

Rock City

Lookout Mountain, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chattanooga

Chattanooga

Tennessee

Places 10
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

The Hidden Wonders of Chattanooga

List

Sponsored by Chattanooga Tourism

Related Places

  • Cape Flattery

    Neah Bay, Washington

    Cape Flattery

    At the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States lies a trail leading through an ancient forest to stunning cliff-side vistas and massive oceanside caves.

  • Devil’s Icebox. (Creative Commons)

    Columbia, Missouri

    Devil's Icebox

    Curious cave that stays a cool 56 degrees all year long.

  • Grutas del Palacio

    Flores, Uruguay

    Grutas del Palacio

    This wonderful rock formation constitutes the first geopark in Uruguay.

  • Benagil Caves

    Lagoa, Portugal

    Benagil Caves

    Perhaps the most spectacular grotto along the Algarve coastline.

  • The Enchanted Forest

    Whitethorn, California

    Enchanted Forest

    A grove of "candelabra redwoods" deep in California's Lost Coast.

  • Chinhoyi Caves

    Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

    Chinhoyi Caves

    The stunningly blue waters of these beautiful caves also have a violent past.

  • Moqui Cave

    Kanab, Utah

    Moqui Cave

    This ancient cave is home to a museum, bar, and is filled with fluorescent minerals.

  • The Fugaku Wind Cave.

    Narusawa, Japan

    Fugaku Wind Cave

    One in a pair of subterranean caves created by an ancient eruption of Mount Fuji.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.