Explore The Best Of Lookout Mountain On This Scenic Day Trip That Spans Two States: Georgia And Tennessee
By Megan Shute|Published January 31, 2023
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
Nestled near the vibrant city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Lookout Mountain is famous as the site of the “Battle Above the Clouds” during the American Civil War in 1863. Today, the mountain is home to a charming little community and three incredible attractions that make for a one-of-a-kind day trip the entire family will enjoy.
Though I grew up in the relatively flat state of Minnesota, I spent several years of my adult life living in Hawaii and learned that there is little better than being in the mountains (of course, I also discovered a love for the ocean, but that isn’t relevant here). So, when my husband and I were looking into visiting family in northern Alabama for the holidays this year, we jumped at the opportunity to explore the Smoky Mountains. While we loved gallivanting around Knoxville, Gatlinburg, and even Asheville during our trip, Lookout Mountain in Tennessee and Georgia truly took us by surprise.
Visitors to Tennessee's Lookout Mountain likely have three things on their bucket list, like we did: Rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.
On the chilly December day we visited, we visited all three destinations, and can’t wait to tell you about our experience. We went in a different order than I suggest below, but I have used our experience to optimize your trip as much as possible.
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
Lookout Mountain, 827 E Brow Rd, Lookout Mountain, TN 37350, USA
An ideal day trip begins with a trip up the mountain on the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. Billed as "America’s Most Amazing Mile," the Incline Railway has been open since 1895 and is the world’s steepest passenger railway. The Incline is a National Historic Site and a Mechanical Engineering Landmark – guests can even visit the machine room where the giant gears are put into motion.
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The process is simple: purchase Incline Railway Lookout Mountain Tennessee tickets in advance, head to the ticket window to exchange your online tickets for a boarding pass, and get in line.
The ride lasts approximately ten minutes, and at the top, you can browse the gift shop, grab a snack, and bask in the panoramic views of the Chattanooga Valley from the observation deck.
Guests can walk to Point Park from here if they’d like, but we simply chose to grab some fudge, snap several photographs, ride back down the mountain, and head to our next destination.
While this Lookout Mountain attraction was of less appeal to my husband and me, our toddler is obsessed with trains, so we had to do it for her. Watching the world through your child’s eyes truly makes everything more magical, and this was a fun excursion with unbeatable views.
We stopped at The Tap House and Empyreal Brewing Company for a late lunch before driving up Lookout Mountain to Rock City.
When we visited, the 100-foot waterfall that cascades down the mountain was frozen, and the famous Swing-A-Long Bridge, which spans nearly 200 feet, was closed due to ice, but the lights strung through the trees and around the rocks for Christmas, as well as the unique vignettes found within Fairyland Caverns made the chilly weather absolutely worth it.
Here, you will find a marker claiming that you can see seven U.S. states from this one spot: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. I can’t verify the truth of this statement, but the view is quite remarkable either way. We spent approximately two hours meandering through Rock City, though we would have absolutely spent more time simply taking it all in if it had been warmer during our visit (it was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, for reference).
We were able to warm up in our car and at Ruby Falls, where the temperature inside the mountain remains 60 degrees year-round. Ruby Falls has been on my bucket list since I learned of its existence, and this 80-minute tour did not disappoint. As the tallest and deepest underground cave waterfall open to the public in the United States, Ruby Falls could easily be considered one of America’s greatest natural wonders.
Our tour started by descending 260 feet into the mountain below, where we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through ancient cave formations.
Though the cavern was quite busy and the trail was often narrow, the unique formations seen along the way were awe-inspiring. Our toddler was strapped to my husband in her carrier for this excursion, and it was absolutely the right move – she’s a runner, and containing her allowed us to marvel at the wonder in front of us.
Before too long, we could hear the thundering cascade ahead of us, and when it revealed itself to us, we were immediately stopped in our tracks.
I’ve seen countless waterfalls before (I lived in Hawaii, remember?), but there is something simply breathtaking about a waterfall that flows entirely underground. Accidentally discovered by Leo Lambert in 1928 and named after his wife, Ruby, this iconic Chattanooga attraction was opened to the public in 1929 and is truly one of the most spectacular wonders I’ve seen in my lifetime.
By toddler standards, it was fairly late by the time we finished our tour of Ruby Falls, so we promptly checked into The Read House Hotel in downtown Chattanooga and walked to Community Pie for a quick bite to eat. If you're searching for Lookout Mountain Tennessee hotels, this is a fantastic pick.
Hotels near Lookout Mountain in Tennessee are plentiful, but I cannot recommend The Read House enough.
The service was friendly, the lobby was stunning, and our room was clean and welcoming.
We wished we could have stayed more than one night, but alas, when we woke up, we took a short walk around the city, grabbed some coffee, and drove to Coolidge Park to explore the Riverwalk and grab lunch before leaving town.
Basecamp Bar and Restaurant’s southern comfort food hit the spot, and we truly can’t wait until our travels take us back to Chattanooga.
This day trip to Chattanooga’s Lookout Mountain truly had it all: incredible views, dazzling lights, a train ride, an underground world, and not one but two waterfalls. Have you ever been to Chattanooga? Did you experience Lookout Mountain during your travels? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
To discover more incredible boots-on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured next on OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.
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