Raccoon Mountain: The Crystal Palace Walking Tour

Adventure, Attractions, Outdoors

In the early 1900s, the exposed limestone rock at the base of Raccoon Mountain was a respite for local farmers, its crevices offering cool blasts of air from deep inside. In 1929, local caver Leo Lambert crawled through a small opening in the rock and found a sprawling series of beautiful caverns. Now one of the Chattanooga area’s most popular tourist destinations, Raccoon Mountain Caverns is considered to be the largest naturally preserved cavern in the southeastern United States. This means that besides minimal additions for safety, like lighting and handrails, the cave remains in its most natural state. Much of its 5.5 miles of underground passageways can be explored on Wild Cave Expedition Tours, which involve knee pads, headlamps, helmets, and crawling through small spaces. The Crystal Palace Walking Tour is a 45-55-minute guided tour through the first quarter-mile of the cave.  

In addition to the stalactites, stalagmites, reflection ponds, and natural bridges, part of what makes the Crystal Palace Walking Tour so captivating is the cave’s flowstone. Also known as “drapes,” flowstone is made up of layers of calcite left behind when water moves along the walls and floor of the cave. The cavern is also home to a cave shield, a rare formation only found in 82 caves in the United States and created by water forced horizontally out of the seams in the rocks. Tour guides regularly spot Mississippian-era fossils as well as native wildlife like salamanders, cave crickets, and cave flies. In friendly banter with your guide, you’ll also be on the lookout for “Imagination Formations” shaped like a saber tooth tiger, an alligator, and Scooby-Doo getting ready to eat a giant ice cream cone.  

Raccoon Mountain Caverns is open year-round, rain or shine, only closing for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Reservations are required, and guests must be age three or older and able to walk independently. Due to the need to preserve the delicate nature of the ecosystem, caves are not handicap accessible and service animals are not permitted.

The Crystal Palace Walking Tour tickets may be purchased by calling 423-821-9403.  Raccoon Mountain Caverns is open daily 9:00am – 5:00pm and is located at 319 West Hills Dr. in Chattanooga.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bessie Smith Cultural Center

Celebrating African American History & Culture in Chattanooga A native of Chattanooga, Bessie Smith was a 1920s Blues icon. Mentored by Ma Rainey, she wrote and performed blues classics such as “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “Gulf Coast Blues.”...

read more

The Art of Play: Playgrounds

The Art of Play: Area Playgrounds When the kids have resorted to bouncing back and forth between hotel beds or playing “The Floor is Lava” around the Airbnb, you know it’s time to get outside. A day full of play shouldn’t have to cost a dime, and thanks to the...

read more

Let’s Hang Out

Let's Hang Out Sure we have lightning fast internet, a world-class aquarium, minor league baseball, and about anything else you could hope for in a city, but did you know that Chattanooga is also one of the climbing capitals of the Southeast? Beginning downtown and...

read more