An adventurous chemist and his true love stumbled upon prehistoric caverns more than 1,000 feet below the surface of Lookout Mountain. Their shared passion for each other and for this hidden underworld inspired the creation of a remarkable destination—one that has grown to become one of the Southeast’s most popular attractions.
“Discovering Ruby Falls was like discovering God…you don’t know what lies ahead… and feel like you cannot go on…but you get up with a feeling that somewhere ahead lies something more wonderful than you could ever imagine.”
-Leo Lambert, (Dec. 30, 1928)
Tucked away in the massive rolling hills of the Forest Hills Cemetery in the St. Elmo District of Chattanooga Tennessee is a modest granite marker that reads, “Lambert” followed by “Leo – Ruby. Discoverers of Ruby Falls.” Theirs is a love story knitted together with a spirit of adventure etched into eternity in four simple words that give a nod to an experience that 95 years later, attracts more than 2,000 people a day in the high season.
Described by his granddaughter, Jeannne Crawford, as a thinker and a dreamer, Leo Lambert was a chemist by trade with a voracious appetite for adventure and an endearing love for a stunning young woman, Ruby Losey. High school sweethearts from Gary, Indiana, the two were nearly separated when Ruby’s family relocated to Chattanooga. Leo followed his love, continued working in laboratories while exploring his new home in his free time.
During a Sunday school picnic, Leo became intrigued with the lore of the Lookout Mountain Cave. The small opening overlooking the Tennessee River had been the center of activity for millennia. It provided Native Americans with shelter from the elements, gave cover to wounded soldiers, and was rumored to be a discreet hideaway for bootleggers. Though the original opening was sealed by Southern Railroad during tunnel construction, Leo hatched a plan to access Lookout Mountain cave and help other adventure-seekers continue the connection to this fabled place.
With the help of investors, he purchased property on the surface of Lookout Mountain. Salmon & Cowin, a mining company that continues today as Cowin & Company, was contracted to drill a vertical shaft more than 400 feet into the mountain. Work began in early November 1928 and continued around the clock, until late December when workers made a discovery. After drilling through 260-feet, or 26 stories, of solid limestone, a small opening appeared from which a gust of air burst forth and gave a hint of what waited beyond. Leo was summoned to the job site and soon enlisted a crew to begin the exploration for which almost one hundred years later, visitors are still thanking him.
For six hours, Leo and crew shimmied on their bellies through the uncharted, eighteen-inch tall passage in unimaginable darkness lit only with a carbide lamp before the opening widened allowing them to stand. They continued, lured deeper into the depths of Lookout Mountain by the sound of running water until the elevation of the solid floor dropped suddenly, depositing Leo in a pool of water at the base of the rushing falls. After seventeen hours, Leo and his crew emerged from the cave. Leo would return days later with Ruby to share the remarkable find that would bear her name—Ruby Falls, located 1,120 feet below the peak of Lookout Mountain.
The work with drills, hammers, and 15,000 pounds of dynamite resulted in the removal of five million pounds of limestone. In what is touted as Ruby Falls’ first sustainability move, the limestone was repurposed for the exterior of the Ruby Falls Cavern Castle and Lookout Mountain Tower. The castle became known as the most beautiful cavern entrance in the world and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Leo’s dream to share the expansive Ruby Falls Cavern with visitors came true on June 16, 1930 when the elevator, walkways, and lighting were complete and Ruby Falls officially opened.
Visit
Today, Leo and Ruby’s vision lives on as Ruby Falls is host to generations of families who come to enjoy the spectacularly lit caverns and the extended campus which includes the family-friendly dining at the Castle Café, above-ground adventures on the zipline course, and luxurious tree house accommodations.
The most popular guided tour, the Cave Walk, leaves approximately every 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Be sure to purchase tickets online in advance. Part history and part geology, sprinkled with a little love and adventure, this 90-minute, one-mile trek begins with a descent in a glass-front elevator deep into Lookout Mountain. The journey follows Leo’s path to Ruby Falls, with stops to admire stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, soda straws, and other geologic structures formed from millions of years of dripping water and calcite deposits colored with iron. Many features still hold memorable names given to them by Leo and Ruby like potato chip, donkey, steak and eggs, and beehives straight out of Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood. Of course, the star of the show is a jaw-dropping presentation of the stunning Ruby Falls, unveiled with theatrical lighting and dramatic musical accompaniment. If you didn’t get enough quippy guide jokes and stunning sites on the Cave Tour, return for one of their popular specialty tours. The Lantern Tour is one worth staying up past your bedtime. Venture to the falls with little more than your guide’s headlamp and small lanterns. Be sure to watch your head!
Eat-Play
Extend your time at Ruby Falls by grabbing a bite to eat at the Castle Café—with a cozy cabin feel in the heart of the historic castle. The food menu is family-friendly, and they serve local craft beer and hard seltzer for the adults. If you look closely, you may even be able to see fossils in the walls, evidence that the ocean once covered this area.
If you visit in spring through fall, enjoy the open air of Ruby Falls in the High Point ZIP adventure which includes a round trip on the zip and a 40-foot climbing wall. Most people finish in 45 minutes to an hour so it’s a great way to round out your morning or afternoon.
But before you go, don’t miss the Castle Tower, constructed with original limestone from the clearing of the original elevator shaft. Rising high above the treetops and overlooking the winding Tennessee River, it’s easy to see why it’s become a part of so many visitors’ own love stories.
Stay
Constructed in 2023, three treehouses perched on the edge of Lookout Mountain overlook the valley below. Each home artfully incorporates reclaimed materials, outdoor soaking tubs, and floor to ceiling windows helping to minimize the separation between indoors and out. Private, rustic, but luxurious is how guests describe them. Ideal for a romantic couples getaway or a weekend for a small family.
Nearly 100 years have passed since the family move to Chattanooga that ultimately set the stage for a destination attraction. The technology and interpretation may have changed but the enthusiasm remains unchanged. One young traveler from Decatur, Georgia summed up her visit in four words, expressed in an enthusiastic squeal, “It was SO COOL!!,” not quite the humble inscription on Leo and Ruby’s headstone, but nearly a century later, they would whole-heartedly agree.
Chattanooga Travel Inspiration Magazine
A version of this story was previously published in the 2025 edition of our Travel Inspiration Magazine.
