Lookout Mountain, GA

...Lookout Mountain

Georgia's most scenic mountain

It may be a little confusing at first to those who plan to visit Chattanooga, but end up spending the day on Georgia's Lookout Mountain.

But such is the case when following all the advertising billboards from every direction leading into Chattanooga. They're all touting Ruby Falls, Rock City and the lncline Railway.

Having never done these sights, also possibly confusing is in which order should they be done, how long does it take to do each, how far from each other are they, where do you park, where do you eat, can you walk from one to the other, etc., etc.

So, in a nutshell, here's what I learned going into it blindly:

Order doesn't really matter. Each is close enough to the other that if you have to backtrack, it's not a real big deal. Perhaps let the weather determine the order: Rock City is completely outdoors, and Ruby Falls is in a cave. If it's clear in the morning and clouds are approaching, do Rock City first. And vice versa.

One must drive from one sight to the other even though they are all located on the mountain and are approx 5 to 15 driving minutes away from each other.

Each has its own parking lot, and the only one that charges a (minimal) parking fee is the Incline Railway. Also, each requires a separate ticket.

There's a top and bottom to the Incline Railway. You catch it at the bottom where there are a couple of eating establishments, deli-type, and take the incline to the top. It's here that one can walk to Point Park, the location of a major Chattanooga Civil War battle. Your incline ticket is round-trip only and good all day so that you're able to spend time "up top." There are eating establishments there, too.

Rock City is technically Rock City Gardens, but don't expect much in the way of flowers. It's mostly a garden of huge, huge boulders that paths have been carved through. It's actually very fascinating and leads to the overlook, a viewpoint in which seven states can be seen. A short suspension bridge is there (optional), and the overlook is the location of Lover's Leap. And don't miss the waterfall which is under the lookout viewpoint, but accessible if you follow the garden path. Rock City has a couple of eateries. The overlook can only be reached by following the rock garden paths.

Ruby Falls is a cavern. It's viewed by guided-tour only, and at the end is a jaw-dropping 145-ft waterfall lit with soothing colors. It's truly very impressive and should not be missed. Temps are a little cooler, so a light jacket might feel good. The Cavern Café offers drinks, snacks and hot dogs, and the gift shop has a cooler with sandwiches and such.

How much time one spends at each attraction rests totally on the individual or party, except at Ruby Falls. There, the tour was about one and half to two hours long and a round-trip was about a mile long.

The incline is a short ride up and down, but time can be spent at the top if you take in a three-block walk to Point Park. (Don't forget your national access card, if you have one.)

Rock City took the longest, and I spent an easy two hours. With young kids, more time might be needed to take in the Mother Goose Village. They and you will love it.

Rock City is made up of a series of paved twists and curves that eventually lead to the lookout point. Along the path are interesting features and formations.

Fat Man's Squeeze is appropriately named. It;s a very tight, narrow path, but I'm sure there's an alternate route for those whose belly sticks out a little too far.

There's an alternate route for the suspension bridge, too.

Eventually the path ends at overlook point, well known as Lover's Leap. The Native American legend goes that a Chickasaw warrior and a Cherokee maiden fell in love, but their tribes were in war with each other. So they eloped. But the warrior was captured and thrown over the edge at the lookout point. Distressed, the maiden snuck away and followed her warrior by leaping from the point to her death.

From Lookout Point, seven states are supposedly in view: Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.

Reading and seeing sculptures of our childhood folklore was a treat even for adults. There's no better way to carry on the words of the poems than to see them depicted with such detail. The work was done by sculptor Jessie Sanders and moved into Fairyland Caverns in 1947.

The incline railway, a funicular, travels one mile to the top of Lookout Mountain at a 72.7 percent grade.

Point Park Battlefield is the site of a Civil War battle which became known as "The Battle Above the Clouds." Confederate soldiers maintained a vantage point there, as they were able to observe the Union soldiers' advance far below.

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One descends (by elevator) 26 stories (1,120 feet) to the bottom of the cave whose path is lined with limestone and sandstone formations such as this. The highlight is the waterfall at the end of the path. Tours are guided.

Some of the formations, with a little imagination, take on a familiar shape, such as this dragon's foot. My favorite, however, is below: the slab of bacon.

This one may be a little difficult to see. It's the back legs and rump of a donkey.

Ruby Falls was discovered in 1928 by Leo Lambert, a cave explorer. He was trying to drill an elevator shaft to what once was the original Lookout Mountain Cavern (now closed). Upon further searching, he discovered the waterfall, took his wife Ruby to see it and named it in her honor. The original cavern stayed open to the public for 5 years, but the Ruby Falls proved more popular. The original was closed in 1935.

How ingenious it was to build the exterior facade of Ruby Falls from the rock that was quarried out from the elevator shaft.