Day trips from Nashville · Town
Raccoon Mountain Caverns
128 miles from downtown Nashville · about 2 hours
Raccoon Mountain, west of Chattanooga, TN
Raccoon Mountain Caverns is a privately operated cave system west of Chattanooga offering both a lit walking tour and genuine wild caving where you crawl and climb. It sits at a constant fifty-eight degrees year round, which makes it the best August plan in this guide.
- Address
- 319 West Hills Drive, Chattanooga, TN
- Crystal Palace tour
- 45 to 55 minutes, lit paths and handrails
- Wild Cave Expeditions
- Crawling, climbing and squeezing
- Phone
- 423-821-9403
Permits, fees and access
The operator does not publish hours or prices online, and booking runs through a third-party system, so call ahead or book online rather than turning up. Campground guests get fifteen percent off cave tours.
One thing to know first
The two tours are wildly different products. The walking tour suits families and the wild cave expedition genuinely involves getting muddy and squeezing through gaps. Make sure everyone in your car knows which one you booked.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.