* Hours: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. through August, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. September-October.

* Distance/fuel cost: 66 miles from downtown Chattanooga on I-75 North. Take Exit 60 to get to state Highway 68. Turn right at Highway 68 and travel 7.3 miles. Turn left at Lost Sea Road. Estimated fuel cost for 146 miles round-trip: $27.67.

* Admission: $15.95 ages 13 and older, $7.45 children.

* Why it’s worth the trip: Visitors explore America’s largest underground lake while riding in a glass-bottom boat.

* For the kids: Panning for gold and gemstones in the old-fashioned gem mine. Scouts, church youth groups or other groups of 12 may book in advance a Wild Cave Adventure, flashlight tours into undeveloped cave rooms, crawling through crevices and crannies. Wear old clothes; you will get down and dirty in the caverns.

* Cost-saving tip: Pack a lunch and eat in the picnic area near the entrance to Sweetwater Village, a cluster of log cabins that house craftsmen such as a glassblower and blacksmith, a general store, restaurant and the gem mine.

* More information: www.thelostsea.com.

Send your ideas and photos for other One Tank Wonders to mkennedy@timesfreepress.com.

ONE TANK WONDERS SAVE GAS

EDITOR’S NOTE: One Tank Wonders is a weekly feature of the Times Free Press, highlighting destinations within a day’s drive of Chattanooga. In coming weeks look for features on:

Turner Field, Atlanta. Distance: 105 miles. Tickets: $9 and up. Info: atlanta.braves.mlb.com.

Fall Creek Falls, near Crossville, Tenn. Distance: 70 miles. Admission: Park free; $20 for campsites; $68-$200 for lodges and cabins. Info: http://www. myfallcreekfalls.com/

Six Flags, Atlanta Distance: 118 miles Admission: $30-$40 Info: http://www.sixflags.com

U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Ala. Distance: 106 miles Admission: $15-$20 Info: http://www.spacecamp. com/museum/

Ocoee River, Benton, Tenn. Distance: 63 miles Cost: $35-$99 Info: http://www. ocoeeadventurecenter.com/

Carter House (Franklin Battlefield), Franklin, Tenn. Distance: 137 miles Admission: $4-$8 Info: http://www.carterhouse.org

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