If you go
› What: Christmas Underground.› When: Noon-8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, Dec. 1-18, then daily Dec. 19-23.› Where: Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Highway.› Admission: $11.95 ages 3 and older (combo tickets available for waterfall tour).› Phone: 423-821-2544.› Website: www.rubyfalls.com/christmas.
Seasonal decor sets the mood for Christmas Underground at Ruby Falls.Santa may spend most of his time at the North Pole, but for part of December he'll trade top of the world for 26 stories below ground at Ruby Falls.
For proof, check out Christmas Underground, a magical adventure with a secret underground passage that leads to Santa. The holiday attraction is open each Thursday through Sunday the first two weekends of December. Starting Thursday, Dec. 15, Christmas Underground will be open daily through Friday, Dec. 23.
This festive event is designed for children to visit gemstone mines and enjoy interactive fun like panning for gems called "joystones" (which spread the spirit of Christmas), using the joystone tester and cracking their own joystone geode. The journey through the mines takes adventurers past the Northern Lights and Sugar Plum Fairy Village, into a tunnel (optional) and an ice cave to Santa's subterranean North Pole.
Officials with the iconic attraction say the cavern's constant 60-degree temperature makes it "the perfect atmosphere to experience nighttime magic during the day."
Christmas Underground is in a separate part of the cave from where regular tours lead to the 145-foot waterfall, located 1,120 feet below the surface of Lookout Mountain. Combo tickets are available for the holiday event and the waterfall tour.