invme Place
Everywhere
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish

Tuckaleechee Caverns

Caves & gorges ·Townsend ·Closed
4.88.5K
#6Caves & gorges in the USMost reviewed in TownsendTravelers' Choice 2026
Make a plan here
Directions Website Call Bookmark

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

Is this your place? Get the badge for your website

About

Tuckaleechee Caverns is a show cave with an entrance in Townsend, Tennessee, extending beneath Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

More photos 7

1 / 7
Tuckaleechee Caverns

Tuckaleechee CavernsTuckaleechee CavernsTuckaleechee CavernsTuckaleechee CavernsTuckaleechee CavernsTuckaleechee CavernsTuckaleechee Caverns

Why go

  • Silver Falls drops 210 feet and is the Eastern US’s tallest subterranean waterfall.
  • The caverns are estimated to be 20–30 million years old.
  • The Big Room could nearly hold a football field.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 17:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 17:00
Tuesday10:00 – 17:00
Wednesday10:00 – 17:00
Thursday10:00 – 17:00
Friday10:00 – 17:00
Saturday10:00 – 17:00
Sunday10:00 – 17:00

Don't miss

  • The Big RoomLook for stalagmites up to 24 feet tall and extensive flowstone formations.
  • Silver FallsA two-tier underground waterfall with a total drop of 210 feet.

History

  1. 17th–18th centuriesCherokees used the caverns.
  2. Mid-19th centurySawmill employees rediscovered the caverns.
  3. 1931Earl McCampbell opened tours; the caverns closed the next year during the Great Depression.
  4. 1953Townsend locals Bill Vananda and Harry Myers reopened the caverns to the public.
  5. 1955Electricity was installed after early tours used kerosene lamps.
Show all
  1. 1980sThe Myers sold their shares to the Vanandas, who have operated the caverns since.

Know before you go

  • Open daily from 10:00 to 17:00.
  • A large chamber beyond the Big Room is closed to tours because opening it would require destroying part of the cavern.

How to get there

  • On footEntrance address: 825 Cavern Rd, Townsend, Tennessee. Phone: +1 865-448-2274.

Shorts

Interesting facts2

1/2

  1. The caverns begin at White Oak Sinks inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

    Tuckaleechee Caverns - Wikipedia

  2. The caverns house SeismicTKL, a highly sensitive seismograph system monitored by the US Department of Defense and the US Geological Survey.

    Tuckaleechee Caverns - Wikipedia

Sources: Tuckaleechee Caverns - Wikipedia · Tuckaleechee Caverns Townsend TN – Greatest Sit… · checked 30 Sep 2026

Where
825 Cavern Rd, TN, Townsend

Plan from here: Evening walk →

Questions and answers

How can I contact Tuckaleechee Caverns?

Call +1 865-448-2274.

How far is the Tuckaleechee Caverns tour?

The round trip covers 1.25 miles and passes millions of cave formations.

Does the Tuckaleechee Caverns tour include the Big Room?

Yes. The tour passes through the Big Room.

Who operates Tuckaleechee Caverns?

The Vananda family operates the caverns.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment Share
Loading comments…