Top Chattanooga Historical Tours

The Crystal Palace Tour is a 45-55 minute guided walking tour through the first 1/4 mile of the cave. This section of the cave has been modified to include lights, pathways, steps, and handrails. Education is the focus of our tours and your guide will explain how caves form, provide a history of the cave, and point out a wide variety of formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, and much more, including rare shield and helictite formations! Guests also have a chance to view cave wildlife including bats and salamanders, as well as ancient fossils. Photography is welcomed, however you must keep up with the group. As a reminder our cave is not wheelchair or child stroller accessible.

Get an overview of Chattanooga’s history and culture in just a few hours aboard a charming trolley that gives your feet a break between destinations and lets you cover more ground than walking. Vintage car enthusiasts will love the Coker Museum and its collection of old cars and planes.

Prebook your National Medal of Honor Heritage Center Admission Ticket before you arrive in Chattanooga and secure your time at the museum as it’s one of the city’s newest attractions and can fill up fast. Use your ticket during the center’s operating hours and go at your own pace through the exhibit. Plus, you’ll also start your visit with a short video explaining the importance of the National Medal of Honor.

With blood-soaked grounds, haunted taverns, and a not-quite-ancient curse, one thing is sure: Chattanooga’s haunted side runs as fast as its chugs and choo-choos. On this guided, small-group tour, you’ll hear all its wild stories, meet its “spirited” characters, wander its spookiest streets, and maybe even catch some ghostly action yourself.

Uncover the spooky past of Chattanooga, Tennessee when you embark on this family-friendly ghost tour through the city’s historic locations. Listen to stories from the Civil War, murders, and other otherwordly sightings as you make your way around the city. Stroll along the river, stop at the Hunter Museum of American Art, walk along Cherry Street, and see the romantic May’s Urban Mansion.

Come see Tennessee's most unique distillery offering a wide range of award winning spirits. Tour our amazing distillery with five hand-built still systems capable of producing everything from vodka to rum, absinthe to agave and of course our astonishing gin which is one of the very best in the world according to Forbes magazine. We make whiskey too! Bourbon, rye and Single Malt are all produced in-house and aged in our signature Boxcar Barrelhouse! The distillery is a proud member of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail!

Your tour will take you from the historic Bessie Smith Cultural Center, through the heart of downtown’s arts, music, and memorial landmarks, and end at the start of the iconic Walnut Street Bridge overlooking the river. Go at your own pace, anytime. The tour never expires. This is a hands free experience, put your phone in your pocket and be guided step by step through the city.

The Tennessee River’s Chickamauga Dam is a marvel of engineering, holding back floodwaters while producing hydroelectric power. Experience this impressive structure up close by kayaking through the dam’s lock on this remarkable guided tour. Over the course of around three hours, you’ll paddle into the lock, watch the gates close, and slowly sink down some 50 feet before paddling back out into the river.

Discover the dark side of Chattanooga's storied past on this thrilling walking ghost tour. See the city's spookiest haunts alongside a local and professional guide for a tour as haunting as it is historical. Hear stories of lurking spirits and make a few stops along the way to take photos or potential supernatural beings.

This guided tour of Underground Chattanooga delves into the hidden history beneath the city's streets. Over the course of 2-3 hours, participants will journey through time, exploring the remnants of the old city buried below the modern landscape. The tour combines historical insights, architectural exploration, and local legends, offering a unique perspective on Chattanooga's past.

What a way to explore the town of Chattanooga, by a private horse and carriage tour, where the driver always brings a dog as a copilot. You'll pass by several historical spots, like the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel built in 1908, and then the aquarium, and Tivoli Theater. This tour lasts about an hour, and you can have a group of 7 people total.

The Chattanooga Tunnels Extended Guided Tour is a 3.5-hour exploration of the city's hidden underground network, blending historical insights with both driving and walking elements. Starting at Ross's Landing, the tour covers significant tunnel locations, including the Walnut Street Bridge, Cameron Hill, and the Chattanooga Choo Choo Complex. Participants will delve into the tunnels' roles during the Civil War, their use in the Prohibition era, and their importance to the city's rail and industrial development. The tour also includes a lunch break at a local eatery and visits to the Bluff View Art District and the St. Elmo neighborhood. The experience concludes with a visit to a Civil War site, highlighting the tunnels' strategic importance during the Battle of Chattanooga, before returning to the starting point at Ross's Landing.

This digital scavenger hunt lets you learn all about Chattanooga—without a traditional tour guide—while you explore, solve challenges, and answer questions with your teammates. This is an app-led activity, so you don’t need a guide there in person and can start and finish whenever you like, but plan on approximately two hours to complete the scavenger hunt.