Rock City Guide
Lookout Mountain is in Chattanooga on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. It has several prime tourist attractions. One place we have come back to multiple times is Rock City. This is our Rock City Guide.
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Overview
WEBSITE: https://www.seerockcity.com/
We associate Rock City with Tennessee and Chattanooga. It is actually located right across the state line in Georgia. However, it is only a 15-minute drive from downtown Chattanooga.
Rock City is a combination natural garden and man-made tourist attraction. For years, I had thought of it as another tourist trap. Throughout the south you will see many advertisements for Rock City. Nevertheless, this is one of those attractions that actually lives up to the hype.
Tickets
As mentioned, Rock City is one of those attractions advertised all over the south. There are all kinds of ticket packages. Many hotels will offer packages or discounts. There are also combo passes with other nearby attractions, most notably Ruby Falls and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.
Rock City hours generally run from 8:30 am to 6 pm. The entry cost is $21.95 for adults and $12.95 for children (3 to 12). If you visit more than twice a year it is worth investing in an annual pass which is $45 adults, $27 for children.
There are also some premium events that cost more. On summer weekends there is a Summer Music Fest. During October weekends Rock City has Oktoberfest. From Thanksgiving to New Year, Rock City is open late for the Enchanted Garden of Lights. During these times tickets are $26.95 adults, $14.95 for children. A big advantage of the annual pass is it admits you to these events,
Lookout Mountain sells combo tickets to its core attractions. A combo ticket for Ruby Falls and Rock City is $43.90. However, each attraction is priced at $21.95 so the savings is not clear unless there is special event pricing.
We recommend Ruby Falls and have a guide to that as well.
Many Chattanooga hotels offer packages that can get you into Rock City and other attractions.
| Attraction | Price |
| Rock City | $21.95 adult; $12.95 child |
| Ruby Falls & Rock City | $43.90 adult; $25.90 child |
| Ruby Falls & Rock City & Incline Railway | $56.90 adult; $31.90 child |
| Ruby Falls | $21.95 adult; $12.95 child |
| Incline Railway | $15 adult; $7 child |
| Rock City Annual Pass | $45 adult; $27 child |
| Rock City Special Events | $26.95 adult; $14.95 child |
History
I found the best history of Rock City at this site. The short version is that Rock City is named after a Tennessee Civil War regiment, the Rock City Guards. Lookout Mountain was the site of a Civil War battle and the National Park operates a visitor center and tour of the battleground.
Meanwhile, Rock City started purely a private venture. In the 1920s Garnet Carter began buying land at the top of Lookout Mountain. His wife Frida planted gardens on the property. In 1927 a road was built to the top of Lookout Mountain. The Carter’s took advantage of the new auto tourism boom to open Rock City as an attraction in 1932.
Rock City may be more famous for its pioneering use of advertising. Starting in 1935, Carter began painting barns throughout the south with the slogan See Rock City. These barns acted as billboards. Until his retirement in 1969, Clark Byers painted 900 barns in 19 states.
What to See
Rock City is a walking tour along a 4,100 foot path through the gardens. This does not sound that exciting but the scenery is definitely worth it.
The pathway has many steps and narrow passages. This means kids love exploring. There is a swinging bridge that goes high above the Tennessee River.
The trail ends at a scenic overlook where supposedly you can see seven states (Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia). There is a man-made waterfall and several scenic overlooks.
For nature lovers, there are all kinds of natural plants throughout the gardens. Combined with the scenic view and natural rock formations, this makes Rock City unique.
On a more man-made level there is the Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village. These are dark caverns with fairytale scenes lit up by black light. Freida Carter created this in the 1940s to honor her native Germany.
In recent years, Rock City has started to add more modern art pieces.
A visit to Rock City takes about 2 hours. There is of course the gift shop and several dining options. Gnomes and birdhouses (painted like Rock City barns) are popular souvenirs. Throughout Rock City you will see multiple gnomes.
A trip to Rock City can easily be combined with a visit to nearby Ruby Falls.
Is it Worth It?
When I was younger, I saw Rock City advertising all over the place but never actually visited. As an adult, I have been to Rock City three times and always enjoy it. It has become a family favorite even as our kids hit their teenage years. This is a place that seems like a tourist trap but is actually much better than you would expect.
Even if you are not into gardens or plants, Rock City offers a lot. For children exploring this area is wonderful. Even the old-fashioned Mother Goose Village is a charming flashback in time to a more innocent era.
Visitors seem to agree as the rating on TripAdvisor is 4.5 out of 5 stars. That is higher than Ruby Falls which gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Check out our guide to Chattanooga for some other places we have visited.
