Underground wonderland

On Monday, Ruby Falls opens a new holiday event

photo Ruby Falls' Christmas Underground is "almost like a new path to the North Pole," says public relations manager Meagan Jolley.

If you go> What: Ruby Falls' Christmas Underground holiday celebration> When: Dec. 1-23. Open 3-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday> Where: Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Highway> Admission: $9.95 ages 3 and up; $22.95 if combined with standard Ruby Falls tour; carriage rides $19.95 when purchased with Christmas Underground or Ruby Falls tour> Phone: 423-821-2544> Website: www.rubyfalls.com/ruby-falls-christmas-underground

photo A youngster visits Saint Nick in his Ice Den.

After they shooed away the mindless fiends lurking in its darkest recesses, Ruby Falls employees faced some serious blitz redecorating to transform the terrorizing confines of the Haunted Cavern into a cheery holiday wonderland.

And when the Falls' Christmas Underground opens on Monday, Dec. 1, guests who visited at Halloween probably won't recognize it as the same place, says public relations manager Meagan Jolley.

"That was certainly a big task that they took on, to change all that out in such a quick turnaround," she says.

And despite taking guests into a cave 26 stories under Lookout Mountain, she adds, the attraction isn't as incompatible with Christmas cheer as it might seem.

"The regular, normal, everyday Ruby Falls tour isn't scary; it's a great experience. It's lit, and you can see," she says. "This event will be even happier than your normal cave and waterfall tour. It's very Christmasy."

During the event's three-week run, guests will descend into the mountain and explore a side cavern that isn't seen during the normal falls tour, which will operate separately during Christmas Underground.

When they arrive 26 stories below the surface, visitors will spend about 45 minutes navigating passageways strung with lights and filled with miners and elves who are digging into the mountain in pursuit of "joystone," a mineral imbued with the Christmas spirit. They also will explore a Sugar Plum Fairy Village, meet reindeer and view the Northern Lights before visiting Saint Nick in his Ice Den.

"It's almost like a new path to the North Pole," Jolley says.

In previous years, Ruby Falls' Ruby Red Christmas celebration was focused on providing above-ground activities, including storytelling, music and arts and crafts. The festivities also featured carriage rides, which have been carried over this year, but for the most part, this is an entirely new event, she says.

"This is a bigger and more themed-out event than Ruby Red Christmas," Jolley says. "We're always looking for new ways to make our events more special or to add to them. You have to theme it around what makes sense."

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.

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