The Lost Sea Adventure

I saw this place on instagram when getting ready to go to Maryville, TN for the holidays. I thought it was cool looking, did no prior research and was so happy with this little adventure. They do military discounts which is cool! The tour from start to finish was about 1.5-2 hours. The caverns were cool, very neat and clean pathways with rails. The lake itself is so cool, and really pretty. The water level was average for the season (winter), but lower than what it normally is in summer. Our tour guide, Cameron was really cool, went at a good walking pace, and was super knowledgeable and gave great stories and history facts about the cave, lake, and TREVOR!!!! 🐟 There’s also a cute little “town” right outside the cave lobby/entrance hall. It was winter so only the glass blowing store was open, but there was also a general store, a sweet shop and something else that is also probably open during the warmer months. Overall, such a cute, awesome and unique stop! No regrets!

Super cool, interesting, beautiful, and a good workout on the way back up! We had a great guide, he made it fun and comfortable. I would love to go back to see everything again! It’s worth the price, and drive time (for us anyways).

Neat adventure with good staff! Maddox was my tour guide, he could do commercials, but Logan was boat tour guide. Both of them were well versed and able to add some jokes in for fun. Good job guys! Gift shop staff were friendly and helpful as well. Pics not same as in person! Appreciate overall experience 🌻

The caverns and lake are really beautiful, and it was awesome getting to see the natural beauty of the caves up close. The only thing that threw me off a bit was that our tour guide seemed a little checked-out and wrapped up the 1-hour tour in about 45 minutes. Other than that, it was a great experience overall, and I’d still recommend it.

This is literally a hidden treasure. It was about a 2 hour drive for us, but really glad we went. It was very crowded so glad we had purchased our tickets online. Our guide was very knowledgeable, but a fast talker. It is definitely a hike and you are warned when purchasing tickets and the hike to the lake was a lot. I have knee problems and definitely felt it after, but so glad I made it. The boat ride in the lake was really cool. Definitely worth the ride to Saltwater, Tennessee.

This. Was. Incredible. A huge shout out to Lillian for guiding us and teaching us all about this amazing chunk of history!! The cave was walkable and areas to sit if you need to. The hardest part was walking back up the steeper incline from the boat ride - but it was so worth it!! So very interesting to learn about the history and the think that people discovered that and explored it before it was made walkable and safer, with nothing but an oil lamp!!

This was a fun stop on my way down to Florida. Definitely recommend it to anyone that's passing by just check it out the staff is good or tour guide was awesome I forgot her name she was the one that walks backwards down the hill I'll tell telling us the history of the cave. Walking down to the cave was awesome no challenge. Walking back up definitely was a little winded at the end of it and I consider myself in someone good shape.

While planning my trip using ChatGPT, this gem was suggested as one of our stopping points. I didn’t see a lot of roadside signs on the interstate or even in town (which is a destination must), so I’m so glad it was recommended. The whole experience was amazing. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and provided great insight to the history of the cave and lake. The check-in host took the time to ensure that each guest was physically capable for the walking tour as it was steep, slippery, uneven and at times, strenuous. We are two ladies between 60-90 years old so we took our time and easily managed the terrain. We thoroughly enjoyed it! We went in the off season and it was still really busy, so recommendations are highly suggested.

Took a guest visiting from Germany to The Lost Sea on the outskirts of Sweetwater, TN. Our young witty guide, Noah, led a large group of us through Craighead Caverns, with its stalactites and stalagmites, and to America's largest underground lake. There we boarded 2 small boats and slowly drifted around the lake to see schools of rainbow trout swimming in the cold water, eager to snap up "Purina trout kibbles" that our guide sprinkled in the water. The terrain throughout the cave is mostly level but also steep in parts, though there's a handrail along the sides for safety. The best part: 58 degrees Fahrenheit inside the cave with a fair amount of humidity -- a pleasant contrast to the 92-degree temperature above. Ten years ago, the modern Visitors Center didn't exist. Now 1.5 years old, it includes a gift shop, and on the premises, a sweet shop and a glass blowing workshop.

The Lost Sea is misleading but it's a decent stop to check things out. Quite a hike in the cave up and down a pretty good clip. The sea is basically a very small lake... Kind of like a below ground pond. They continually add fish because they die off with no oxygen in the water and no natural light. Very strange. Not a lot to see in the cave except for the history behind it. There are many caves in Tennessee that are amazing compared to this.

The Lost Sea is America's largest underground lake and Registered National Landmark located in beautiful Sweetwater, Tennessee. The visible portion of the lake is 800 feet long by 220 feet wide. You go deep into the Craighead Caverns walking, and by glass bottom boat.( Lots of rainbow trout) 140 feet below ground, the Lost sea is the largest under ground lake in North America. 4 acres of the lake are visible, there are at least 13 more discovered acres beneath the surface. Divers have uncovered a series of rooms beneath the water. Way cool! So there is more to someday explore! It's in the 50's down there so be sure to dress for cool. And get ready to walk, on uneven terrain and there is darkness. It is amazing, beautiful and there is a lot of history.Cherokees Indians used artifacts have been discovered. During the 1800's: When the first white settlers arrived in the Tennessee Valley in the 1820's they also discovered the cave and used it for storing potatoes and other vegetables. One of the cave's earliest visitors was a giant Pleistocene jaguar whose tracks have been found deep inside the cave. Some 20,000 years ago the animal apparently lost his way in the darkness and wandered for days before plunging into a crevice far from the daylight he sought. Some of the bones, discovered in 1939, are now on display in the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Did a tour today and enjoyed it :) Chuck was a funny tour guide for our group, kept us entertained with jokes here and there. The tour itself was about an hour and half, you walk down the yellow tunnel at the beginning and then walk in and out different caves, the whole hike would be like walking 5 flights up which is not too bad especially since they built in different rest stops too. Boat ride was cool at the bottom, with wide caves. Cool to check out. Wear comfy walking shoes, the red dirt will get on a bit but washable with soap or toothpaste.

Amelia and Cordelia were our tour guides and they were very nice. We were the last group which was nice and quite boat ride. The rainbow trout were big. It was really neat and a good workout

These experiences are what you make of them. Our initial experience wasn't good. We couldn't hear the guide. We also had a lot of loud kids in the group and finally the guide seemed rushed. In our large group we got closer to the guide. When compared to our other cave visits there wasn't very much to see. Going on a boat ride in a cave was a first. The water was very clear and the fish were ever present. This made the experience.

The was so awesome! Such a cool experience and definitely worth it. It is a little over a mile walk around over clay, make sure you wear comfortable shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. The incline may catch up to you, but the tour guide takes plenty of breaks. Bring water and a sweatshirt.

So glad we drove out of our way to see this. Really beautiful and our tour guide, Kaiden, was so entertaining and made it really fun.

This was a great activity! I've been wanting to come here for many years. The tour guide was very informative and the boat tour was great. There is a place to get ice cream next door.

Very cool experience! It's a bit of a walk to get down to the lake but it's worth it ! Were comfy shoes and bring a camera! It is a guided tour and all of the tour guides were great ! They give you a lot of info and keep you entertained

Locals that have never been in 20 years. We took our youngest daughter and wow was it amazing. Hearing the history and stories throughout the entire tour was wonderful. The souvenir shop at the exit we loved. And the glass blower OMG breathtaking. See pictures!!

What an interesting history lesson. The tour guide was very informative as well as humorous. There were no children in our group however, if there were, he would have held their interest throughout the tour. It was not the most spectacular cavern I have toured but it does have the most interesting past.

This was a very cool experience! For north America's largest underwater cave it was worth it. My only reason for not giving it 5 stars was because I felt like it was a bit rushed, and I would have liked to have taken a little more time to really experience the cave.

If you love Mother Nature and caves, definitely an awesome experience! The view of the lost sea is gorgeous, something you must see. Big groups is a little disappointing specially having so many tourist getting behind and the rest of the group having to wait for them to join the group. Smaller groups at the time would make it better. If you like to hike, explore and have fun, definitely something you must do here, just wear some good footwear to HIKE, since it could be slippery

Definitely worth a visit, when else would you see an underground lake? This is not meant for small children, people with disabilities, or anyone who can't walk up/down a steep incline. I think the place is kid friendly, but definitely for older kids who don't need to be carried up a steep incline. You will probably come out of here with your heart racing a little and sweating, definitely a little mini workout to get to the top. Wear running shoes or something you're not going to slip in, the walkways are pretty safe and very well maintained but some spots are a little easy to slip. Overall this was definitely worth the visit and the money, you'll also be able to see some super cool aspects of the cave on the way down, I wish we had stopped a little longer as some of the cool formations, but I think the guide was aware that we're all here to sea the lost sea not the cave, but the cave part was so cool too. The guide was very knowledgeable about everything.

This experience of the lost cave was incredible. Our tour guides name was Rylen and he was very smart, funny, and sure good at his job. It's a very fun and cool experience when you go deep into the cave and explore the different passageways and learn about the facts about the history of the cave. The boat ride experience was also very cool and there was even fish down there (not naturally but still cool). Overall very cool place

great experience! Chuck is an amazing tour guide! kept thing fun and entertaining! recommending to all!!!

The Lost Sea has a lot to recommend it in terms of natural rarities you aren't likely to see too often in a lifetime, and with some upgrades and organizational changes, it could easily be a 5-star experience. Right now the building that houses the entrance to the cave is undergoing construction, so be prepared for that. That combined with the red clay and the 58-degree temperature inside the cave means you need to dress appropriately, including wearing solid shoes with good traction. Our tour guide was moderately entertaining, but the group sizes are way too large, which makes for a lumbering pace and a challenge to hear if you're not at the front. The boat ride is certainly slow and unremarkably thrilling, as many reviewers have shared, but if that bothers you, you kind of missed the point of a cave tour. We went on a Friday, and the cafe was not open. You could gem mine if you want to waste your money on something touristy that has nothing to do with the cave or the history of the area, although the map of gemstones from around the world gave my third grader a good opportunity to apply the map skills she is learning while we waited for the tour to start. There is a gift shop with all the souvenirs and prices you'd expect. The restrooms are in dire need of upgrading, and the pavilion where we waited for the tour guide was flanked by a giant trash barrel that was filled with water and swarms of hatching mosquitoes. Is it worth the trip? Absolutely. Could the experience be much better with a few tweaks? Absolutely. Don't go in expecting a sparkly customer experience for your $24.95 ticket ($14.95 for kids); just go to soak up the incredibly cool tricks of Mother Nature, and you'll leave a happy spelunker.

The lost sea adventure was extraordinary! My Wife & I really enjoyed the tour. Gracie, our tour guide was extreamly knowledgeable and answered all our questions about the lost sea history. The lake boat ride was really cool, lots of trout were swarming the boat as we glided through the underground lake. The hike down was an easy hike but the hike back up for me took some time. I shared photos with & our experience with several friends and several have already booked for this adventure. Check out all the photos and reviews.

Tour guide Chuck made it so entertaining and informative. Ask for him!! I live close by so have visited many times. I'm sorry to find costs have gone up so much! But then, there's a lot to do and see there.

Wow wow wow amazing seriously a must try biggest cave I've ever been in and some cool history and the lake like what what

Logan was absolutely amazing! Informative and funny. Will definitely request him when we come back

I highly recommend this. Very cool and unusual place. If you like history, hit this place up. Side note: wear good shoes and be ready to walk in the dark, with uneven ground and some areas with low headroom (I hit my heads 4 times). Also, be ready to walk up and down hills. It's not flat. From the entrance to the below ground lake, it's 140 feet down in 1/3 of a mile. If you have mobility issues, this may not be for you.

AWSOME when we were looking at the crystals it was sooo cool! Even the trout in the water awesome place and are guid was named Dixie and she was really fun and this was really COOL AWSOME PLACE!

We have been on several cavern tours, so any time we are in an area with caverns, we find time to explore them. We ordered tickets online since we wanted the noon tour & saw online "only two tickets remain!" When we got to The Lost Sea, we parked down the hill, putting sweatshirts in our backpack since several reviewers mentioned how cool it was inside. At the ticket counter, we saw the sign "No backpacks." So we checked in, and trudged down the hill to get rid of the backpack and to move our car to a parking space in front of the entrance. We kept our sweatshirts, and waited inside until the tour started. Several people came in and bought tickets for the noon tour. Weren't they sold out? Our tour guide was JD. He had a wonderful voice, perfect for movie trailers and radio shows. He educated us about the caves, pointing out formations and sights along the way to the lost sea. He was excellent. Five stars for JD. I found myself looking down most of the tour, trying not to trip and fall. It should have been better lit by our feet so I could have spent more time looking up, noticing the cool caverns we transversed. It was also more breathtaking literally than figuratively. Steep inclines had me checking my pulse and catching my breath. JD was patient, waiting for us old timers in the rear so he could keep the group of about 30 together. I'm glad I wore hiking shoes, as it was dusty and muddy at some parts. The highlight of the tour was the underground lake. We got on the small boat, and were warned not to put our fingers in the chilly water. JD said the fish have sharp teeth and like to nibble on fingers. The fish are huge, and greedily devoured the food thrown over the side by JD and another guide on a second boat for our group. A reminder to keep our hands inside the boat. The climb back up to the tour entrance and the end of the tour was intense. JD did stop 3 times for all of us to catch our breath. We did enjoy our hour inside the caverns, and once was enough. Overall, three stars. But for JD and the lake, a final score of 4 stars.

It's interesting. Get your tickets on line. They have plenty of time slots. Our group had a total of around 20 people. Not bad. Off you go into the cave, led by your guide. The walk is about 3/4 mile total. Coming back is a steady uphill. Nothing crazy. The cave part is ok. The underground lake is the end game, though. Pretty surreal looking. Water is clear and stocked with rainbow trout. You'll quietly and slowly motor around the lake aboard an aluminum boat. Ride is about 15 minutes. Total tour time took about 1:30.

Had a wonderful tour today with Lilly. Very knowledgeable about each area of the caverns and lake and answered all of my questions. Highly recommend this tour and Lilly.

To start off with, they have literally no bathrooms because of a water issue they said. So bring a roll of toilet paper, you're gonna have to pop a squat behind a bush. Even the Porta potty's are "out of service" which is ridiculous. No water needed..... Make sure you bring a jacket because its super cold inside. I didn't realize it was a walking tour. I didn't see that on their webpage. I wouldn't recommend if you are wheelchair bound because a lot of areas are steep and you'd go flying into some rocks. The tour was extremely boring. If you want to see certain parts of the cave such as the "big room" you have to go on flashlight tour which is 3 hours. But remember.... no bathrooms and you cant pop a squat in the cave. At the beginning we have to walk across a metal bridge high up. If you are afraid of heights beware. I had to have my daughter on one side of me blocking my view and I was staring at the guys head in front of me. Even then I was still wary. The deepest part of the cave is 580 feet; lake is at 140 feet underground. Deepest part of the lake is 70 feet. The tour was supposed to be 1h 15min but ended up being 1h 35min. So if you need to be somewhere after, don't go on tour. When you finally get to the boat area it goes a whole 2mph and go in a few circles and the guide tossed some food pellets to the 5 fish around the boat. "Boat ride" was 13 minutes long. Then you have 3 "rest stops" stalling for time.

Jonah was a great tour guid!! Definitely recommend The Lost Sea is a great place to go and tour!!

We traveled up to the Lost Sea in Sweetwater, Tennessee, which has the second largest underground lake in the world! I thought just SEEING this turquoise lake and taking a boat ride in a cave would be interesting enough, but just going DOWN inside the earth and listening to our tour guide Becca was FASCINATING! We learned about Cave Bacon. "Also called flowstone, cave bacon forms when water smoothly runs down an overhanging wall over and over. The mineral buildups produce a long, thin sheet, with undulations similar to crisp slices of bacon." Becca told us even more interesting things. Apparently the cave was widely used during the Civil War to gather bat poop up to make Saltpeter (which is used for explosions) and also to distill moonshine during Prohibition. In fact, ONE of the largest rooms was even used as Speakeasy! Becca even showed us some fall out shelter supplies that were stored down there when America had been threatened by bombing. The caverns were HUGE and beautiful too! They had added Rainbow Trout into the Lake years ago and tagged the fish to see where they ended up. They wanted to know if the lake fed OUT to any nearby streams. However, the fish we fed WAY too often for them to want to leave their homes. If you are traveling up to Gatlinburg, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this amazing national treasure! Afterwards we ate a WELL deserved lunch at Sweetwater Valley Farm. We ate loaded Grilled Cheese sandwiches filled with all the varied choices of cheese the farm created as well as luscious milkshakes!

Best time ever our tourgide spike is the best and is nice and funny best time ever for 1 hr you can also go on a boat ride where you can feel the water and see blind trout only down side is there website is outdated but other wise 5 stars

I came here with my great aunt(70+) and cousin(17). I haven't been since I was a child, probably 20 plus years ago, so I vaguely remember that visit, it was nice to experience it again as an adult. Our tour guide Skyler did a great job, he spoke loud and clear, and was even a little funny at times! He did a great job pointing out all the low passage areas so we knew where to duck. He clearly knows the key talking points very well and made the experience an enjoyable one! If you go, be prepared to hike, it's only three quarters of a mile round trip, but there are some pretty steep declines and inclines, so you're gonna want to wear good walking shoes. I think I was the only person in flip flops, and it was manageable, but I definitely would have felt more confident going down in sneakers. The boat tour was really neat, and informational, as was the entire hike down to the lake. The boat guide, which was a young lady whose name I can't recall at the moment, told us all about the trout in the lake and the different depths of the water, and the many things they've learned about the underground lake. The trek back up has multiple rest areas, which we stopped at for a couple minutes each for more history on the caverns; my aunt greatly appreciated the moments of rest along the way. This is a great outing for older kids, the little ones likely won't appreciate it, and I can't imagine it would be fun having to carry them the entire time as one parent in our group did. There are a couple of shopping opportunities on the premises - gift shop at the cave, and a general store across the way, as we as a sweets shop that serves ice cream.

We've done other caverns that were a better experience, but still an overall cool experience. Your group size is pretty large, 20-25 people which makes hearing and keeping up with the tour guide difficult, especially when you're behind slower people in the group. Definitely recommend tennis shoes and a light jacket if you get cold easily. We walked slower to not trip as some of the pathway was steep and limited lighting. Overall it was a cool experience.

This was the coolest thing ever! I am a Flatlander from Florida and loved every second of the tour. All the staff was wonderful and our tour guide Becca was informative, energetic and funny. It was awesome to see an underground lake and take a boat ride on it. I highly recommend seeing this if you are in the area!

We drove almost 2 hours to get here while on vacation and were happy that we did. The Lost Sea Adventure was just that, a great family adventure. You start the tour by going 140 feet underground into a yellow tunnel. Once you're down there, there's so many different beautiful things to check out. Our tour guide Shelby was super friendly and informative. She kept the tour fun and upbeat the entire time. Even when we were struggling to get through that uphill walk! Pro tip: Definitely wear tennis shoes and be prepared to take a hike uphill. 3/4 of a mile felt like 3 miles. Someone in our group had a baby stroller and we all felt bad for them! The boat tour was of course our favorite part. The water was beautiful and filled with rainbow trout. We had a party of 6 and everyone enjoyed themselves while there. I'd definitely recommend this place!

We enjoyed our tour with Skyler. He was entertaining and very knowledgeable. Beautiful place too.

Enjoyable experience. Just beware if you get there at 9am when they open, they don't start the first tour until 10am, so you will have to hang out for an hour after buying your tickets. $2 discount for veterans and seniors.

I went here a few years ago, absolutely amazing. My grandmother took me here and this place was the most fun I had as we were leaving TN.

Gracie was amazing! You will love this with her as your tour guide! Boat ride was also great.

This place is amazing for an adventure. My kids loved the small boat ride. There is a lake in the cave. We stayed over night and if you were too I suggest some ear plugs to sleep. We had fun.

The boat ride was amazing, and we learned a lot about all the events that happened inside the cave whether it was hundreds of years ago or weeks ago. Our tour guide, Skylar, did an amazing job showing us around and teaching us all about it! He was very funny and kind, and even let my little brother and I get a photo with him.

The first time going to The Lost Sea back in the 80's was very enjoyable. Today while visiting I was not happy! I have asthma and humidity makes it very hard to breath. 98%! Also I felt rushed to get in and out! They practically "run" you thu! I literally ran the whole time to keep up! Our guide talked so fast I didn't understand a word she said. The boat ride was about 15 minutes! The water and surroundings were beautiful! I'm on vacation not running a marathon! I wont go back!

We had such a fun morning exploring the cave and the Lost Sea! We drove about 45 minutes out of the way to get there and it was well worth the travel time to visit America's largest underground lake , a registered national landmark and a Civil War Trail Marker. Our young female tour guide was sassy , informative and well spoken. She was also prepared and able to answer any and all questions our group had . I think her name was Olivia (but I could be wrong). She did great! Tips: They offer a Triple A discount. Be sure to wear appropriate shoes because the terrain can be slippery as there are several inclines where you need grip . Also, it can get chilly so if you are cold natured bring a jacket or blanket. Tips: Also, make sure you don't go in the same group with young kids or babies. You will not be able to focus on all the amazing cave details and info the guide provides with screaming babies and hyper kids. We got there as soon as they opened so our group was small and all adults. If you are looking for a challenge , they offer more rugged and interactive tours where you get to climb around the cave. Tips: Lastly, they take a picture of you once you are down in the cave that is available for purchase so be camera ready:) I had a lot of favorite moments and highlights on this tour but I don't want to spoil it all for you. Just know you will enjoy it! If you get hungry , they have a restaurant on site as well as a candy store. There is also a walking trail and gift store .

This was such a fun adventure to go on! Our tour guide Kasey made it a memorable experience by keeping the mood super light and fun while also showing us the caves coolest features. Me and my wife were in our honeymoon and the small group of 6 we had made it better to crack jokes, get personal, and even stopped to watch our guide bust a move to some beastie boys! I definitely recommend to anyone who's looking for something cool to do in Tennessee. If possible I'd love to come back for the spelunking tours Kasey mentioned. 5 stars all around

Absolutely fantastic! We have been twice. We did it as a valentines date & came back yesterday, with our boys! So much information and the tour guides are wonderful!

We had a very nice adventure seeing the Lost Sea. Out guide, Miracle was very knowledgeable and patient. She stayed in tune with the needs of the group

Arrival easily spotted. Tickets online were bought and when we got there 30mins earlier then the tour time tickets they let us in with the early group. It was a neat experience. I know people travel from all over the states to visit. Not sure it was worth the money. You get the history of the caves and how it was found. Nothing much for little kids if they can't understand the history and not stroller friendly. My 8 year old nephew thought it was boring. My 2 year was over it within being there for 15mins. Boat ride a quick mini ride into the water and back. Best to wear your hiking non slippery shoes. And a light jacket. Your walking steeply down and you have to trek back up. A lot of ducking for tall people.

We went on the Lost Sea tour and it was great! Our tour guide, Tyler, did a great job and gave us a lot of cool info about the cave and lake. There's a lot of walking but it wasn't too bad. There are plenty of stops along the way to rest up if you need to. The boat ride was the best part and watching the trout swim around the boat was really cool. We highly recommend this!!

What a joke. Total BS tourist trap. I have to admit, I was fooled and thought this would be a really cool place to see. It isn't. This "cave" is pretty lame especially if you have seen Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico or Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. The "lake" is really a pond and the "boat ride" is merely taking the boat in the middle of the pond and going around in circles while the guide tells you stupid "facts" which most of them are far fetched. Casey was our guide and he was annoying not entertaining whatsoever. He kept repeating "does anyone have any questions, comments or sarcastic remarks?" over and over again. Not funny Casey, just annoying like you. The "ladies" working here are rude, unpleasant and just have a negative persona. Save your money and time and go somewhere else.