The Lost Sea Adventure
When I googled things to do in Tennessee this popped up. I was a little skeptical at first but decided to give it a shot. It is the largest underground lake in North America and the second largest in the world. The Lost Sea Adventure is located 2.5 hours outside of Nashville in the town of Sweet Water, Tennessee.
The tour is really well done. Our tour guide, Jess, was amazing and the facts that she presented were interesting. I was really impressed with it. You started out in this yellow shoot. I felt like I was about to hop on Apollo thirteen. The cavern itself is pretty dark but has artificial light throughout. Fun Fact-if you stayed in the pitch black cave for two years you would be permanently blind. Like any good tour, you have to get your photo taken in front of their UnderGround sign. You walk around the upper portion of the cave and learn all about cave growth and history. They finally put to rest the difference between stalagmites and stalactites. Now the work begins, you begin your trek down to the lake. It is not too bad and the group stops frequently for breaks. I will say that the site does a horrible job explaining that this trek is not for everyone, will get into that later. You begin your descent down to the actual lake. There, get into a slow motor boat and you take a 10 minute ride on the largest underground lake.
The lake is home to some fish which you will get to feed and then it is time to climb back out. This is a trek up the steep incline. Again, you take frequent breaks but I would be lying if I said this is a breeze for everyone. After you make it back to the top, the tour is over.
After you survive your trek back up, make sure you head to the gift shop and look at the picture you took at the beginning. I did buy this one, vacation Gina thought $12 was a bargain. They also have an ice cream shop so make sure you head over there for a scoop. The shop does close in September. They also have a shop that has some really great blown glass. I could not pass up a Lost Sea ornament.
Now one thing I will say, this is not something everyone is physically able to do. I wish the website gave more of a warning on this. If you go, make sure you are comfortable walking on uneven ground and the equivalent of 14 flights of stairs. I would also recommend tennis shoes and a sweatshirt. The cavern stays at a brisk 56 degrees all year round. The staff are very good about giving refunds as we saw an elderly man back out of the tour because he wasn’t confident that he would be able to do it!
After you finish exploring the Lost Sea, head into town and check out Main Street. It is super cute and has some really great antique places.
I had a lot of fun exploring this cave and I think it was worth the money! Go enjoy the tour and a nice ice cream after!
Things to remember, wear good walking shoes, dress the part it can be chilly down there, and make sure you are physically able to walk this cavern.
Follow me on Instagram at jennablaski for more adventures!
