Hiwassee Loop Train Ride
$50+A 50-mile, four-and-a-half-hour excursion from Delano through the Hiwassee River Gorge to the 1898 loop where the track spirals over itself near Farner.

Photo: Brenda, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Guided cave tour in Sweetwater, Tennessee, ending with a boat ride on a large underground lake.
140 Lost Sea Road, Sweetwater, TN 37874 · Sweetwater, TN
Craighead Caverns holds The Lost Sea, an underground lake that the site presents as the largest of its kind in America. Visitors take a guided walk of about three-quarters of a mile round trip, lasting roughly 75 minutes, then board a boat on the water. The tour covers the cave's history, including traces left by Cherokee people, Confederate soldiers, and a prehistoric jaguar. The nearby village offers further activities before or after the tour. Booking tickets ahead is recommended to secure a time slot.
The closest stops to Craighead Caverns, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
A 50-mile, four-and-a-half-hour excursion from Delano through the Hiwassee River Gorge to the 1898 loop where the track spirals over itself near Farner.
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