Chattanooga was just a stopping off point between Asheville and Nashville, and just happened to be near to Lynchburg - home of the famous Jack Daniel.

We spent the morning at Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public. The falls are 1120 feet underground and are reached via a 260 foot elevator ride. The approach to the cavern where the falls are found is lined with unique geological structures such as the Leaning Tower and Donkey. The falls themselves are quite spectacular.

Leaving Chattanooga, we were making our way to Lynchburg when we realised we had crossed time zones and were now on Central time so we gained an extra hour to spend at the Jack Daniels distillery. Once again the tour was free but unfortunately, Lynchburg lies in Moore County which is a "dry" county so no alcohol could be purchased - we also didn't get any samples but I'm not quite sure why as alcohol can be consumed (and given away). In fact, every employee of Jack's is given a pint of JD on the first Friday of every month!! This is known locally as "Good Friday"!

We had a great tour guide who was very informative and very funny and was grateful for the 4 Brits who were on the tour as the UK is the number 1 export market for JD. The tour took us up close to the whole process of whiskey making and in fact we were encouraged to smell the sour mash as it fermented in the tanks - the smell was indescribable and actually hurt your nostrils!! We also got to smell the 140 percent proof alcohol as it dripped through the 10 foot of charcoal that purifies the liquid. At the end of the tour we were taken through the whiskey houses where 1000s of barrels of JD are stored for 6-8 years before being tasted to check if they are ready for bottling. JD is considered ready on taste not on time so the exact length of time in the barrel varies. Actually they don't need to give away samples as by the end of the tour you are drunk on the fumes alone!!!

After the tour we took a walk through the village of Lynchburg which amazingly has a population of less than 500 and got to try JD ice cream!!!