There are few places providing mineral springs water in the Southern United States.
However, when looking at the history, you will notice some places fell into a decline due to advance in medical technology and diversified leisure.
Visit the last hot spring in the State of Tennessee.
Ruby Falls
Ruby Falls are one of the largest falls located in the underground space.
Photo by Joshua Forrest - Ruby Falls (2014) / CC BY 2.0
It creates a unique spectacle a 145-foot high waterfall located at 1,000 feet below the surface of the ground.
The water comes from the mixture of rain and mineral springs water.
Medicinal Water
It is two hour's drive from Ruby Falls to Nashville, the capital of the Tennessee.
Additional one and a half drive is required from Nashville to Red Boiling Springs, a small town near the state line of Kentucky.
During the 1920s, there were more than ten hotels providing mineral springs water, but most of them had to close the business.
This facility is the only exception that provides the springs water today.
The family-owned inn started their business in 1924.
Already at the entrance, you will notice strong smell of hydrogen sulfide.
They provide a massage after dipping in the water.
Going through the massage room, here is the only bathroom of the inn.
Two small tubs are located in the closed space for a couple.
Deposits of the water heavily adhere to the tubs.
The original water is cold, so you will mix it with heated one inside the tubs.
A good mineral spring does not automatically mean a hot spring.
It is often seen that a mineral spring in low temperature keeps the volatile components in the water, which makes it characteristic.
This one is the case in point, and change to opaque after some minutes.


The name of the town "boiling" does not mean high temperature, but imply the kind of characteristic looking of water.
The nature of the spring is so powerful that you will realize that it had been used for medical purposes.
If once the inn renovates the bathroom left behind the times, it is not hard to anticipate that the last mineral springs in Tennessee attracts lots of attention again.
Summary
Armour's Red Boiling Springs Hotel, Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee, U.S.
Rating
- StyleWalk-in (spa) / Lodging
- RulePrivate
- ChlorinationNone
- TemperatureHeated cold springs water