Spending a Weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee

For many in the South, Knoxville is synonymous with University of Tennessee. But if your favorite college football allegiance is preventing you form visiting the city, you’re missing out.

Especially in the fall.

While Sarah Malak, senior manager of public relations, Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation, agrees that Knoxville prides themselves on being a college town, she points out it’s one of the prime destinations in the state for a little ‘play ‘n stay.’ That is, stay the weekend, see the foliage throughout the Smoky Mountains and then return to spend the night, and explore Knoxville the next day.

Now, this leads to the next question: what is there to do in the city?

And the answer is: A LOT!

Whether you’re visiting by yourself, as a couple or a family, you’ll quickly discover there’s more to see, do and experience than you thought.

To help you get the most out of your visit, Malak mentions a few places that should be on top of everyone’s itinerary.

• Knoxville Zoo just may be one of the better known zoos in the region. Home to over 800 animals from around the world in natural settings, you’ll see elephants, chimpanzees, black bears and more.
• Theater Row, where you find the stately Tennessee Theatre, among others.
• When it comes to art galleries, you can discover everything from the Art Market Gallery to Knoxville Museum of Art to Art Gallery of Knoxville. Malak says Knoxville has “a lot more art galleries when compared to other cities of the same size.”
• Downtown is where it’s happening and thanks to a revitalization of the area, many people are rediscovering it. Whether it’s the  Market Square District, World’s Fair Park, with the famous Sunsphere, or Volunteer Landing, you are sure to find a crowd having a good time.
• Knoxville, like many cities in the region, has a rich and storied history. Tour historic homes and walk through history museums to learn about the city’s past. According to Malak, the city has more historic homes open daily than Charleston, S.C.

And when it comes to food, Knoxville doesn’t disappoint. Depending on your palate (and wallet), you can enjoy just about anything.

If you need any more incentive to visit, consider this – Knoxville is within a day’s drive of half the nation.

“We loves visitors,” says Malak. “We’re been told time and time again by visitors that we really know how to welcome people to our city.”

Did You Know

Knoxville’s Visitors Center isn’t your typical visitor center. In fact, it’s quite unusual. You see, from Monday –Thursday around noon, everyone gathers here for WDVX Blue Plate Special. Featuring bluegrass/Americana music, visitors are treated to live performance. On Friday, the show is live from the Square Room located at Market Square.

And while speaking of music, those into music as well as American culture can learn more about Knoxville’s rich music history. Here’s an interesting factoid: a certain record by a certain someone being played on Market Square led to a certain someone being signed by RCA records. Do you follow? If you want to know who it is, you have to take the self-guided Cradle of Country Music Walking Tour.

photo credit: all photos are courtesy of Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation; (top left) Sunsphere at night; (middle right) Market Square view; (bottom left) Blount Mansion