Knoxville, TN Road Trips

Knoxville sits nestled on the Tennessee River about an hour from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On any evening of the week, throngs of residents and visitors can be seen at the sidewalk cafes, theaters, restaurants and night clubs along Gay Street and Market Square. The University of Tennessee, with its 27,000 students, is within walking distance of the downtown, separated only by the World's Fair Park. You can still see remnants of the 1982 World's Fair in the Sunsphere, a rising structure topped with a gold sphere which dots Knoxville's skyline. Most of the other structures from the Fair were removed to create a large city park, which attracts families, students, and artists on weekends and sunny days. The World's Fair brought a lot of attention and development to the city, including high-rise office structures, and the four-star Hilton, Crowne Plaza and Marriott hotels. The city is home to a thriving college athletics scene, with the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team. The basketball teams play in the more-than 21,000 seat Thompson–Boling Arena, and the football team plays in Neyland Stadium, one of the largest on-campus stadiums in the world at 103,000 seating capacity. During the fall you will find plenty of orange in the foliage, but you will see Big Orange (another nickname for the UTK athletic programs) year-round with the people of Knoxville.

Fort Sanders neighborhood. A multitude of Victorian-era houses. Market Square. A small, historic downtown square, home to dining, retail, a twice weekly farmer's market, and special events. Market Square takes its name from the Market House that once stood at its center. Farmers from surrounding areas would bring their wagons into Knoxville's Market House to sell their wares. Today the square is full of interesting little shops and restaurants. Entering the southern end of the square from Union Avenue, one may pass the bell from the old Market House as well as a statue commemorating Tennessee's role in the fight for women's suffrage. Dotted with benches and tables, Market Square is a lovely place to spend a few hours browsing the shops, dining with friends, or watching children play in the small fountain. A lucky square patron may happen upon anything from a pair of cellists playing Beatles songs to an ice cream give away. Unless an event is taking place in the downtown area, parking at the Market Street garage (on Walnut) is free on weeknights after six pm and all day on weekends. Event parking is usually five dollars. Old City. A lot of interesting architecture and a chief nightlife spot. Lots of bars and pubs for every taste. Gay Street. The main drag in downtown Knoxville, home to a number of shops, a movie theater, and restaurants. Mast General Store, featuring clothing, sports equipment and southern Americana is very popular. Tennessee Theatre. On Gay Street downtown. The state theater of Tennessee and is an interesting example of Moorish architecture.

Fishing The Tennessee River's bass producing waters feature an abundance of fishing opportunities. From the lower end of Pickwick, legendary for world-class smallmouth fishing, the river pours through a powerful tailwater before winding many miles until backing into the Kentucky Lake basin. Kentucky Lake, covering 164,000 acres (109,000 in Tennessee), is legendary for its largemouth bass fishing. Whether you enjoy pure river fishing, open-reservoir structure fishing or casting to cover in creeks or backwaters, there's a Tennessee fishing experience waiting for you. Motorcycling Living in the Knoxville area puts you near America's number one motorcycle road: The Tail of the Dragon. If 318 curves over 11 miles sounds a little too exciting, enjoy the area's many other roadways. Loop through Smoky Mountain National Park or follow the backbone of the Appalachian Mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Craft Axe Throwing (West Knoxville) (Axe, Hatchet or Tomahawk Throwing), 320 N Peters Rd Suite 107, ☏ +1 865 353-8868, [email protected]. A destination for axe-throwing, tomahawk, and hatchet enthusiasts. Craft beverages are available. Groups and parties welcome. Experts will guide you through axe-throwing, ensuring a safe and entertaining experience for all skill levels. (updated Oct 2023) Tennessee Volunteers, 1600 Phillip Fulmer Way, Suite 200, toll-free: +1-800-332-VOLS (8657). The Tennessee Vols and Lady Vols (the "Lady" nickname is used in several women's sports, most notably basketball) are an integral part of the Knoxville lifestyle.

Knoxville has plenty of restaurants, although the diversity and quality of them can be disappointing if you're not willing to look beyond the major chain locations. Persevere, however, and you will find some diamonds in the rough. Vegetarians and vegans are generally not well catered to, there are exceptions and the vigilant vegetarian or vegan will not starve. Knoxville has most typical fast-food chains in one or more places around town. Petro's. Petro's was founded in Knoxville during the energy-themed 1982 World's Fair. The petro consists of corn chips, chili, cheese, green onions, tomatoes, and sour cream, and it comes in beef, chicken, and vegetarian varieties. It goes well with Petro's Hint-of-Orange Iced Tea. M&M Catering, 1039 Summer Wood Rd, ☏ +1 865-692-1003, fax: +1 865-531-3048. For melt-in-your-mouth barbeque, go to this small cement block setup, open daily. Elidio's Pizza, 6714 Central Ave Pike, ☏ +1 865-687-1002. Great New York-style pizza and other Italian offerings. Jacob's Restaurant and Grill (Jacob's Timeout Deli), 5307 N Middlebrook Pike, ☏ +1 865-584-6671. 10:30AM-4PM. Fantastic burgers and deli sandwiches. Run by Jacob, who immigrated from Israel in the late 1960s and opened up this restaurant. (updated Jun 2018) Aubrey's. Fresh seafood, steaks, and salads. Voted "Best of Knoxville" in the Knoxville-News Sentinel. Calhoun's, 6515 Kingston Pike, 400 Neyland Drive, and 10020 Kingston Pike. Voted as serving the best ribs in all of America, Calhoun's offers what they call a "taste of Tennessee".

Market Square and the Old City house a number of bars, probably too many to list here. Below are a few popular locations in those areas and elsewhere. 1 Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria, 200 East Jackson Ave (In Old City), ☏ +1 865-521-0092, [email protected]. 48 drafts. Concerts on weekends. Pizzas. Billiard Room. (updated Dec 2016) 2 Downtown Grill & Brewery, 424 S. Gay St (Downtown), ☏ +1 865-633-8111. Great bar and grill on Historic Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. Good selection of beers brewed on site. Standard pub fare. Pool tables, television, and live music. Front and back patios. Popular with locals. (updated Dec 2016) 3 Fort Sanders Yacht Club, 721 S 17th St (next to the intersection of Cumberland Avenue (the Strip) and 17th Street; close to the UT campus), ☏ +1 865-673-3500. Really interesting place from a perspective of European traveler, a bar full of old 25-cent arcade games (more than ten machines like Donkey Kong, Street Fighter II, Mario Bros) plus cheap beer (different kinds) especially on Tuesdays. Smoking only outside, on a funny small patio. Great, relaxed atmosphere. (updated Dec 2016) 4 Preservation Pub, 28 Market Square (Market Square), ☏ +1 865-524-2224. Good beer selection, live music. (updated Dec 2016) 5 Union Jacks, 124 Northshore Dr, ☏ +1 865-584-5161. Low key pub scene, far from centre. (updated Dec 2016)

Hampton Inns and Suites, 618 West Main St (downtown), ☏ +1 865-522-5400. Free parking in parking garage.. MainStay Suites, 144 Merchant Dr, ☏ +1 865-247-0222. Extended-stay hotel with weekly housekeeping service, coffee makers, hair dryers, irons, ironing boards, fully equipped kitchens, microwaves, refrigerators, pillow-top mattresses, and cable TV. Some rooms have work desks, sofa sleepers and balconies. Hampton Inn Knoxville-Airport, 148 International Ave, Alcoa, ☏ +1 865-983-1101. Breakfast, outdoor pool. $69 (Oct 2022). 1 Crowne Plaza Knoxville, 401 W Summit Hill Dr SW, ☏ +1 865-522-2600. (updated Dec 2016) 2 Hilton Knoxville, 501 West Church Avenue, ☏ +1 865-523-2300. Downtown Knoxville location. Complimentary WiFi access throughout the hotel. (updated Dec 2016)

1 McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS IATA). is serviced by: American Eagle, +1-800-433-7300. **Delta Air Lines, +1-800-221-1212. United Express, +1-800-241-6522. The following cities are served non-stop from Knoxville by air: Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD),Cincinnati (CVG), Cleveland (CLE), Dallas (DFW), Denver (DEN), Detroit (DTW), Houston (IAH), Memphis (MEM), Minneapolis (MSP), New York (LGA), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington (DCA), Washington (IAD). McGhee Tyson Airport is a few miles south of downtown in nearby Blount County. Southbound Interstate 75 and westbound Interstate 40 converge in the middle of Knoxville via Interstate 275 and run concurrently through western Knoxville. I-75 and I-40 split at the western edge of Knox County. Greyhound, 100 East Magnolia Avenue, +1-800-231-2222. National bus service. Megabus. Service from Washington, D.C., Christiansburg, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville. Buses arrive and depart at the Knoxville Transit Center at 301 Church St. E. Fares from $1. Vonlane. Luxury coach service from Nashville. (updated Feb 2026) The Tennessee River runs through Knoxville and is accessible by personal watercraft. Many boaters routinely navigate the Tennessee River for both pleasure and travel. Some arrive at Neyland Stadium by boat, avoiding Knoxville's worst traffic and parking problems. The Holston and the French Broad Rivers join just upstream of Knoxville to form the Tennessee, which is navigable, courtesy of the TVA dams along the Tennessee River and U.S.

Although parking is usually easy to come by in most of the city, it may be mildly difficult at times to find adequate parking downtown and around the University of Tennessee. Walking is convenient downtown, but in other areas, most major roads are not amenable to pedestrians or bicyclists. In the outer areas of the city, because the bus service is infrequent and some places don't have sidewalks, traveling by car is the way to go. Knoxville Area Transit, or KAT. KAT runs a bus service throughout the City of Knoxville and parts of Knox County. Most KAT bus stops are served on an hourly interval, so exploring Knoxville via KAT bus is somewhat difficult. The ultra-modern Downtown Station bus terminal is a focal point for public transportation within the city. All KAT buses are equipped with flip down bicycle racks and many are powered by biodiesel or other alternative fuels. KAT operates special routes for some events, a downtown trolley service, and bus services for the University of Tennessee. Knoxville Trolley Lines. The trolley runs several free downtown and University routes during business hours and one "Late Line" route on Friday and Saturday nights during the University of Tennessee fall and spring semesters. Most daytime stops are served on ten to twenty minute intervals. Knoxville is slowly building a paved greenway system [1] that allows cyclists and pedestrians to travel into downtown from nearby suburbs such as Sequoyah Hills and Island Home.

In general, Knoxville is a safe town. Practice the same precautions you would in any other mid-sized American town -- for example, lock your car and don't leave valuables sitting in plain view in your car. Low-income areas downtown should be traversed carefully. Avoid the area around University and Fifth. You don't want to go there after dark. This is not at the University of Tennessee. Be careful where you park in the "Old City" area. It's right next to the mission district.