Feeling Great in Knoxville TN!

Knoxville, Tennessee is located near the northeastern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Knoxville has a great culture and vibe partly because it’s home of the University of Tennessee (UT). Sports lovers flock to Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium to see the Tennessee Volunteers play or Thompson-Boling Arena to see the Lady Vols shoot some hoops. It’s Big Orange Country in Knoxville for sure, however, you won’t any nicer folks who welcome you to their city by the beautiful Tennessee River.

When Knoxville surprised the world by hosting the 1982 World’s Fair, the city had the reputation of being known as the scruffy little town by the river. Nowadays, Knoxville has gained regional and national acclaim for the variety of excellent dining choices through out the city. Beer lovers will enjoy hopping it up at the many microbreweries in the Old City.

Kids of all ages love Zoo Knoxville, a fantastic 53-acre park and home to over 900 animals. For theater lovers, there’s the historic Tennessee Theater, the Bijou Theater and UT’s Clarence Brown Theater. Oh! And, you can’t go to Knoxville without visiting the famous Sunsphere at World’s Fair Park in downtown.

Knoxville has also garnered national recognition for its Urban Wilderness located only three miles south of downtown. In addition to the city’s extensive 86-mile greenway system, the urban wilderness provides over 60 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails.

The Tennessee River flows through downtown affording the opportunity to enjoy many water sports such as paddle boarding, skulling, water skiing, and on gamedays the Vol Navy!

How to Get to Knoxville

Reaching Knoxville is convenient and easy. Interstate 40 enters the city from the East and West, Interstate 75 enters the city from the North and Interstate 140 enters the city from the South. McGhee Tyson Airport is 8 miles South of Downtown on Highway 129.

Cades Cove, Sugarlands, and Cosby, all in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, are about an hour drive from downtown Knoxville. If you’re staying on the North Carolina side of the Smokies, Knoxville makes a great day-trip!

Knoxville History

Knoxville’s history is rich and diverse. Once the domain of the Cherokee, Knoxville eventually became the first capital of Tennessee. The city found itself in the path of the American Civil War. It was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces during the course of the war. Today visitors and locals enjoy exploring the numerous war memorials and preserved historic sites like James White’s Fort.