A few months ago, a couple friends from the outdoor industry passed through Knoxville. They wanted to stop, say hi, and see the city. We determined they had about 4-hours to spend before heading north. They had never been in Knoxville, or Tennessee for that matter. So what could we explore in 4-hours in Knoxville to let them feel the vibe of the city? Rock climbing at Ijams Crag would be too singularly focused. Same thing with paddleboarding the city’s lakes, rivers, and quarries. So I put together a plan of what to do in Knoxville in 4-hours.
1: World’s Fair Park!
World’s Fair Park in Knoxville was the home of the 1982 World’s Fair. With it’s proximity to downtown and many other attractions, this is a great staging area to showcase the city and get a crash course on Knoxville. Take advantage of free parking in the main lot (1080 Worlds Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916)! After a walk through the park, go to the observation deck of the Sunsphere. From there, view the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that is hidden by trees and buildings from ground level. You will have a 360-degree view of the entire region, including Kentucky to the north, North Carolina to the south, and the mountains to the east and west. You can read the history of Knoxville, see featured attractions, and get to know a little about what makes this city great. Leave your car parked in the main lot for the next stop!
2: Southern food!
From the base of the Sunsphere at World’s Fair Park, walk up the concrete steps to the Clinch Avenue level between the Tennessean hotel and Knoxville Convention Center. Find another set of steps in front of you leading to a walkway over Henley Street. Continue walking beside Clinch Street and take a left onto Market Street. You will soon enter “Market Square” (1 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902). This area is a go-to destination for both locals and tourists. There are many fantastic local and regional restaurants in Market Square. For a healthier taste of southern food, try Tupelo Honey Cafe. They offer fresh, hot, and fluffy biscuits with “mountain-grown” blueberry jam while you wait. You can get anything from their Carolina Chicken Sandwich to shrimp and grits to a fried green tomato BLT. Also, don’t forget to try their amazing okra as a side! If a burger is on your mind, try Stock & Barrel for locally grown gourmet burgers. Their beef is pasture-fed, hormone free, and comes from a farm just a few miles away. They also offer free-range chicken, steaks, smoked salmon, an assortment of delicious shakes, and more. For Tex-Mex and all around general food, visit Blue Coast Grill. They serve a variety and have something for everyone. If you have any kind of wrap, try their delicious spinach wraps! All of these Market Square restaurants have outside seating and are dog friendly! Let’s face it, one thing the south is known for is barbecue! You can find Sweet P’s Barbecue off Jackson Avenue (410 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902) and Calhoun’s On The River just across Neyland Drive (400 Neyland Dr, Knoxville, TN 37902). Both these options will add a couple minutes to your walk time, but the barbecue is worth it! If you try Calhoun’s On The River, you can choose to drive to their free and spacious parking lot. If you have time after any of these great restaurants, find Gay Street in downtown and try the ice cream at Cruze farms. They offer an assortment of ice cream, shakes, churned buttermilk, and milk raised on the hormone-free family farm in Knoxville. One of their specialty toppings is honey!
3: South Knoxville Bluffs!
Once you are back to your car, travel to Alcoa highway, cross the river/lake, exit onto Cherokee Trail, drive a couple minutes, and park by the large water tower. The South Knoxville Bluffs (parking at 1028 Cherokee Trail, Knoxville, TN 37920) is well known to the locals, but tourists rarely hear about it. You can stand on top of a cliff (GPS Coordinates 35.942019, -83.927593) overlooking downtown, the University of Tennessee Campus, and Tennessee River/Fort Loudoun Lake. It’s about a 5- to 10-minute walk from the parking lot on a closed gravel road. To reach the overlook, keep going up on the hike in. Avoid all splits that take you downhill. If possible, reach the bluff before sunset and watch the Tennessee sky turn from blue to orange! If you think you might walk back after dark, make sure to take a flashlight or use the light on your phone. Despite its proximity to downtown, it’s very dark on the trail leading to and from the bluff.
It looks like your 4 hour window is up! By this point, you should have a taste for what Knoxville has to offer and about its many attractions. And hopefully you found a surprise or two! There is always something around every corner and Knoxville never disappoints! For example, when my friends and I were standing on the South Knoxville Bluffs just after dark, a spontaneous commercial fireworks show started just across the river! It was one pyrotechnician programming a show from a university parking lot with no one else around. It was like a private show just for us!
OTHER OPTIONS
FREE CONCERTS DOWNTOWN
Depending on the time of day, you can find many amazing things to do in downtown. For example, at Noon Monday through Saturday, you can watch free live concerts at Visit Knoxville/WDVX Studios at the corner of Gay Street and Summit Hill Drive. It’s called the “Blue Plate Special” and the concerts air live on the radio station’s many frequencies in the region. Concerts range from bluegrass to americana to blues to up-and-coming country acts. Previous guests include stars like Chris Stapleton, Old Crow Medicine show, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, the Del McCoury Band, Dale Watson, Nickle Creek, and more. You can also find the next generation of talented stars like Kaitlyn Baker and The Voice’s Emily Ann Roberts and Chris Blue!
FESTIVALS
Check out Visit Knoxville‘s website for events. Every weekend, there will be some kind of festival in downtown or World’s fair Park’s South Lawn. Expect Market Square and World’s Fair Park to be be filled with the sounds of music and entertainment!
PADDLEBOARDING DOWNTOWN
Rent a paddleboard or kayak from Billy Lush Boards & Brew by the water in downtown. Park in the large parking lot to the left of Calhoun’s, walk across the bridge towards Ruth’s Chris, and follow the signs to the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center. It is located just behind Ruth’s Chris. The cost is $20 for the first hour and $11 for a second hour. They offer a half-off discount on Wednesdays making it $10 for the first hour and $6 for a second hour.
VOLUNTEER LANDING RIVERFRONT
Volunteer Landing is a riverfront park at downtown Knoxville that extends from the the east side of Downtown to the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium and row boat house. It provides a place next to the Tennessee River/Fort Loudoun Lake to walk, run, bike, fish, dock your boat, paddle, hang out, have an event, a family picnic, and attend a local festival. Swings and chairs overlooking the river are offered throughout the park. During the summer months, splash pads for the kids are available and is a great way to cool off. Free parking is offered next to Calhoun’s On The River (400 Neyland Dr, Knoxville, TN 37902). The park connects with the city’s greenway system with access to James White Greenway, Third Creek Greenway, and Second Creek Greenway. The Second Creek Greenway will get you to and from World’s Fair Park and the university campus. Paddleboard and kayak rentals are offered at Billy Lush Boards & Brews inside the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center.
OTHER FOOD OPTIONS
If you want to skip the downtown and South Knoxville Bluff experience, try one of these restaurants:
Barbecue: Archers BBQ (multiple locations) or Dead End BBQ (Southerland Avenue) for mouth watering southern barbecue.
Great food: Chop House (multiple locations) serves great steaks, seafood, and burgers. It’s a locally owned regional restaurant. Expect great food at an affordable price compared to similar large chain restaurants.
A Southern Twist: Puléos Grille (multiple locations) is another locally owned regional restaurant that blends steak, seafood, chicken, Italian, and southern comfort food into an amazing assortment of delicious meals! Their slogan is “Southern Roots – Italian Heritage”.
Did I miss anything I shouldn’t have? Leave a comment below with your top choices and recommendations!
Comments / 1
October 24, 2017 at 7:47 pm
Great suggestions! I have passed through Knoxville so many times traveling from Texas to the East Coast but have never stopped because I felt I never had the time =) Definitely will have to stop my next pass through!