Knoxville is today a lot different from Knoxville in 2005 when I graduated from the University of Tennessee. At that time, the market square was practically free. Today, every storefront is filled, and every night, it seems, there’s a reason to pull up your lawn chair and join the masses of live music. In fact, Knoxville’s outdoor space may be the most attractive part of the city for travelers, especially during the warmer months.
Mural by Greetings Tour. The post was last updated in May 2023.
My grandparents both grew up in Knoxville, so before I went to college there, it was already a place I frequented back in the 80s. And yet, it wasn’t until the last decade that I felt like Knoxville was a place I could live in for the long haul (no, I’m not listing my house yet…but hey, a girl can dream).
So what’s so great about the outdoors in Knoxville, you might be wondering? Here are a few reasons you’ll want to add this Tennessee city to your travel bucket list.
How to find nature in Knoxville
Knoxville is a nature lover’s paradise. With an abundance of urban wilderness and one small national park, the Great Smoky Mountains, a 45-minute drive away, it’s no wonder outdoor enthusiasts flock here, especially during the summer months. Knoxville’s centerpiece, the Tennessee River, offers water sports, as do the surrounding lakes, and there are more than 50 miles of multi-use trails in the city alone.
One of my favorite places to go is the Ijams Nature Center. Spanning more than 300 acres and boasting 10 miles of hiking trails, this outdoor attraction is free and symbolizes summer. We watched zip lines soar in the canopy above us, drank Yee-Haw brews in the beer garden, then cooled off in the glassy waters of Mead’s Quarry. If this area had been fully developed when I was still in college, I would have been a regular visitor, especially during the sweaty summer months.
If you’re interested in venturing deeper into the Tennessee outdoors, the Great Smoky Mountains are just 45 minutes away and offer plenty of rafting and floating tours.
Where to see live music in Knoxville?
Knoxville seems to rival Nashville in terms of music offerings. My college haunts, Barley’s Taproom and Preservation Pub, still lead the way, but a few other spots, like the three-year-old Scruff Town Hall, have since joined the fray. Visit Knoxville offers a free afternoon show every day (except Sundays) outside its Visitor Center, and the Bijou Theater and the historic Tennessee Teatre are both great places to catch bigger acts.
Summer might even beat football season as my favorite time to visit Knoxville, thanks to the great music offerings along Market Square. There is jazz on Tuesdays, a variety show on Thursdays and a variety of other events and acts that take place during the warmer months.
How to Take Your Dog to Knoxville
Knoxville loves its canine residents, and Ella (and her parents) in turn love Knoxville. During the summer wedding, we happened to coincide with the annual Bike Boat Brew & Bark event, and Ella was walking around Volunteer Landing with the 100 or so dogs coming out for the spectacle.
But even outside of special events, Knoxville couldn’t be more pet-friendly. Most downtown businesses have water bowls and other pet amenities at the entrance to their establishments, and nowhere did we get told we couldn’t come in with him. And you can honestly tell its inhabitants adore Dogs too. Ella had an extra pep in her step as everywhere we went people stopped and asked to pet her saying she was beautiful.
A car full of college boys even pulled up on the side of Gay Street to tell SVV. Knoxville, as if we don’t love you enough already, you’ve won us over for life by welcoming our furry friends.
How to See Knoxville World’s Fair Park
Just months before I was born, Knoxville hosted the 1982 World’s Fair. The team built a stunning work of art, the Sun Globe, which stands 266 feet tall and brings color to the sky. It still serves as a Knoxville icon today, pulling people off I-40 to see what this shiny ball is all about.
Surrounded by an abundance of public art, the park is a great place to while away a few hours or a long road trip, and the 360-degree view from the Sun Globe observation deck is a great way to see Knoxville. different angle.
Knoxville has many great hotels, and one of my absolute favorites is the Tennessean, a gorgeous 82-room boutique hotel that lives directly across from the Sunsphere at the entrance to World’s Fair Park. It’s a great base for exploring the Knoxville outdoors, Downtown Knoxville, and surrounding neighborhoods like Happy Holler.
Plus, in true Southern fashion, hospitality in Tennessee is over the top. Tennessee now ties Oliver as my favorite place to stay in Knoxville, and the rooms referencing the state’s rivers and topography are excellent.
Check out Hotel Tennessean rates here.
Get your caffeine fix with these Knoxville coffee shops
Knoxville’s java scene is lit up. in college i camped out at starbucks to study, but now there’s no need for all the local coffee shops that have popped up in recent years. Our first residency last month was at the Old Town Loft above Awaken, which I visited three times in one day (that honey latte is to die for).
On the second visit, we camped in Old City Java to get some work done and also headed to Honey Bee Coffee for fuel. Of course, the most famous is indisputably Wild Love Bakehouse; we went to North Knoxville to see what all the fuss was about and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house on a rainy Thursday morning. Knox residents love their coffee.
The best food landscape
A few years ago I wrote a story about Knoxville’s epicurean scene. I was impressed at the time. It’s me today perplexed. The city has come a long way since the Bistro and Tomato Head only places to eat (although both are still viable for the best restaurant in town and totally worth checking out).
Blackberry Farm alum and James Beard-winning chef Joseph Lane is the mastermind behind JC Holdway, which focuses on Southern cuisine prepared on a wood-fired grill, while Matt Gallagher brings authentic Italian food to Market Square with Emilia. Celebrity Austin chef Tim Love has transformed an Old Town saloon-style building into Lonesome Dove, a Western bistro. There are so many restaurants and bars in Knoxville now that you really need a week to eat your way around town.
Knoxville has a lot that Nashville lacks in terms of artisan donut shops and bakeries. So much for sticking to gluten-free; I couldn’t pass up treats from both Status Dough and Potchke.
Try the local water on the Knoxville Ale Trail
Like everything else in town, it seems like the past three years the beer scene in Knoxville has been booming and straight up killing it, so much so that there’s now a full Knoxville Ale Trail with a digital passport for those who want to check them all out. Boasting more than a dozen stops, this comprehensive tour of the local craft beer scene is a fun way to kill a few days, and there’s even a beer bus as a safe transportation option.
Why should you visit Knoxville?
What I love most about Knoxville, however, is the lack of attitude. Perhaps it’s the college town, or perhaps it’s the proximity to the Smokies and the realization that at its core, Knoxville is a very bohemian place, full of laid-back hippies, passionate outdoor enthusiasts and intellectual thinkers. who all live in harmony.
