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In Knoxville

Sarah E. Kucharski photo

Sarah E. Kucharski photo

Sarah E. Kucharski photo

Sarah E. Kucharski photo

Sarah E. Kucharski photo

Sarah E. Kucharski photo

Head to the hip town of Knoxville, Tenn., where the rockabilly lifestyle gives way to family-friendly entertainment and sports fans bleed Volunteer orange. The riverside city boasts a   burgeoning downtown full of art galleries, dining, shopping and history. Put on your walking shoes and explore the true cradle of country music via a self-guided tour denoting the stomping grounds of Hank Williams, Dolly Parton and The Everly Brothers among others. Enjoy the great outdoors though an afternoon spent in one of the city’s public parks or one of the six national parks within an hour and a half drive. How ever you do Knoxville, you’re doing it right. 

In the midst of it all

Knoxville is located along the Tennessee River. The 652-mile waterway winds its way through Knoxville from the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers, which come together on the east side of the city. 

Get waterside at Volunteer Landing Park where there are picnic tables, a playground, fishing docks, concession stand, room for special events and two greenways. Children will enjoy the refreshing, interactive waterfalls and fountains.

Take a stroll on the River Walk, a paved, handicapped accessible walkway along the river. The walk begins at the University of Tennessee Rowing Team’s Boathouse and continues down and around Calhoun’s on the River Restaurant, past the Tennessee Riverboat, over the bridge to the Marina, and on to Ned McWhorter Park.

The Neyland Greenway stretches 3 miles beginning at a bridge over First Creek, continues west along the Tennessee River, and ends at the UT Faculty Club. It encompasses the Volunteer Landing River Walk and connects to the James White, Volunteer Landing, and Third Creek Greenways. It is used for walking, running, bicycling, walking leashed dogs, skating, pushing strollers, using wheelchairs, and roller blading.

At the full service marina there are paddle, pontoon and houseboat rentals. If you are not up to commanding your own sloop, climb on board with the Tennessee Riverboat Company or a luxury yacht with Volunteer Princes Cruises. The Star of Knoxville is fully air-conditioned and heated for year-round enjoyment. There are special cruises including sightseeing, country comedy gospel, lunch and dinner cruises. The Volunteer Princess is a 149-passenger yacht with two totally enclosed, climate-controlled decks. Cruises include brunch, sunset dinner, and Taco Tuesday with two-for-one margaritas among others. 

The river becomes even more popular each year in September when around 400,000 Knoxville residents and visitors from surrounding counties come to together at the riverfront for the largest Labor Day fireworks show in the southern United States, Boomsday.

Knoxville boasts its share of indulgences. 

The recent trend of gourmet cupcakes is nothing new to certified butter lover Peggy Hambright, owner of Magpies Cakes. Hambright packages her cupcakes in decadent sets of regular or miniature sizes—though there are singles available for the well behaved and calorie conscious. Choose among the three flavor categories of classic including vanilla and chocolate, deluxe including the sinful red velvet and exquisite strawberry cream, and the dangerous super deluxe flavors that change each month. Magpies, located at 846 North Central Street, does more than cupcakes though. It’s the place to go for wedding cakes and celebration cakes, which are as creative as their cupcakes and even more beautifully decorated. 

But don’t stop your sweet tooth there, head on to two of Knoxville’s excellent chocolate shops—South’s Finest Chocolate Factory by the Knoxville Art Museum and Schokolad at Turkey Creek. The South’s Finest has been in operation since 1983 and has earned a reputation for its seasonal treats such as “strawberries in the snow,” which are sold around Valentine’s Day and put a twist on the traditional chocolate covered strawberry by using white chocolate. At Schakolad Chocolate Factory owner Gus Paredes puts a special touch on his work with his warm personality and willingness to share his enthusiasm for his work. Create your own box of chocolates incorporating Schakolad’s signature truffles, customize a molded chocolate piece such as a swan and fill it with chocolates, or even put your company logo on a bar to sweeten the next business deal. 

While you’re in the Turkey Creek area, which is full of shopping options, head to Bath Junkie to create your own scented washes, scrubs and more. It’s the perfect place to take a small group of girls for some TLC. As a show of TLC to the environment, the corporation recently began offsetting its stores’ carbon emissions by purchasing renewable energy credits. Products include phosphate-free bubble bath, paraben and mineral-oil free moisturizers and talc-free liquid powder. 

For a real spa experience, visit Spa Visage at the Downtown West Shopping Center. The 6,500-foot spa offers body treatments, facials, nail care, waxing and cosmetics. Splurge on the Ultimate Massage, which lives up to its name, and enjoy the complimentary makeup touch up so that you can re-engage in your day feeling relaxed and refreshed. Spa Visage grew out of Salon Visage, voted Knoxville’s best for 16 consecutive years. Owner Monty Howard also has created a sanctuary for men, which provides hair and body care services in a classic high-end barber shop meets sports bar environment. 

Those who want to get their shop on are advised to check out three main areas of town—the Market Square District, Gay Street and Old Town. There are home décor stores, art galleries, restaurants and more. 

Old Town is funky and the location of the Blue Slip Winery. Linn Slocum began as an amateur winemaker and turned her hobby into a business in August 2009. The wines use Tennessee fruits and are all processed, bottled and sold on-site. Grab a table at Nama Sushi Bar where the eats are as good as they are creative. You can go traditional or you can experiment with rolls such as the maui wowie, featuring crunchy shrimp topped with yellowtail, avocado and pineapple salsa, or vegetarian roll tofu sez me that uses flash fried tofu, cucumber, gobo, and sprouts topped with seaweed salad and sesame sauce. 

Gay Street is the main drag of Knoxville’s downtown and is the place to go for a movie, shopping, dining, and the arts—here you will find the Tennessee Theater and the Bijou Theater. 

Market Square is a beautiful place to spend the day, particularly if you can catch the Farmer’s Market that is experiencing a resurgence and gave the square its name. It is a child-friendly place with fountains, trees and benches. Be sure to eat at Tomato Head, which is known for its pizza. If you like the menu design, you’ll find more of its ilk at Yee-Haw, a rockabilly-esque letterpress design studio on Gay Street that is the place to go for hip shirts, skirts, posters, calendars, notecards and more. 

A historical perspective

Before European settlement, the Tennessee valley was the hunting grounds of the Cherokee Indians. James White, the founder of Knoxville, established his home here in 1786 as a fort and cluster of cabins. By 1791, the community was renamed Knoxville and enjoyed status as capital of the Southwest Territory. By 1794, the town was home to Blount College, known today as the University of Tennessee.

The city of Knoxville boasts a surprising architectural diversity. Many of these buildings are under the watchful eye of Knox Heritage, an organization formed in 1974 and dedicated to protecting and preserving structures and places in Knox County with historic or cultural significance. Knox Heritage’s first project was saving the Bijou Theater, which has hosted entertainers since 1909 including the Marx Brothers and Dizzy Gillespie. 

Knox Heritage has acquired blighted houses that once were the worst examples of neglect and restored them to attractive homes, improving historic neighborhoods. It has helped secure funding for development projects that contribute to the revitalization of downtown.

Every May during National Preservation Month, Knox Heritage releases its list of the most endangered historic buildings and places in Knox County to educate the public and local leaders about the plight of significant historic resources.

This year buildings and places on the list include: 

• Standard Knitting Mill – The largest textile and knitting mill in Knoxville. It was founded in 1900 with 50 employees and over the years grew to employ over 4,000 Knoxvillians. 

• Odd Fellows Cemetery – Prominent African Americans are buried there, including Calvin “Cal” Johnson, Knoxville’s first African American millionaire, and William Yardley, a former City Alderman and 1876 candidate for governor of Tennessee. 

• Admiral Farragut Birthplace – The birthplace of Civil War hero and America’s first Navy Admiral David Farragut.

• Cal Johnson Building – This State Street building (circa 1898) was built in the Vernacular Commercial style and was originally housed a clothing factory. It was constructed by Knoxville’s first African American philanthropist and is a rare example of a large commercial structure built by a former slave. 

Also of note are places in Knox County on the National Register of Historic Places including Chilhowee Park, Fort Sanders, Gay Street and Market Square.

For a terrific introduction to local history, visit the East Tennessee Historical Society. From the King of the Wild Frontier to the King of Country Museum, the ETHS Museum at 600 Market Street features a cast of historic characters and rare artifacts, including Davy Crockett's original "Old Betsy" rifle.

Accommodations

Smoky Mountain Living’s adventures in Knoxville were based from Hampton Inn & Suites Knoxville-Downtown at 618 West Main Street and Country Inn & Suites at Cedar Bluff at 9137 Cross Park Drive. The hotel is within walking distance of Gay Street, the Market Square district, Old Town, the Knoxville Art Museum and University of Tennessee. Families may prefer Country Inn & Suites for its indoor pool and proximity to West Town Mall, Turkey Creek Shopping District, and I-75/40, which provides for easy access to attractions such as the Knoxville Zoo.

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