The Roaming Husky: Knoxville, TN
The sunsphere, at worlds fair park.
In 2017, I had the chance to tour the wonderful city of Knoxville, Tennessee. The city is home to the University of Tennessee and the 1982 world’s fair, with a record of eleven million in attendance. The city made me think of being back in Austin, Texas, but with a Tennessee style. It has a young hip atmosphere, and the culture is very welcoming and laid-back.
When visiting Knoxville, I recommend staying at the Hilton in downtown across the from the World’s Fair park and University of Tennessee convention center. The pool level of the hotel had a gorgeous view of the sun sphere and some of the other buildings in the downtown area. The hotel staff very friendly and helpful as well.
As we walked toward the Knoxville visitor’s bureau, we took the opportunity to see some of the downtown area. It was very interesting to see the sights of the downtown area. We took the trolley down to Old Town. This part of Knoxville was very interesting to see, and featured plenty of art galleries and antique shops.
If you’re looking for a great ice cream shop, then check out Cruze Family farms dairy. The ice cream was very good, especially on a nice summer day. I highly recommend this place for ice cream, and also try their coffee/milk.
We then down to Mast General store. It has a lot of cool things from outdoor clothing to toys, and of course Volunteers merchandise! So, if you’re in Knoxville and forgot something to pack, stop at the Mast general store.
Exploring the night life in Knoxville was truly fascinating. Our first stop was Scruffy City Hall. The rooftop bar was amazing, the view of market square and the sun sphere made having a drink relaxing. When it is completely dark outside, classic movies play on the next building over, and we got to view a classic Godzilla movie.
Check out the Peter Kern library, near downtown. It has the best booze…. I mean books. It’s a speakeasy in the Oliver hotel, near market square in downtown Knoxville. It has a classic lounge look and the drinks are statisfying to try.
Another thing to do while in Knoxville is take relaxing steamboat ride along the Tennessee river on the Star of Knoxville. The tour features some good photo ops of Neyland stadium and other parts of Knoxville and the University of Tennessee. I highly recommend taking this tour, because it’s a nice relaxing ride and a great view of the city. The Sun sphere is an amazing view as well. It’s free of charge and you get a great birds’ eye view of the area.
Looking for a good souvenir T-shirt shop? Check out Nothing Too Fancy. The shop sells vintage style tees of the well-known landmarks of the Knoxville area. I bought one and thought it was awesome to sport around up here Pennsylvania. The shop is located near market square, so if you’re exploring the downtown, stop on in. Check out the Tailgate store located in market square as well.
Knoxville has its own-style and unique culture. The city has that old, but young, Southern style. I recommend going because it is a city were anybody can just have good conversation, no matter the social status, and it is a laid-back city with southern comfort. So, if you’re planning to take a trip to Tennessee make sure you take pitstop in Knoxville. Oh, and before I forget: GO VOLS!!
