I saw an announcement that one of my favorite comedians, Taylor Tomlinson, was going to be in Knoxville and the tickets were inexpensive (by California standards) so I grabbed a couple, leaving poor Doug to sort out the other details…you know like finding a safe place for us to sleep while in town!
As I did more research on things going on in the area and noticed that their annual Dogwood Festival was going on. Nothing like a local event to get a feel for the culture of an area! I knew there was no turning back now and so did Doug.
He came through with one of the most unusual places we’ve stayed to date – the top level of a parking garage within walking distance to downtown Knoxville! They regularly have RVs stay here (in fact we saw a van and a class A) and have a couple of sites with electrical hook up.
As soon as we rolled into Knoxville, we got the RV set up and then walked downtown, heading for the Dogwood Festival at Worlds Fair Park. The 1982 World’s Fair was held here and for it they built the Sunsphere, a 266ft-high hexagonal steel structure topped with a a 75ft gold-colored glass sphere. It can be seen from miles away! Just past it, is a colorful bridge over the Holston River. There was nothing going on that day in the large amphitheater, but the park had plenty of craft booths, food booths, a stage for local fiddlers, and a school of rock stage. Neighbors, friends, and dogs were out in packs and despite the heat, it was a cute event.
The downtown is very walkable. To give you some idea on size, Knoxville is close to the same size as Chattanooga TN (population 200,000, about 1/3 the size of Nashville TN or Louisville KY, 1/4 the size of San Francisco, and 1/5 the size of Austin TX).
Sunsphere
Park’s Amphitheater
Art under bridge
Dogwood Festival 
We headed back to the parking structure to change for drinks and dinner at an old Irish pub. Coming off Kentucky’s bourbon bender (link to post here), I decided to take in some Tennessee whiskey and ordered my first whiskey sour. Spectacular! The food was good and the Tennessee Theater was just around the corner.
This theater first opened its doors in late 1928 and was hailed as one of the south’s most beautiful “movie palaces”. It was designed by a Chicago architect and given a Spanish-Moorish style interior, which seems unusual today, but was probably really exotic back in 1928. As movies declined, so did the Tennessee Theater. In the 1970s it was purchased, and the owner tried to convert it from a movie theater to a performing arts venue. It was 2003 before a non-profit preservation group was able to raise money to restore and renovate it. It took $25.5 million dollars and nearly 2 years to complete it, but it’s just stunning inside and Taylor Tomlinson’s stand-up was on-point! If you don’t know who she is, below is a link to a short clip. If you like the snippet, she has two specials on Netflix.
WARNING: Video below may not be appropriate for children
We had a warm evening walk back to the RV and a quiet night’s sleep.
If you have more time in Knoxville, here are a few suggestions:
- The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is in Knoxville.
- Zoo Knoxville is the Red Panda Capitol of the World.
- World’s Largest Rubik’s Cube (10ft tall and 1,200 lbs of frustration) is somewhere in town
- 6 days per week you can be part of a live performance radio show WDVX Blue Plate Special at the Knoxville Visitor Center.
- In 1974, Walter Cronkite designated Knoxville the “Streaking Capitol of the World” because an estimated 5,000 people on the University of Tennessee campus stripped on “the strip” (Cumberland Ave). I’m not suggesting a re-enactment, but maybe a visit to campus of you can sailgate before a football game. They are one of 2 stadiums accessible by boat. The other is Univ. of Washington.
- Knoxville has a museum of art, a museum of natural history, and several others. .
- Knoxville is home to HGTV, Kenny Chesney grew up here and Quentin Tarantino was born here so you could spend some time learning about Knoxville.
- There are seven lakes surrounding the area, a river running through it, hiking trails nearby, and the Great Smokey Mountain National Park are within about an hour’s drive.
We only had one day in Knoxville, but, a little unexpectedly, this small city was fun to knock around in.
