Follow along as Kristin from Camels & Chocolate discovers weekend adventures from Atlanta to Knoxville, Tennesseee. She will be hitting up a few staples as well as little known treasures. Below is her starting itinerary, but she will be adding to this using the Tennessee Vacation Guides.
Discover Knoxville, Tennessee’s third largest city!
Highlights include:
WDVX Blue Plate Special (www.wdvx.com)
At noon every Monday through Saturday, WDVX hosts a live show free to all ages at the Knoxville Visitor Center. Embrace your Southern side by listening to a variety of Music ranging from Country to Americana.
Outdoor Knoxville / Kayaking, Hiking, Biking
- IJAMS Nature Center (www.ijams.org)
- Ijams Nature Center is a 300-acre wildlife sanctuary and environmental learning center located on the banks of the Tennessee River incorporating two reclaimed Tennessee Marble Quarries along with ten miles of trails and natural history exhibits. Guests can also partake in the Wildlife Sanctuary Tour that includes a guided trail hike, history of the Ijams family, lost species and natural history exhibits, plus a live native animal presentation.
Another tour to participate in would be the Historic Mead’s and Ross Marble Quarry Tour that includes a guided trail hike, lost species and natural history exhibits, plus a live native animal presentation.
- Urban Wilderness (www.outdoorknoxville.com)
The 1,000-acre Knoxville Urban Wilderness Corridor along Knoxville’s downtown waterfront contains ten parks, nearly twenty miles of recreational trails, three civil war forts, historic settlement sites, and diverse ecological features and recreational amenities.
The corridor links the existing assets and the future acquired properties into an incredible historical, recreational, cultural and environmental experience.
Landmarks
- Tennessee Theatre (www.tennesseetheatre.com)
The historic Tennessee Theatre, the official state theatre of Tennessee, still stands today as a grand movie “palace” built in 1928 in the Spanish-Moorish style. Interior details include Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers and Italian terrazzo floors in the Grand Lobby, with Asian influences in the carpet and drapery patterns. The theatre now serves as the performing arts facility for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Opera Company, among others.
- Alex Haley Heritage Square
A magnificent statue and park honoring Alex Haley, author of Roots, who made Knoxville his home. The park is renown across the United States for having the only 12 foot high bronze statue of Haley.
- Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (www.wbhof.com)
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame honors the greatest contributors to the game while celebrating the past, present and future of women’s basketball. Enjoy more than 32,000 square feet of fun with an assortment of hands-on interactive experiences, along with the history and personalities of the growing sport of women’s basketball.
- East Tennessee History Center (www.easttnhistory.org)
The East Tennessee History Center is a regional history museum with a premiere genealogy research library and an award-winning research archive. From pioneers and the Lost State of Franklin, to the Civil War, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Cradle of Country music, the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum tells the story of the region’s unique and often colorful past. The museum interprets 200 years of the region’s history through its permanent exhibit, “Voices of the Land: The Peoples of East Tennessee,” and through temporary exhibits.