On The Road Again

Today, I am headed up to explore the City of Knoxville, Tennessee. With a population of  Knoxville is the third largest city in the state of Tennessee and a short 3 hour drive from Atlanta. Perfect for a weekend getaway or a more leisurely, Historic tour. Knoxville's culture and history can be explored and discovered in its 20 museums, numerous performing arts venues, and its historic neighborhoods.


For starters the iconic Tennessee Theater calls Knoxville its home and in 2005 opened its doors after a $23.5 million dollar renovation to restore the theater to its original grandeur. Of course with some modern improvements that is. Of course us here in Atlanta remember our fabulous Fox theater undergoing a similar renovation and updating in the late 80s to save it from Southern Bell's wrecking ball. So, of course, the Tennessee is something I am most looking forward to checking that out.


Of course then there is the infamous World's Fair Park Sunsphere. The 266' tower decked out with glass panels layered in 24-karat gold dust and cut to seven different shapes, was built for the 1987 World's Fair. Its become the most recognized feature of the Knoxville cityscape, it has remained vacant or nearly so for most of its life. Its observation desk was reopened to the public though in 2007 and in 2008, parts of the rest of the sphere were rented out to privately owned businesses.

My "day" tour will take me around these and several other places around Knoxville including the South's Finest Chocolate Factory, the Knoxville Museum of Art, and the Knoxville Zoo. I will also be seeing the Mary Poppins live performance and I am super excited about that. We all know how much I love live theater. Of course there will also be some supreme restivities at the Oliver Hotel as well. I am looking forward to touring and exploring Knoxville and being able to tell you more about my adventures when I return.

Have you ever been to Knoxville? What are your must see attractions and places?