The Sunsphere

Discover Tennessee Trails in Knoxville

🚗 Three Trails, One City: "Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways" by starting in Knoxville Knoxville is a destination in its own right, but it's also a trailhead to three of Tennessee’s most fascinating driving experiences. The Rocky Top Trail, White Lightning Trail, and Top Secret Trail all pass…

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Knoxville: The Destination

Imagine, if you can, a city that has, within a 25-minute drive on one side, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and its associated American Museum of Science and Energy. And equidistant on the opposite side, Dolly Parton’s extravagant and broadly popular theme park, Dollywood. And mountains all…

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Black History, Attractions, and Exhibits in Knoxville

February may be Black History Month, but Black history is American history, and in Knoxville there’s plenty to go around for the whole year! This post highlights the Black history of this area along with attractions that have temporary and permanent exhibits, murals, statues, parks, and more. The…

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A History of Knoxville as "The Maker City"

It’s been 10 years since a vigorous group of young craftspeople and entrepreneurs—“makers”—began to style Knoxville “The Maker City,” about the same time that Etsy, the online marketplace, confirmed that claim as a national designation. And it’s true there’s a lot of making going on here…

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Happy Bootleggers' Day!

Kingston Pike Postcard | Courtesy Knoxville History Project Sunday, January 17, is National Bootleggers' Day, believe it or not. Knoxville didn't start that holiday, which is just five years old now, but our city has quite a rich story in that regard. Knoxville and liquor go way back, of…

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Knoxville on Ice

Travelers from the north are sometimes surprised that Knoxville, Tennessee, here in the Sun Belt, has an ice culture. But it’s not a novelty, or something new we’ve created to please northern tourists. The Holidays on Ice skating rink has been a feature on Market Square since the 1980s, albeit much…

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