Hotels in Knoxville

In the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Knoxville is a great place to experience all that the South has to offer. Perhaps best known as the home of the University of Tennessee, its college football Saturdays are among the most celebrated in the country. However, its expansive parks —both the urban green spaces like World's Fair Park and the national parks beyond the city —make it a great host for annual events like Dogwood Arts Festival, along with world-class venues like the Tennessee Theatre and Knoxville Convention Center.

Places to visit

Neyland Stadium

College football fans make a beeline for this 102,455-seat stadium, the sixth-largest in the world, several times each fall, and the chorus of Tennessee country anthem “Rocky Top” can be heard across the city. If you're planning to book into Knoxville hotels from September through November, check the Tennessee Volunteers football schedule, as rooms are in very high demand around the game season.

World's Fair Park

Another famous site is World's Fair Park, which played host to the 1982 World's Fair. The mirrored globe of its Sunsphere tower dates back to that event and even played a role in an episode of The Simpsons. The observation deck reopened in May 2014 after decades of disuse, so visitors can now ride up to the 4th floor for views across the park's impressive geyser, fountains and a lawn that regularly plays host to concerts and festivals.

Gay Street

Downtown Knoxville's main thoroughfare, business district since the 18th century, Gay Street is now known for its arts vibe, being home to the biggest collection of the city's theaters. Many of these are on the National Register of Historic Places, so even if you're no thespian, check out places like the oldest commercial building in Knoxville, the Bijou Theatre—also rumored to be haunted by Union General William Sanders from the building's time as a Civil War hospital.

Annual events

Dogwood Arts Festival

April means the blooming of the local dogwood trees in Knoxville, and this is celebrated with the annual Dogwood Arts Festival, paying tribute to the arts, beauty and culture of the Appalachian region. See quilt-making done by the experts, bluegrass tunes performed by local bands or just tour the Knoxville dogwood trails for a scenic drive.

Knoxville Marathon

Experience the city at street level by entering the Knoxville Marathon or Half Marathon, which both take place in the spring. The more picturesque portions of the routes follow the Third Creek Greenway, finishing up at Neyland Stadium.

Boomsday

One of the South's most ambitious fireworks displays is held in Knoxville on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and the event typically attracts more than 300,000 people. Live music and water shows kick off in the afternoon, while the sky lights up with rockets as soon as the sun sets.

Shopping

Market Square has served as one of Knoxville's primary marketplaces ever since the 1850s. Selling items as varied as cocktail dresses and hiking boots, locals and visitors regularly pick up fresh produce at its farmer's market. For retail therapy of the more upscale kind, the busiest malls in the city are West Town Mall and Knoxville Center, formerly known as East Towne Mall.

Transportation

Knoxville is near the convergence of Interstates 40 and 75 if you're on four wheels. Flying in? The McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is around 12 miles south of Knoxville, serving cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit and Charlotte, N.C. As far as local transport goes, KAT provides a bus service to a variety of locations in the Knoxville metropolitan area, as well as trolley routes in the Downtown area.

Climate

Fortunately, Knoxville's summers are not quite as hot as elsewhere in the South, thanks to its elevation of 900 feet. It only reaches at least 90 degrees an average of 35 times a year. However, this also means winter temperatures are a bit colder than other places in the South and you may want to come prepared for showers, whatever the season.