A Quick Getaway

It was really just the excuse I needed. And it’s been fun planning my trip. There’s a ton to do in Knoxville. It’s a bigger city without being overwhelming and still keeping that “small city charm.”

I left the morning of my birthday. I stopped in Sweetwater at the Lost Sea Adventures. It was a tour of the largest underground lake in America. It was beautiful and highly recommended if you are passing through the area. I had to do at least one adventurous thing on my birthday and this was definitely a memorable choice (thanks Andrew for the recommendation). I got dinner and headed to my Airbnb for the night with absolutely no shame that I was about to go in my room at 7pm for the night. :p I opted for a cheaper choice with my Airbnb, so I could spend more on adventures in Knoxville. It was a private room and bathroom on the upper floor a house that belonged to a super sweet couple. I was really only there to sleep and shower, so I didn’t mind not having a kitchen or any other accommodations. It was perfect for me and this short trip.

My first stop was the botanical gardens at the University of Tennessee. These gardens are open year around and are free of charge to the public. They are impressive to say the least. Covering a huge span of land with many different sections including a children’s area with an adorable playground. There are different art exhibits that rotate in throughout the year. This particular one was different, uniquely created bunnies placed throughout the garden. I also got to see a couple real bunnies also. It took me a little over an hour to walk through the whole garden and I could have easily spent much more time, but I needed an indoor break, so I hopped on the interstate and quickly found myself in the heart of downtown Knoxville.

I started my downtown adventure in Knoxville the same as any downtown adventure back home: refusing to pay for parking. I probably drove around for 20 minutes trying to find a free space, but at that time, the only reason I was there was to visit a coffee shop and then be on my way and I’m never a fan of paying to park to pay for a cup of coffee. So, I finally happened on small parking lot tucked away just a few blocks from the main road of downtown. Another woman was pulling in at the same time and as our paths crossed, I verified with her that this was indeed free parking. She assured me it was and I made my way down the street towards the coffee shop that Andrew said “You have to try.” As I crossed one of the streets, I noticed an art gallery, so I ventured inside. It was small, but felt like Tennessee. No workers (or patrons) were around, so I had the run of the place. Two levels of local artists with a very unique cat exhibit on the top floor. Feeling a tad more “cultured” I continued my journey down the street to Awaken Coffee. It’s one of the biggest coffee shops I have ever been in. It was a maze to find the bathroom. The place had a very southern feeling with hardwood floors, and wood furniture. Everything piece had a vintage-feel and most certainly lived several lives before ending up in this one of a kind shop. I asked for the barista’s recommendation between 2 different drinks and settled on a blackberry iced latte. It was yummy and a good pick-me up. After eating a quick snack, I grabbed my coffee to-go, because I had things to do, and ventured back into downtown.

I walked back towards the art gallery I had just wondered inside and realized it was on Gay St. I had this street on my list of things to do the next day. It was in the art district of Knoxville and housed some theatres, art galleries, and boutiques. I figured since I was already there, I’d go ahead and do it then. I found several more art galleries, an adorable used book store, an old-timey pharmacy, and some other unique Knoxville things. One of my favorite encounters on this trip happened as I was making my way down Gay street. I noticed a fun mural painted on one of the walls and stopped to take a picture. A stereotypical-looking biker watches me do so and the following conversation occurs:

Me: “Well you’ve committed to it now. Stand over there.”

Having come to the end of my options on Gay street and my current water bottle, I made my way back to my car in search of the next adventure on my list for the day: World’s Fair Park. After a quick 10-minute drive from downtown, I found the park (you really can’t miss the 266 ft tall Sunsphere) and a large FREE parking lot! I walked to the park and through a small war memorial. The had an impressive playground and splash pad for the children, a huge arena that was housing high school basketball tournaments that day, an amphitheater and large body of water with a fountain and pedestrian bridge. That was all fun to look at, but the main attraction was the Sunsphere. The impressive sculpture was created for the 1982 World’s Fair that was hosted in Knoxville. This may have been one of my favorite parts of the trip. I paid my $10 and rode up to the observation deck on the top level. The whole circle was filled with panels of history and shelves of memorabilia. My history-loving self read every word. I probably spent 45-minutes on the deck circling it a few times. Both looking at the sites and the history displayed all around. I also ran into an older gentlemen who knew a lot of history about the area himself and appeared to be taking his teenage grandson on a tour.  So, I followed a few steps behind them for a while and got another free tour.  

Once I finished at the Sunsphere, I went in search of lunch. I found myself back downtown, and this time was forced to pay for parking. I realized my lunch spot was also in Market Square that was also on my list for the next day, so again, “while I’m here.” I got my lunch to go, sat in a small park for a few minutes and then wondered the square before rushing back to my car before my hour was up (blasted paid parking). But the timing worked out well because it was getting later in the afternoon and my last outdoor item was Ijams Nature Center.

Ijams was a little ways out from downtown. I didn’t realize how high up the side of a mountain I was until my drive back on the outside lane. Looking over that mountain and seeing how far I’d tumble if my wheel veered just a bit made me the safest driver ever. The Nature Center was beautiful. You paid for parking (really?). At least this time we were assured that it was going towards nature preservation, so that’s something. The trails and center were free though. I quickly picked my trail (as in “I hope this one goes near a body of water because I can’t understand this map”). Lucky for me it did… a huge one in fact! The locals call it a quarry, and it seemed to be a popular attraction for families in the summer. Which surprised me even more when I later learned that the water is only about 50 degrees year around due to the rocks surrounding it. But the hike up and back was gorgeous and was one of the main things I wanted to do while I was there. After I finished my hike, I was ready to call it a day. I didn’t feel like dinner, but stopped by Whole Foods to find some more electrolytes, snacks, and some chocolate that sufficed for dinner that night.  (During my trip to London last year, we kept “come home chocolate” on hand. It was literally just chocolate we kept in out hotel room and gorged ourselves with each night after coming home) “Come home chocolate” seemed like a good tradition to keep alive though, especially after I walked almost 10 miles that day.

The next morning I took a slower morning.  I went on a short walk around the neighborhood and enjoyed the greenery, cooler weather, and hills. I got back, showered and was on my way. After gassing up, I found another cute coffee shop and was ready for some shopping. I had a bit more time that day since I had done several items on my list for that day the day before. I found a great upscale indoor market with everything you could think of and mostly reasonably priced. I browsed for some trinkets for my nieces and nephews and a birthday gift for my mom. I wondered the aisles for quite a while, because again, no agenda! I then headed to Whole Foods for lunch and to the Knoxville Museum. It was a great little museum. The staff was friendly, it was free admission and I found free 2-hour parking. I wondered the 3 levels aimlessly, but still finished in about an hour, so I found another museum that was not on my list a few miles down the road. The McClung Museum is located on the UT campus, so it was also fun to explore the campus a bit.

 I finished that museum and headed over to Maryville where the Van Gogh exhibit was held, but had just enough time to try another “Andrew recommendation”: Vienna Coffee in Maryville. It was voted the best coffee shop in Tennessee and they deserve it! It is adorable. There are several old-fashioned coffee grinders strewn about and none of the tables or chairs matched, but they all “went together” in their own way. The wood finished walls were adorned with beautiful paintings from local artists, so you can get your coffee and basically browse an art gallery. Many community events were hung on their bulletin board which just completed the “small town vibe.” And to top it all off, the coffee was superb.

I made my way over to the Maryville Foothills mall that looks like most of the malls in America at this point (defunct and almost a ghost town). The entrance to the exhibit was around back and looked sketchy as hell, but damnit, I spent $35.00 on tickets. :p It was all good though. I finally got to meet my friend who I talk to most every day. The exhibit was fabulous, and we had a lovely dinner at a local Thai place that we got our work to pay for (courtesy of Sibel sweet-talking our manager). We closed the place down and I made it back to my “home away from home” and crashed shortly after.

I left the next morning at a reasonable time, I made a few stops coming back, lunch with a little window shopping, a huge antique shop, and one more adorable coffee shop just a few hours before I was home. Due to my meandering, roadwork and rerouting due to road closures, it was a long day, but I listened to the first audiobook in the YOU series by Caroline Kepnes and it made the trip there and back rather bearable. So much so that I’m planning another road trip and for someone who doesn’t really like to drive, that is something. This was definitely a trip I needed. A nice break and a bit of adventure. I didn’t quite scratch my traveling itch though. I was making a list of places to go next this morning, but also the post-traveling exhaustion is kicking in, so those may have to wait a month or two. All in all, it was a great time and I would highly recommend Knoxville for a low key yet adventurous vacation destination. Until next time…