Planning a trip to either Knoxville or Chattanooga (Sevierville, Pigeon Forge: amusement park, how much)

[Geog101]

Which place has a better vibe, more things to do with good restaurants and hotels. Will be without a car so which city is easier to get around using public transportation.

[otterhere]

I've been to both. Not sure either is a vacation destination?

[jjbradleynyc]

Each are wonderful cities for their size, and are growing well with strong economies, great downtowns and many attractions to visit.

I grew up in northeast Tennessee, and we visited Knoxville and Chattanooga a couple times a year, every year, practically.

For Chattanooga--

*The Tennessee Aquarium is a fantastic spot to visit for several hours. Its a fascinating snapshot of mostly freshwater environments. It's right on the bank of the Tennessee River downtown, and is a beautiful building, architecturally
*Rock City and Ruby Falls are high up on the mountain that straddles the TN and GA border. Amazing views, an incline up the mountain and a cave system that is super cool to explore. Definitely an original
*The Hunter Museum of Art, overlooking the cliffs of the Tennessee River downtown, is a beautiful museum with an incredible collection of art worth checking out
*Downtown Chattanooga has a lot of cool bars, great variety of restaurants, tons of shopping and boutiques, and a lot of original architecture. It's a vibrant downtown for its size. Also check out the Chattanooga Choo Choo
*The surrounding mountains and rivers offer hiking, kayaking, fishing, and 4 wheeling. There's also a hang gliding attraction that anyone can do!

For Knoxville--

*Downtown offers a nice, dense and bustling for its size variety of things to see and do, including Market Square, the 1982 Worlds Fair Park, and Tennessee Theater
*Check out "the old city" downtown, a gentrified, loft/warehouse/gritty district that is now trendy with boutiques, restaurants and shopping
*There's also the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame downtown, a really nice zoo just to the east of downtown, and a few good museums
*Just 30 minutes from Knoxville is the tourist hotspot area of Gatlinburg/Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, right at the gate of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This region has pretty much anything entertainment-wise you could want, from roller coasters to indoor skydiving to theme parks to breweries to indoor ski slopes. It's a tourist magnet.

Between the 2 cities, my pick would be Chattanooga, personally, if you are just looking to stay in the city pretty much. Knoxville is fantastic too, but offers a bit less super interesting sights, than Chattanooga. In Knoxville, you have to travel to the Great Smokies region for an overwhelming amount to see and do - which is super close, but out of the city.

**BTW, neither city has a terrific public transportation system. But I'd give the edge to Chattanooga, due to many more interesting sites in the downtown region.

[otterhere]

It seems EVERY downtown area now has "a pedestrian area, restaurants, bars, and cool boutiques" as a result of so-called renaissance funding. They're becoming as ubiquitous, homogenous, and predictable as the fast food stops along the interstate in every city. They lack unique character, IMO.

Knoxville has a zoo, if you're into that but, again, you'd need a car or ride to get there.

And, in addition to the Smokeys, Cumberland Gap National Park is about an hour away.

[creeksitter]

Originally Posted by otterhere

It seems EVERY downtown area now has "a pedestrian area, restaurants, bars, and cool boutiques" as a result of so-called renaissance funding. They're becoming as ubiquitous, homogenous, and predictable as the fast food stops along the interstate in every city. They lack unique character, IMO.

Knoxville had the pedestrian area, bars and shops long before any Renaissance funding. Chattanooga doesn't have the pedestrian zone but it has a lot going on and plenty of older buildings in addition to an aquarium right downtown.

Why don't you visit both cities on google earth and "walk" around. Both cities have bus systems to get outside the core. How much walking are you willing to do beyond a bus stop? Do you like historical neighborhoods, nature parks???

[Serious Conversation]

Personally, I like the walkable parts of Chattanooga more than Knoxville, but I think Knoxville is overall just a better place to live. It's bigger with a lot more on offer across the board.

[JOinGA]

Originally Posted by Geog101

Which place has a better vibe, more things to do with good restaurants and hotels. Will be without a car so which city is easier to get around using public transportation.

Go to VisitKnoville.com for some suggestions of things to do downtown, including walking tours and how to get around. Knoxville is a cool little city and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

[y8tiger]

I can't speak to Knoxville since the closest I have been to staying there is Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg.

On the other hand, I have visited Chattanooga numerous times.

In addition to what is listed above, I have 3 things to add:

* Southern Belle Riverboat tours on the Tennessee River.

* Tennessee Valley Railroad Steam Special train rides.

* Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park located both on top of Lookout Mountain and in Fort Oglethorpe.

In the Warm months I would also recommend the Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park.

I believe all of these are accessible via bus or the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.

[MountainMusic402]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

Personally, I like the walkable parts of Chattanooga more than Knoxville, but I think Knoxville is overall just a better place to live. It's bigger with a lot more on offer across the board.

Knoxville has about 5 percent more people than Chatt. Basically equivalent populations.

[otterhere]

Where is a decent reasonably priced hotel on Merchant Drive in Knoxville, BTW? The one I stayed in last time appeared to be mostly full-time housing for migrants.