Knoxville Visit Advice Sought (Mason, Townsend: fit in, 2015, city hall)

[LittleDolphin]

Coming to visit in Oct. and besides walking at IJAMS, are there fav museums, places to savor in K'ville you'd recommend? we like nature and books and music--all kinds.

And do you have favorite places to eat that would give us a true "taste of Knoxville" without breaking the bank??

Welcome your tips.

Excited to come visit.

[danielj72]

There are restaurants in Market square and on Gay street downtown. It all depends on what you like to eat. Museums?? There is also a nice history museum downtown as well. (East Tennessee history museum) I am sure some of the younger posters could point you toward the live music areas, I just don't know much about that.

You say you like nature, well to see the really nice natural features of this area you need to do a bit of driving. Smoky Mountain national park is about 40-60 minutes away (depending on what part of park, route you take). Its beauty is first class, if you only have time for one thing then this would be my choice. Mountain views, waterfalls and hiking trails are all there. Cades Cove is beautiful part of the park. Its a large meadow surrounded by mountains. There are tons of deer, bear and old historic cabins you can visit. Its a very cool place. October is very crowded up there however because of fall colors. If you can avoid weekends you should. There are also a lot of waterfalls out on the plateau. (area west of Knoxville) Ozone falls is quite easy to get too off I-40. Its a large waterfall that descends into a gorge. One of the prettiest waterfalls in the state is down in the Tellico area, its called Bald River falls. Tuckaleechee caverns is down toward Townsend, it is worth a visit. There is far more to do in this area than I could possibly list.

[FrogCross]

Depends upon how big your bank is.

We don't get into Knoxville proper all that often, but our favorite Knoxville restaurant for a special day out is Bistro By The Tracks.

[creeksitter]

The full house is a dish that was invented in Knoxville, it is a tamale covered in chili and can be found at time warp tea room which is worth a visit for the décor (antique motorcycles) great little shops nearby. For desert there's the freezo, or if you want upscale magpies bakery. Next door to magpies is Holly's corner which offers fresh/local food lunches at reasonable prices, though not low end.

Chandler's on Magnolia has great barbeque/soul food. Buddy's is a good local BBQ chain if you want local fast food.
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Like Daniel says there are lots of restaurants downtown. Tomato head is a market square pioneer that offers fresh/local that won't break the bank. Upscale restaurants on Gay st. Live music is available in market square and the old city, if you can catch a show at one of the historic theaters they are beautiful.

A classic Knoxville meal is a meat and three(or two). They can be found all over town, I'll have to let someone recommend the best. Pete's diner downtown has very reasonable breakfasts. Across from Pete's is Union ave bookstore, our only local bookstore.

[LittleDolphin]

You all are giving me just what I'd hoped for!! Great tips. Do you know of any small places/pubs that have local live music? We like blues, funk, country, rock n roll...jazz. You name it. Would love to her local groups play while in Knoxville.

And...one more question..we like ethnic food of every kind..Asian, Mexican, Greek, Indian, Middle Eastern...what have you..do you have places to recommend??

[DaveC20853]

Knoxville news, music, food, and arts - The Knoxville Mercury can answer a lot of those questions.

[hiknapster]

The Bijou on Gay St. often has great shows, as does the Tennessee Theater.

Also, as mentioned, live music can also be found on Market Square and the Old City.

You might want to try Boyd's *** and Reel or perhaps Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria, Knoxville TN | Craft Beer, Great Food and Live Music.

While there, don't forget to stop in at Armada Craft Cocktail Bar - Home for incredibly unique craft cocktails.

Stop into the Knoxville Visitor's Center at noon for the globally-known Blue Plate Special. It's located at the corner of Summit Hill and Gay. It features Americana music and is a great place to start your adventure.

The Blue Plate Special® WDVX

Also, I'm delighted that you know about Ijams. I'm not going to send you to the Smokies because I'm sure you are aware of them. However, Knoxville is now nationally recognized for its Urban Wilderness. A great place to start - other than at Ijams - is at the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center for more information. They all work hand and hand through our Legacy Parks Foundation.

Home - Legacy Parks Foundation

Outdoor Knoxville

Knoxville's Urban Wilderness

Want a great breakfast that isn't the same-old stuff?

Home | Olibea Neighborhood Breakfast

Great places to eat include Knox Mason, Cru and Holly's 135 on Gay St, just north of Summit Hill. Also, Stock and Barrel on Market Square has great burgers and bourbon.

The Stock & Barrel | Burgers and Bourbon Restaurant in Knoxville, TN

Right now, Knoxville is lousy with breweries, and I mean that in a good way.

With Almost a Dozen New Microbreweries on Tap, Can Knoxville Become a True Beer Destination? - The Knoxville Mercury

Some of them are just coming on line, like http://craftybastardbrewery.com/ in the gentrifying Emory Place and https://www.facebook.com/AllianceBrewingCo?fref=ts just over the bridge in South Knoxville.

And of course, there is Saw Works Brewing Company

Last Days of Autumn will open in January.

Last Days of Autumn Brewing

If you want an unpretentious hangout with excellent local pub food, Public House is where it is at. Let's keep that a secret, though.

KNOXVILLE PUBLIC HOUSE

And for a taste of the West's, the couple that really got the ball rolling in downtown Knoxville, do yourself a favor and visit Scruffy City Hall and Preservation Pub (Pres Pub, if you want to fit in with folks like me).

Preservation Pub | Scruffy City

Be sure and check Inside of Knoxville | Your Urban Connection, especially on Sundays when the 10-day planner is published. It will tell you everything that is going on in the downtown area. A certain CDer sometimes writes for them.

Finally, you mentioned books. We do have a small, independent bookstore on Union Avenue, aptly named Union Ave Books. Be sure and stop in!

http://unionavebooks.com/

And please pardon our appearance at UT, on the Cumberland Strip near UT and across the river at the former Baptist Hospital. Knoxville is growing by leaps and bounds, as usual, but sometimes we can get messy!

[LittleDolphin]

Wow, Hiknapster, helpful advice doesn't get much better than what you posted above...will print out your post and bring with so we can refer to all these great places to visit/savor! Thanks for taking the time to help us plan our visit...getting very excited..

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

The full house is a dish that was invented in Knoxville, it is a tamale covered in chili and can be found at time warp tea room which is worth a visit for the décor (antique motorcycles) great little shops nearby. For desert there's the freezo, or if you want upscale magpies bakery. Next door to magpies is Holly's corner which offers fresh/local food lunches at reasonable prices, though not low end.

Chandler's on Magnolia has great barbeque/soul food. Buddy's is a good local BBQ chain if you want local fast food.
.
Like Daniel says there are lots of restaurants downtown. Tomato head is a market square pioneer that offers fresh/local that won't break the bank. Upscale restaurants on Gay st. Live music is available in market square and the old city, if you can catch a show at one of the historic theaters they are beautiful.

A classic Knoxville meal is a meat and three(or two). They can be found all over town, I'll have to let someone recommend the best. Pete's diner downtown has very reasonable breakfasts. Across from Pete's is Union ave bookstore, our only local bookstore.

Chandlers is a real gem, good authentic soul food. I love Sweet Peas BBQ, now has a location downtown too. Man vs Food visited the original Sweet Peas, you don't get on those shows unless the food is top quality.

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by LittleDolphin

Wow, Hiknapster, helpful advice doesn't get much better than what you posted above...will print out your post and bring with so we can refer to all these great places to visit/savor! Thanks for taking the time to help us plan our visit...getting very excited..

Hik knows a great deal about the city itself, her advice is very valuable when it comes to what is worth seeing in Knoxville.