Knoxville for us? (Chattanooga, Oak Ridge, Pigeon Forge: home, university, camping)

[Eat]

And if you like boating, the Knoxville area lakes on the Tennessee, Little Tennessee, and Clinch Rivers have to be the most under used boating water in the country. There are plenty of free launch ramps, most of which are uncrowded most of the time.

If you are up for a trip, you can navigate to all the way to the open ocean from downtown Knoxville.

[michael49]

Sounds pretty good, thanks for all the info guys. I'll be back to saying Ya'all before you know it! (from my FL days).
No, but seriously we'll definitely have to check the are out. The Old North Knoxville area sounds like something that we would like.
The Brewery, Tomato Head and the coffee houses all sound great too.
Thanks again for all of the input.

[michael49]

Originally Posted by piedmont

Since you mentioned that you liked to travel, I would encourage you to explore flights into and out of Knoxville. They are rather limited compared to what I am used to.

Are the flights out of Knoxville that limited? It can't be any worse than the Airport we use know - Bradley intl just over the border in CT (its closer to us than Boston).

[NYCboundInAugust]

Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport

McGhee-Tyson is the name of our airport. It is not international, so expect to connect if travelling overseas or south of the border. They do offer many direct flights, Denver, Chicago, DC, NYC, Dallas, Houston being a few I know of for sure, as well as many commuter flights to Atlanta, Memphis, Cincinnatti, etc. Allegiant Air also flies out of TYS and they offer package deals to Florida, although they did recently stop direct flight vacation packages to Las Vegas. I flew with them to Vegas and was very pleased, haven't flown with them to Florida yet but friends have again with no complaints. I am a relative newbie when it comes to air travel, but I have to say that out of all the airports I have flown in/out of I much prefer the size and ease of navigating TYS. Once your through security you are practically at the boarding gates, with baggage claim a short escalator ride away (unlike Hartsfield in Atlanta where I swear I think I walked a mile just to get to baggage, I'd hate to have a 40 minute connect there). I don't have any experience booking flights out of other airports, but I do not find TYS limiting at all. I can always get to where I am trying to go, even if I have to connect which I hate doing. I travel mainly for pleasure so I am very flexible with my plans. Maybe those who travel for business see it in a different light.

Try out the website, you can plug in TYS and select destinations just to give you an idea of price, flight time, direct/connect, etc. The one negative about is that I have not been able to find any last minute deals out of TYS, but maybe I'm just not looking in the right place.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by michael49

Are the flights out of Knoxville that limited? It can't be any worse than the Airport we use know - Bradley intl just over the border in CT (its closer to us than Boston).

As NYCboundInAugust said, service out of TYS is pretty limited. Lots of small regional jets. You can fly pretty much to any major hub non-stop but to some of them there are only 1-2 flights per day. Last time I flew back from China I had a 9-hour layover in Newark because there just aren't many flights into Knoxville.

And because the only discount airline serving TYS is Allegiant Air (which flies to out-of-the-way airports in Florida) air fares out of TYS are also pretty high.

I'm flying to Utah in June. The ticket is $350 out of Nashville and $700 out of Knoxville.

When I used frequent flyer miles to fly to Paris over the holidays, I had to fly out of Atlanta because there just aren't many seats out of Knoxville.

On the other hand, you can show up at TYS a half-hour before the plane leaves and still have plenty of time to go through security and still get a muffin at Ruby Tuesday. The Knoxville airport is really nice, very clean, and certainly easy to maneuver. But you might find yourself driving to Nashville or Atlanta for cheaper air fares (as many of us do).

[Eat]

Originally Posted by JMT

On the other hand, you can show up at TYS a half-hour before the plane leaves and still have plenty of time to go through security and still get a muffin at Ruby Tuesday. The Knoxville airport is really nice, very clean, and certainly easy to maneuver. But you might find yourself driving to Nashville or Atlanta for cheaper air fares (as many of us do).

I like TYS. It also has a free parking area (Park and Call) away from the terminal for people waiting to pick up others. When the travelers arrive and get their bags, they call you on your cell, and you simply drive over to the arrivals area and pick them up. It's a great idea.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Eat

I like TYS. It also has a free parking area (Park and Call) away from the terminal for people waiting to pick up others. When the travelers arrive and get their bags, they call you on your cell, and you simply drive over to the arrivals area and pick them up. It's a great idea.

You got that right. Plus, because the airport is pretty small (only 12 gates), even if you have to park in the parking garage you're never very far from the terminal. And the first 30 minutes are free. Also, the rent-a-cops downstairs almost always let you park at the curb while waiting to pick up someone at the luggage carousels.

Still, it would be nice to have Southwest or Airtran so our air fares would be cheaper.

[piedmont]

Originally Posted by michael49

Are the flights out of Knoxville that limited? It can't be any worse than the Airport we use know - Bradley intl just over the border in CT (its closer to us than Boston).

I've flown into Bradly a few times. I think Tyson-McGhee is similar in size. It really depends on where you are going. Since I am generally headed to the west coast, I find the flights limited (and the prices very high). As others have said, it can be worth driving to Atlanta or Nashville for a better deal.

[gemkeeper]

One of the deciding factors for us on the Knoxville area was proximity of the Tyson-McGhee Airport. Having 4 children spread all over the country we do fly many times a year. We are the taxi service to and from the Atlanta airport for the sons and their families flying in to visit us. Plus, with DH and I traveling to visit them several times a year, getting to the airport can be a real trip (ahem).

Now, we are driving from NE GA, 1 1/2 hrs. thru Atlanta to reach the airport on the southern end of the city. We feel that we are risking our lives everytime we make that horrendous drive.

We, too, used Bradley Airport near Hartford, CT when we lived outside of Springfield, MA. Bradley is a larger airport, but, I agree piedmont, it does has the feel of McGhee-Tyson. Very easy to manuever; not at all over-whelming like large major airports can be. (Bradley has 3 major runways, can handle Boeing 747's and have 2 separate terminals with 28 gates. It is the second largest airport in New England behind Logan in Boston.)

Sometimes, for convenience sake, the extra fees are well worth it - especially for old-timers like DH and me. Well, DH!

[knoxgarden]

Tyson-McGhee also offers free parking for people with valid handicap placards or license plates. That lets you park right across the street from the terminal entrance and baggage claim. Very handy.
I've been flying to Newark over Christmas to visit my sister, but we've decided to change Christmas to better weather and flying time. I keep getting stuck at Knoxville or Newark, waiting for landing or takeoff space. The little planes don't get high priority. You do get to meet a lot of nice people, though.
In addition to Nashville and Atlanta, look at flights out of Charlotte and Cincinnati. Both would have less hassle than coping with Atlanta. I've spent way too much of my life in Hartsfield and on the Interstates of Atlanta.
Charlotte is a really nice airport, the homey atmosphere of Knoxville but much bigger.
Just don't try to make tight connections to and from Knoxville. It won't happen.