Safest part of Knoxville (Kingston: hotels, safe area, restaurants)

[morf13]

I will be visiting Knoxville and I am getting ready to make Hotel Reservations today. What is the safest part of Knoxville,and the worst(most dangerous),as far as crime,etc. I want to stay in a low risk part part of Knoxville,with the least crime. So what's best,Nort,South,East,West Knoxville? I would also like to be sort of in the middle of things so I can see the sites,go to restaurants,etc. Any help you can give is much appreciated.Thanks

[goodbyehollywood]

There are a lot of hotels and a lot to do downtown. It's pretty safe, but you would need to be cautious. Or you could stay down West. There are a lot of hotels all along Kingston Pike near the mall and that area is extremely safe and close to a lot of restaurants and shopping. You could also stay right off the interstate near Merchants Road. It would be cheaper there and you could hop right on the interstate to go wherever you want.

It all depends on what you want to do and see. Good luck!

[JMT]

I was going to say Merchants/I-75, too, but goodbyehollywood mentioned downtown which is an excellent suggestion. If you're going to be in Knoxville on a weekend, you can probably get a good deal at a nice downtown hotel (Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, Crown Plaza). Then you'd be in walking distance of Market Square and Gay Street which are GREAT places to spend a warm summer evening. Well the Marriott is probably too far to walk, but the rest--particularly Crown Plaza and the Hilton--are right there within a block or two of Market Square. And unlike most big city downtowns, downtown Knoxville is remarkably safe, at least in the general Market Square area.

Otherwise, if you'd rather stay outside of downtown, I'd recommend Merchants/I-75 (just north of downtown) which has the usual fare of hotels and chain restaurants but is also close to Fountain City (a very popular area with many of us city-data folk), or the Cedar Bluff exit off I-40 in West Knox which is closer to the more tony neighborhoods of West Knoxville.

[KTowner33]

I agree. I think Merchants/75 would be the way to go. There's a Hampton, an Econolodge, a Sleep Inn, and some others. Good, safe area, and easily accessible to Fountain City and the interstate.

[dave1961]

I stayed several times at the Holiday Inn on Papermill Drive, which is right off of I-40. I always felt very safe there. It's only a few minutes from downtown. Very reasonable rates too.

[BST]

There are several good, reputable hotels on the Cedar Bluff exit of I-40...all the dining and shopping you'd want...but nearly everything is a long or dangerous walk across major roads. Suprisingly, there are nearly as many hotel beds waiting at the Strawberry Plains exit than Cedar Bluff...and it's much more convenient to the Smoky Mountains. All the downtown hotels are good. Only the Marriott is inconveniently located for pedestrians.