Meet between Knoxville and Chattanooga (Cleveland, Athens: live in, restaurants, store)

[laurie024]

Hello! I am from AZ but am going to be staying in Chattanooga this summer for a week. I have a friend who lives in Knoxville that I would like to meet up with. We both have two small children, so a park would be ideal where they could play and we could talk. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks so much.

[leonard]

[quote=laurie024;7833960]Hello! I am from AZ but am going to be staying in Chattanooga this summer for a week. I have a friend who lives in Knoxville that I would like to meet up with. We both have two small children, so a park would be ideal where they could play and we could talk. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks so much.[/QUOTE

Go to Google earth and you can see the cities between and all the parks etc. makes it easy to see what fits your needs and available time.

[knoxgarden]

Originally Posted by laurie024

Hello! I am from AZ but am going to be staying in Chattanooga this summer for a week. I have a friend who lives in Knoxville that I would like to meet up with. We both have two small children, so a park would be ideal where they could play and we could talk. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks so much.

There isn't much between Knoxville and Chattanooga. Your best bet is to have your friend meet you in Chattanooga and take the kids to the aquarium, which is very child friendly, and then to the Discovery Center.
Creative Discovery Museum - Chattanooga, Tennessee
Or decide on a park in Athens, TN. That's pretty much midway between the two.
City of Athens - Parks and Recreation

[BST]

Loudon County, Tennessee Visitors Bureau - Lakeway to the Smokies

Loudon or Lenoir City are possibilities.

Really, there are so many things for kids to enjoy in Chattanooga...and it's just a couple of hours away from Knoxville...it's worth the drive for your friend to meet you.

[oldmanbob]

If your trying to meet in the middle, then Cleveland, would work good, but is a little closer to Chattanooga.

[BRH]

I live in between Knoxville and Chattanooga in Sweetwater. (About 35 miles south of Knoxville and 60 miles north of Chattanooga). If you do decide to meet in the middle, I would choose Athens. It's exactly halfway and the Athens Regional Park that was mentioned in an earlier post would be a great spot. It's a large complex that has a nice playground area, and it is located just off I-75 at Exit 49. Simply go toward Athens when you exit (turn left if you are heading south and right if you are heading north) and the park is about a 1/4 mile on the right. There are also several restaurants just off the exit in the immediate area (Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's, Shoney's, Western Sizzlin', Monterrey, Buddy's BBQ, Firehouse Subs, etc.) Also, there is a large Wal Mart just past the park on the right in case you need to pick up anything.

Other options would be Cleveland, and Lenoir City. Both have nice parks with playgrounds. (Cleveland's park is located off of Hwy 11 in the northern part of town between exits 25 and 27. And Lenoir City's is on the lakefront near Ft. Loudon Dam, just off of Hwy. 321). Also, the Duck Park in downtown Sweetwater might be a nice place as well. It doesn't have a playground, but it has picnic tables located along a creek with ducks that the kids can feed. It also has a walking trail that follows the creek and connects with the Sweetwater Recreation Complex which has ballfields, a pool, tennis courts, and a walking track. (It's located in downtown Sweetwater on Hwy 11, just across the railroad from the downtown antique store area).

Hope this info helps a bit. I live in Sweetwater, but work in Knoxville, and also visit Chattanooga quite often too, so I'm very familiar with the whole area between the two.

[Kitties of Domination]

Why not meet in Sweetwater and take the kids to the Lost Sea?