Hoping to move to East Tennesse (Knoxville, Johnson City: neighborhoods, schools, subdivisions)

[demiluna]

We are looking for the perfect area for us in East Tennesse. We are retired, I am a weaver and watercolor painter, master gardner who must garden ,and my husband likes to ice skate (indoor rink), and our son has just moved to Johnson City. We want to be rural, maybe wooded with little grass to cut and within reasonable driving distance to Knoxville or another place with an indoor ice rink and within 2 hours of Johnson City. Any thoughts??
demiluna

[hjlacey]

Gatlinburg has a wonderful artists community

[mbmouse]

Gatlinburg is about the only place I can think of also that has an indoor ice rink. It is about a 2 hour drive from JC. Bristol Motor Speedway sets up a little ice rink every winter, but that is about it.

[JMT]

There's an indoor ice skating rink in Knoxville. But Gatlinburg definitely has a more active artists' community.

[Plain Jane]

Have you loooked into the Asheville, NC area? Asheville is really "artsy" and a one hour drive now to JC. Not sure of ice skating facilities there....

[demiluna]

Thanks all for your input. I guess I need to narrow the search a bit.
Priorities:
1.reasonable drive to Ice rink which I think is on the NE side of Knoxville (3xwk)
2. reasonable drive to Asheville/Hendersonville NC area where there is an
active weavers guild (2x mo).
Rural property, large enough to be private (no developments).
We are living in DE now in a rural area.

[mbmouse]

If an hour drive to Knoxville and a 2 1/2 hour drive to Asheville and 45 min drive to JC (to visit son) would be acceptable, I would suggest Surgoinsville or Rogersville. Those are both in Hawkins Co. You could take 11W into Knoxville and 26 to Asheville. My folks live in Rogersville out in th county and I am so jealous of their dirt LOL! My mom is also an avid gardener but I swear, it she puts it in that ground it grows like crazy,what ever it is, but if I plant something here ( North Johnson City) I have to tend it, treat it, cajole it, pray over it and beg it to grow just a little hahahahhahaha
I believe they have some quilting/crafting groups in Rogersville too.
If I am not mistaken there is an ice rink in Asheville also, if that is the case, you may want to look into Erwin or Unicoi, which is south of JC and would be about an hours drive or less to Asheville. All of these areas are rural with very few developments and private land available.
I hope that help.

[demiluna]

Thanks, I will check this out. In doing more reseach I have found the rink to be southwest of Knoxville near Farragut, so that changes my search a little I think.

[kamoshika]

area, one in Farragut (exit 369, Icearium) and the other in Bearden (exit 383, Ice Chalet). Three suggestions that likely would meet your criteria: Blaine, Bulls Gap & Rutledge.

FWIW, according to their website the Western North Carolina Fibers/Handweavers Guild meets just once a month:
Western North Carolina Fibers/Handweavers Guild, Inc.- Meetings

[demiluna]

The rink in Farragut is where my husband wants to skate. The facilities are much like the rink he uses now. So I am looking at an area that would put him less than an hour away and for me less than 2.5 hours to Asheville.
My first choice is rural but not necessarily remote
Any other comments on these areas or others?? Older mature neighborhoods on the outskirts of Nashville where the property size might be large with a little privacy may also be interesting (not subdivisions or developments) Obviously schools are not an issue.
What is Fountain City??