when does eastern tn hit "spring" (Knoxville, Johnson City: live in, safe)

[foxywench]

planning my trip well in advance...
im slowly putting together a list of must see attractions and places to stop to get a feel for the towns im interested in (and potentially add more to "the list" lol)

but now im also trying to figure out when to come on down...

im hoping to come down in "spring" ill be traveling down rt 81 as the 'main drag' of the trip with whatever side trips come out of the entire process...so what month/time of that month would you say is 'the prettiest' during the spring.

for example around here id say early april is when spring starts to wake up and then one day the trees are bare and the next there covered in leaves lol.

any thoughts?

im planning on taking a second trip to the area if after my first visit i find a few place i realy like (which im not realy doubting lol) at the height of summer so i cna get a feel for the heat and humidity and see if its something i can handle then too. :P

[hiknapster]

We often have signs of spring in March, with some of the trees and flowers starting to bloom, but I would suggest April as the best month. It's when we have the Dogwoods Art Festival and it is gorgeous at that time. Dogwood Arts Festival

[DubbleT]

I agree with Hik. I've got an old post mentioning blooms as early as March in the tri-cities area too, so I think April would be a great time to visit. (I might even pop over to Knoxvilles Ijams Nature Center to peek at the wild flowers and pick up a few plants at their spring sale)

If you plan on making a stopover in the tri-cities area there are a couple of places in Bristol close to I-81 with some pretty good food if you want to check it out. Italiano Cafe, a terrific tiny hole in the wall place. Bristol's Famous Burger Bar for a fresh grilled burger, or the Blackbird Bakery for some great donuts or pastries. Or you could pick up a sandwich and enjoy a little picnic at Steele Creek Park

[Beretta]

April!!!! Latter April to be safe

[foxywench]

thank you for the suggestions, im planning on spending at least a couple of days in the tri-cities area, the bakery is out for me, but italian and burgers both some wonderfull

[Josh Woods]

I live in Johnson City, but play tennis in Knoxville a lot. I can tell you that Knoxville is about (2) weeks ahead of Johnson City seasonally for spring activity.

I would suggest that if you want the most spring possible that you start your trip as far west or south as possible and then move northeast.

[TN_KNOX]

March and April are usually "transitional" months.

Knoxville's average last frost date is April 15th. That means it's a 50/50 shot that there'll be no more frost after the 15th of April (even then, it's usually an overnight freeze with warmer temps during the day).

[LauraC]

I just took a look at my April Oak Ridge and Norris photos from 2009 and 2010.

Between the very end of March and the first 9 days of April, you will see white and pink flowered trees but the branches on the regular leafy trees, except for weeping willows, will still be bare. By April 18, some of the pinks were still flowered and the regular trees were green. The whites in 2010 only lasted a week this past year. I think they were around a little longer in 2009. Maybe I'll post some photos. I date them so I know when they were taken.

[hiknapster]

Yes, last winter was so cold that it affected our spring. The previous four springs were much different. Of course, the way things are going right now, we are in for a very cold winter again.

[Kitties of Domination]

Originally Posted by LauraC

I just took a look at my April Oak Ridge and Norris photos from 2009 and 2010.

Between the very end of March and the first 9 days of April, you will see white and pink flowered trees but the branches on the regular leafy trees, except for weeping willows, will still be bare. By April 18, some of the pinks were still flowered and the regular trees were green. The whites in 2010 only lasted a week this past year. I think they were around a little longer in 2009. Maybe I'll post some photos. I date them so I know when they were taken.

This can vary from year to year. Some years trees are in leaf by late March. Also leafing occurs earlier in Knoxville than outlying areas due to heat island effects.