A day in Knoxville

[Barking Spider]

At noon go to the Visitors center for the Blue Plate Special (radio show).
Blue Coast Burrito is good if you like Mexican food.
Casual Pint is great if you like beer.
Go to the Mast General store - check out the candy section.
People watch in Market Square.
Rita's has great frozen deserts.
Market Square has a bunch of food places (different types and wide range of $$$)
Take a short walk to the Old City.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Barking Spider

At noon go to the Visitors center for the Blue Plate Special (radio show).
Blue Coast Burrito is good if you like Mexican food.
Casual Pint is great if you like beer.
Go to the Mast General store - check out the candy section.
People watch in Market Square.
Rita's has great frozen deserts.
Market Square has a bunch of food places (different types and wide range of $$$)
Take a short walk to the Old City.

I whole-heartedly agree with these wonderful tips. However, Blue Coast Burrito has been closed since sometime this past summer. They are slated to open on October 15 but as Blue Coast Grill & Bar with a completely new concept and menu. It will now be full-service.

I'll recommend Coolato Gelato. It's fast-casual, mom-and-pop. The owners make everything, including the gelato. People often think it's a chain since the small shop is impeccably decorated but the woman is incredibly talented and a perfectionist. Their soups are divine (this coming from the soup queen) and they also have salads and sandwiches. I've interviewed her in the past; she uses the best quality ingredients, coming in well-before dawn to create the gelato and delectable pastries. It's not cheap and their gelato seems to be a bit pricey but it will be less than a sit-down meal. They are on Broadway, across from Krutch Park. Grab something and then try to get a table outside for great people-watching.

Gelato, Panini , Italian Pastry and Espresso

Next door is The French Market, as authentic as a Paris creperie.

French Food | Knoxville Bistro | French Gifts | Crepes | Cappuccino | Espresso - The French Market - Authentic French Crepes, Gifts and Art in Knoxville, TN

Also, the Stock and Barrel just opened at Market Square. A friend reports that the burgers are amazing. Once again, not the price of Mickey D's but it's not filet mignon, either. It may be crowded, since it is new. At least you'll have the advantage of being here during the week. On the weekends it is hard to get into any restaurant downtown, and especially on the square, barring Subway's - and please don't eat there.

http://www.thestockandbarrel.com/

Also, you should know that The Museum of East Tennessee History is small but very interesting and free. It is downtown, with the entrance on Gay Street, across from both previously mentioned restaurants.

Same goes for the Knoxville Art Museum. It is very small but very important and very free. However, they are doing construction their right now, getting ready for Richard Jolley's enormous, monumental glass installation which can be viewed next May. The museum won't be open until November 29. I only mention it because someone else might use this info at another time.

Knoxville Museum of Art

Another fun and free option is to check out the art in the alleys. One alley is located between Market Square and Gay Street. Heading toward Gay, either from Rococo Boutique or the further to the north at they yogurt place, it was be the first alley that you come to (might be the only one, actually). Local artists continually update the alley. It's fun to look at and I great place to take photos. The other alley is next to The Crown and Goose in the Old City.

Also, the McClung Museum at UT is a fun, free stop as well.

http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/

And it is always free to take a ride to the top of Knoxville's iconic Sunsphere!

[vacation bound]

Thanks for the replies. I will definitely check out all of those places. It will be a fun day.

[Beretta]

Great press in the NY Times!! $50 to spend in a day in Knoxville

Looking good Knoxville! Shine on Sistah!

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/02/tr...ssee.html?_r=1

[Quaker15]

Yeah, this looks fun.

[dwnmo]

Are there any particularly cute/quaint towns or downtowns west of Knoxville (east of cookeville) that would be worth visiting for boutique shopping or restaurants? Is downtown Knoxville itself fairly walkable and nice to visit as a tourist?

Does the University of Tennessee have a fun college strip of any kind? (Bama girl here, though...not sure I can handle all the orange lol.) We'll probably have 1 full day that we can take exploring Knoxville and the surrounding area.

[linnemj]

Downtown Knoxville is definitely worth a few hours to visit. Cumberland Ave runs through the campus a little west of downtown and has bars and restaurants. Can’t help with shopping because, I am a guy and avoid it!

[creeksitter]

Gay street and Market square are a lot of fun, Central near Jackson (the old city) has character. Happy Holler (Central and Baxter) has some shopping and that part of central is good for antiques.

I don't consider Cumberland ave particularly noteworthy unless you are a student wanting to meet other students.

[indy_317]

Some family and I went down to the area for the eclipse. Somehow my mom found an article about what Sweetwater, TN was doing so we opted to head there. Whoever organized the town's festivities did an amazing job. They had the local post office set-up a shop with town themed postcards and the USPS eclipse stamp. They had all sorts of tent vendors, and all the main street shops were open. They had a really large antique shop and a few decent looking eateries. There are train tracks running right in the downtown area and their visitor's center is like a train depot. I'd consider that as a place to stop. The downtown commercial area wasn't all that big, so a stop really shouldn't take all that much time.

My wife and I are heading out to the area in the near future and staying over on our way to the beach. We plan on checking out the Maryville area as the Knoxville region is a possible relocation area in the future. It seems they have a small downtown area, but I'm not sure if it is worth a visit. It is also south of Knoxville, not really west.

[JOinGA]

Check out this website to see what catches your fancy. https://www.visitknoxville.com/plan-...sitors-center/. Go to the section on self-guided tours to get an idea of what there is available. Downtown Knoxville is a great place to visit! There is plenty of parking in the parking garages (free on the weekends and in the evenings), or you can always park for free near World's Fair Park. If you park by World's Fair Park, there is a small art museum right there that is worth a visit and has free admission (but with COVID, you have to make a reservation). https://knoxart.org After visiting the museum, you can view the Veteran's Memorial in the Park and walk over past the Sunsphere to downtown, with its shops and restaurants. Normally, you can go up in the Sunsphere for free, but it is closed due to COVID. Have fun!