Located 165 mi/265 km east of Nashville, Knoxville, Tennessee, is the largest city in eastern Tennessee and the third-largest in the state. Knoxville features a skyline of steel and glass skyscrapers.
You may want to begin your visit to Knoxville at Volunteer Landing, a complex of restaurants and other attractions downtown on the Tennessee River. It includes the Gateway Regional Visitor Center, which provides information about Knoxville attractions. Also part of Volunteer Landing, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame includes interactive exhibits and basketball artifacts.
Knoxville's past is on display in a number of historic sites and buildings around town. James White's Fort commemorates the town's earliest days as an Anglo settlement: The building dates to 1786, when White first arrived in the area. The Mabry-Hazen House is a Civil War-era residence that includes a cemetery where soldiers from the war are buried. Other historic buildings include Blount Mansion (built in 1792); Confederate Memorial Hall (a mid-1800s home used as a battle headquarters during the Civil War); and the Armstrong-Lockett House (built in the 1830s, it includes the lovely W.P. Toms Memorial Gardens). Knoxville's Old City is a rejuvenated area of warehouses that now houses restaurants, shops and nightspots.
Knoxville is home to the University of Tennessee, which operates the Frank H. McClung Museum. The museum houses exhibits on local archaeology, medicine and natural history. Downtown, the Knoxville Museum of Art has a permanent collection that focuses on art created since the early 20th century. The museum is located in World's Fair Park, which was the site of the 1982 World's Fair.
While you're in the Knoxville area, make a drive to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris (just off Interstate 75, about 20 mi/32 km north). This large collection of farm buildings, cabins, a church and a school provides a faithful rendition of Appalachian life.
