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Out in Eastern Tennessee, just under three hours from Nashville, you’ll find the vibrant city of Knoxville – the third largest city in the state of Tennessee. Knoxville is a college town (home of the University of Tennessee Volunteers (aka the VOLs)), which I absolutely love as you can usually find an awesome and affordable food scene, bars and breweries, and lots of outdoor activities to enjoy.
I wanted to experience a little taste of what Eastern Tennessee had to offer, so I crafted this perfect three-day Knoxville itinerary, which worked out great for our first visit. We spent a full day exploring the craft beer and distillery scene, took a day trip out to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and devoted a full day to doing a self-guided walking tour around the city to see as many sights as we could.
This post outlines a three-day Knoxville itinerary based on our trip to help give you some great suggestions on how to best explore the city!
Getting to Knoxville
Knoxville has its own small regional airport with limited flights, so if you are not a fan of road trips, flying is an option. However, if you’re exploring other cities in Tennessee such as Nashville, I highly recommend flying into Nashville, renting a car, and making the easy drive to Knoxville.
- Fly into Knoxville (flights are limited as it is not an international airport)
- Drive from Nashville – About 2 hours 45 mins
- Drive from Charlotte, NC – Approximately 4 hours
- Drive from Asheville, NC – Approximately 2 hours
- Drive from Atlanta, GA – Approximately 4 hours
- Drive from Louisville, KY – Approximately 3 hours 45 mins
Where to Stay in Knoxville
Knoxville is a pretty compact city, so no matter where you stay in the Downtown area, you’re going to be in walking distance of almost everything.
Hyatt Place
530 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902
We stayed at the Hyatt Place right in Downtown Knoxville on Gay Street. Hyatt Place properties generally are no frills, but it suited us just fine for a four-night stay in the city. It was conveniently located to everything we wanted to see, and we got a good points redemption by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt to book.
The daily parking rate at the Hyatt is quite steep, so we recommend parking in the public State Street Garage on the block behind the hotel. Parking in the garage is free on weekends, and you’ll only end up paying a few dollars for any weekday parking. Compared to the steep valet fee, the short walk to the garage was worth it for us.
Pro Tip: be sure to check the local University of TN football schedule because room rates will be sky high for a home game!
Book the Hyatt Place via Hotels.com, Booking.com or Direct
The Tennessean
531 Henley St, Knoxville, TN 37902
Next time we visit Knoxville, I’d love to stay at the more luxurious Tennessean Hotel located near World’s Fair Park. It’s still within a reasonable walking distance to all the restaurants and Market Square and it just looks very posh!
Book The Tennessean via Hotels.com, Booking.com or Direct
Arrival in Knoxville
If you’re arriving from out of state, I recommend a four-night stay in Knoxville, which will give you three full days for this itinerary. I think this is the perfect amount of time for a first-time visit.
After checking into your hotel, head down to Market Square for some delicious burgers, fried green tomatoes, and pimento cheese dip at Stock & Barrel. This is a great little intro to Southern-inspired food!
Take the rest of the evening to relax and get ready for three days packed full of Knoxville and Eastern Tennessee fun!
Day 1: Distillery & Brewery Crawl
Knoxville is a hopping spot for breweries and distilleries, and there are so many great places to visit right in the Downtown area! Since we love beer and distillery visits when we travel (just as much as wine travel), I planned the a DIY distillery and beer crawl for our visit to Knoxville. This itinerary is super easy going, and includes a stop for a hearty brunch to kick off the crawl, along with a satisfying dinner at a local pizza restaurant.
Since this DIY tour is all on foot, it’s also a cool way to get the lay of the land and see the city for the first time.
This activity is best done on a Saturday or Sunday when the distilleries and breweries are open all day vs. limited hours on the weekdays.
For more detailed info on this DIY Knoxville Distillery & Brewery Crawl, check out this post.
Read More: DIY Knoxville Distillery & Brewery Crawl Itinerary
DIY Distillery & Brewery Crawl Itinerary
- Stop 1: Brunch & beers at Balter Beerworks. Try the shrimp and grits, along with a flight of beers!
- Stop 2: Spirits flight at Knox Whiskey Works. For $10, you can get a sample of all 13 spirits.
- Stop 3: Spirits flight at PostModern Distilling. Stick with the whiskey flights here, and sit out on the patio for some city views.
- Stop 4: Beer flights at Xul Beer Co for some of the most unique sour and smoothie style beers, along with some great IPAs!
- Stop 5: Beer flights at Next Level Brewing for some killer IPAs and chill vibes.
- Stop 6: Dinner at Adopo for the best wood-fired sourdough pizza around!
Day 2: Great Smoky Mountains Day Trip
Day two is all about exploring the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Knoxville is a great base for exploring the park, being about 45 minutes to 1 hour away (depending on the park entrance you choose).
You really need multiple days to explore the park, but this day trip itinerary is a great intro to The Smokies if you’ve never been!
For more details on planning a Smoky Mountains day trip from Knoxville, check out this post.
Read More: Great Smoky Mountains National Park Day Trip from Knoxville
Smokies Day Trip Itinerary
- Drive to Clingman’s Dome, which is the highest point in The Smoky Mountains
- Hike up to the Clingman’s Dome Observation Tower (be sure to wear good walking shoes and bring lots of water!)
- Visit the Sugarlands Visitor Center
- Have lunch at Tennessee Jed’s in Gatlinburg (you must try the Reuben sandwich!)
- Drive the Roaring Fork Nature Motor Trail for a low-key scenic drive with several historic points of interest
Enjoy Happy Hour on a Rooftop Bar
Upon returning to Knoxville, head up to a rooftop bar for some cocktails to enjoy the sunset! We stayed at the Hyatt Place, which had its own rooftop bar so it was an easy choice for us. It was lovely to sit by a fire pit sipping Prosecco while watching the sun set over the Smoky Mountains.
Dinner at Vida
For dinner, head across the street from the Hyatt to Vida for some delicious Pan-Latin cuisine of tapas and cocktails. Try the barbacoa empanadas, piquillo peppers, and churros for dessert!
Day 3: The Best of Knoxville
The final day of this Knoxville itinerary is all about exploring the best of the city on foot. I love how walkable this city is and you can see so much in a short amount of time.
Biscuits at Matt Robb’s
Start your day off with a delicious savory biscuit sandwich from Matt Robb’s. Oh my word are these things delicious! I highly recommend the cheddar and herb biscuit with sausage or bacon and egg. You also do not want to miss the chipotle cream cheese (that stuff is life changing)!
Matt regularly sells out of biscuits, so be sure to get there nice and early if there’s something you really want.
Walk Across the Gay Street Bridge
Now that you’ve got your walking fuel consumed (aka biscuits), head to the Gay Street Bridge for the best views of the Knoxville city skyline! The Gay Street Bridge is very pedestrian-friendly, with safety barriers for those walking the bridge.
On the trip back, I recommend walking over the Henley Bridge to put you closer to the next few stops. There are no safety barriers on this bridge, but there are sizable sidewalks for pedestrians on each side.
Weaving Rainbow Mountain
Before heading to the World’s Fair Park, make a brief stop for a photo op at the Weaving Rainbow Mountain. This is a painted staircase adorned with rainbow colors and while it’s not the most impressive piece of street art, it still makes for a cool pic.
World’s Fair Park & the Sunsphere
Next, head across the street to the World’s Fair Park for a self-guided walking tour! The World’s Fair Park was constructed in 1982 and is the home of the Sunsphere, Tennessee Amphitheater, and East Tennessee Veteran’s Memorial.
The Sunsphere is such an iconic part of the Knoxville city skyline so of course we had to check it out up close! You can go up to the top for some Knoxville city views for $5 or just wander around World’s Fair Park. Enjoy a relaxing and leisurely stroll past all of the fountains, check out the Knoxville Remembers Mural, and make your way to the Veteran’s Memorial.
Market Square & Lunch
After strolling around World’s Fair Park, head over to Market Square. Here, you’ll find a plethora of shops and restaurants, along with the Tennessee Women’s Suffrage Memorial. If you’re into history, be sure to stop by and give the plaques a read.
This is a great opportunity to grab some lunch, and there are so many great options to choose from!
Since it was a Tuesday when we visited, Not Watson’s caught our eye with their $3 all-day beer specials! We cozied up to the bar and drank our fair share of beers. We also couldn’t pass up an order of their delicious fried green tomatoes and scallops.
Strong Alley Murals
From Market Square, head around to the corner to Strong Alley where you’ll find a bunch of murals and street art! My favorite was a giant portrait of Dolly. I always enjoy mural hunting in a new city, and Knoxville delivered.
Dinner at Kaizen
For your last dinner in Knoxville, head to Kaizen in the Old City neighborhood for some Asian-inspired grub. Kaizen is modeled after the Japanese izakaya pub, so the atmosphere is casual and they have some really great food! I recommend the pork belly fried rice!
Knoxville Final Thoughts
I was actually surprised with how much I really enjoyed Knoxville! I thought Nashville would overshadow its little sister city, but Knoxville can hold its ground. The food diversity here is amazing, and if you love the outdoors, there is much to see and do. We’ll definitely be back for more!
Hopefully this Knoxville itinerary gave you some good ideas of how to experience this cool city for the first time!
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