Took a drive to take a walk @ the gardens with my mom yesterday. Yeah ironic to drive to walk, but…read morece la víe. It was a beautiful day...we had to do a little searching for a parking lot, but hey, not surprising, the students have priority right? We finally found an acceptable spot and started to stroll around. It really was/is a beautiful area with many cool statues and sitting areas. The shade is so valuable when walking around. The flowers and foliage was quite beautiful and fragrant...

I had a great visit here. There are lots of paths and gorgeous flowers, as well as art…read moreinstallations. There is a kids area as well, and lots of benches and some picnic tables. We were able to enter the environmental building for the restroom. The major downside is the lack of shade. There were some shady areas but it is so hot in the sun on the majority of the paths. Definitely worth a visit if you've never been before!

Located along US-70 / 25W, this marker point out the history of the city…read more The marker reads, "Permanently settled 1783. Francis Dean built meeting house where Revolutionary Cemetery remains. Jan., 1793, commissioners of County Court, Jefferson Co., Territory South of the River Ohio, located county seat here. Dean donated land & Samuel Jack laid off town. Named for Martha Dandridge, wife of George Washington." Dandridge is the county seat for Jefferson County and is considered the second oldest town in Tennessee (behind Jonesborough). The town was named for Martha Dandridge Washington, the wife of the first president of the United States which may have led to its being saved later. When the Tennessee Valley Authority proposed the Douglas Dam on the French Broad River in 1942, it would have flooded downtown Dandridge, which was situated below the proposed reservoir's high-water mark. Residents of the town petitioned then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, pointing out that Dandridge was the only town in the United States named for the wife of George Washington. The Tennessee Valley Authority constructed a levee between downtown Dandridge and the reservoir. The new levee rises almost immediately behind the Town Hall, and runs roughly parallel to Main Street. This is marker number 1C 41 and it was erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission. [Review 20101 overall - 457 in Tennessee - 1077 of 2023.]

We visited the historic Graphite Reactor here as part of our conference. It's a huge piece of…read morehistory, how we understood nuclear reactions and the development of isotopes. No photos were allowed outside so what I have is from inside.

Got a partial tour of the vast Oak Ridge National Lab. Got to see the site of the first nuclear…read morereaction during the Manhattan Project. Afterwards got to see some of the enormous Spallation Neutron Source. Tons of really technical stuff most of which was way over my head. The history of Oak Ridge is fascinating and it was great to be able to see some of the lab in person. There is much, much more to the lab including the Y-12 National Security Complex and the US Department of Energy. Maybe on another visit. Right now my brain is full.

Don't get me wrong, I love my local weather guy. Award-winning meteorologist and all around nice…read moreguy. But he's not a weather kiosk. I wish we had more of these things. This kiosk in downtown was installed in 1912 and was designed in 1908 by Professor Charles F. Marvin of the Weather Bureau's Instrument Division. It is four feet square and has 30-inch panels on each side that used to hold weather maps, forecast information, and instruments for measuring temperature, humidity, and rainfall. Unfortunately, the proliferation of radios in the 1920's and then televisions in the 1940's brought the end of the kiosk's role. Thankfully, while this one fell into disuse, it was restored and while it doesn't report the weather any more, it does have some interesting information on East Tennessee history. Worth a stop when you're downtown. [Review 19564 overall - 388 in Tennessee - 535 of 2023.]

Beautiful, big library! I enjoyed wandering the shelves on the first floor. I didn't make it to the…read more2nd & 3rd floors. I love the huge windows that let in all the glorious sun. I wandered into the bookstore, next to the front doors. For $5, you can buy a bag of mystery books! I searched for two books for a friend, but didn't find them. They do have a very nice selection of children and adult books. Husband waited by the welcome sign while I wandered. He used their free internet to read his Apple News stories.

This is amazing I can find great books in there not to mention they sell movies cd and moreread more

The Knox County Clerk's office is definitely not here to serve the public. All government offices…read moreshould be required to be open 12 hours a day and six days a week. The absurdity of people taking off time from their own jobs to pay taxes to a government that should serve them is ludicrous. How much longer will we tolerate inadequate service from government entities that merely collect money from citizens without returning adequate work product. There are at least 30 people waiting to be served. Time for real change.

told me a time when they close. I get there and figure this out for my appointment. this is not fun…read moreor funny for a government office to do and now i have to call again for an appointment because they told me a time when they were closed.

This post office is the post office of Mayberry ( an old reference about a wholesome story called…read morethe Andy Griffith Show). It's in a small town with colonial columns and red brick. There is a small entrance with a tiny group of post office boxes. When you enter the mail center space about 10ft X 10ft you are always greeted by a bell and a happy greeting from one of the workers. they always have what you need. There are overnight boxes, the latest stamps and all the mail info you would need. This place feels so much like home you want to come here even when you don't have mail. My prayer is always that the government bureaucracy leaves this functional and happy place alone. Stop by if nothing but take a picture .

I was immediately awestruck by this imposing statue in Knoxville. Rachmaninoff: The Last Concert is…read morea tribute to the famous Russian composer and pianist, Sergei Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff played his final concert February, 1943 in the gymnasium at nearby the University of Tennessee. The sculptor, Victor Bokarov, donated the bronze masterpiece of Rachmaninoff in 2003 to the City of Knoxville and local sponsors contributed to the casting. I was inspired to learn more about Rachmaninoff, so I read his story. He started study of piano as a young child. By his twenties he was an accomplished composer, influenced by Tchaikovsky. He left Russia during the Russian Revolution. His life had many ups and downs, which influenced his work. On the statue, I see pain in the face of Rachmaninoff. He was very ill during his final performance in Knoxville. Bokarov elegantly captured Rachmaninoff's 6' 6" height. I love this work. The statue is worth a visit for art and music lovers.