Bet you didn't know that Tennessee was once a major producer of freshwater pearls. And much of that…read morerich history lies right here in the city of Clinton right off the Clinch river. Take a second to look up the deets about southern Appalachian rivers and tributaries that brought Joseph Gossett, pearling, and eventually: the Norris Dam. Cool stuff. If you are visiting Clinton, come to this historical marker (and do something else besides antiquing). Have a picnic, take a stroll, hang out a bit. Appreciate. If you are looking for another reason to check out this place just ask the local Hoskins store. Because this spot is also the Hoskins-Lane Market Place Park. Owned by the Hoskins and given to the City. Yep, your little kiddos are playing hide and seek and going to the summer festival atop another layer of cool history. Well to learn more about all that, you'll have to get a milkshake at the still buzzing 85+ year old Hoskins drug store just down on Main street.

The Sunsphere is an amazing architectural wonder and remnant from the 1982 World's Fair in…read moreKnoxville. My visit to the Sunsphere made my day. The 342' steel structure was designed by Don Shell and completed in 1982. The glass on the 75' sphere is coated with gold dust. During the World's Fair, a small restaurant operated at the top and visitors could visit the observation deck for $2. We were passing through Knoxville and my daughter wanted to visit. Today, visitors can pay to go up to the observation deck of the giant structure. ($10 for adults). You can buy tickets on line or at the Sunsphere. When we arrived, the Sphere was closed until 1:30, so we did not go up in it. But we enjoyed walking around and taking photos. There is parking a block south and the walk through the park is lovely. There is a drop off circle near the Sunshpere as well. Let's are not allowed in the structure.

Sunsphere is cool, but also overpriced. We were walking around Knoxville and it was fun to go up…read moreand get her 360° view. It was also nice to get out of the heat and humidity and feel a little air conditioning. Once you've looked around, there's not much else to do. Maybe read a sign or two, but I'd say 10 minutes is the most anybody might realistically spend up at the top, so $40 for the four of us felt a bit steep. I will say this, if we hadn't gone up, then we would not have noticed the Knoxville Museum of Art, which we wound up going to and that was awesome!

A very busy part of the Market Square area, this pedestrian bridge runs from Locust Street and…read moreacross Henley Street alongside the convention center. It brings together the Market Square retail and restaurant area with the World's Fair park and the Sunsphere. The bridge is wide enough for a golf-cart and definitely wide enough for four people to walk abreast. At Locust Street, the bridge is at street level. At the other side near the Sunsphere, there is a set of stairs and an elevator. There's also a nice view of the World's Fair park. If you're not interested in crossing Henley Street at street level, which I completely understand as it is a very busy road, this bridge will help. [Review 12898 overall, 214 of 2020.]

This is a neat bridge that takes you from one part of Knoxville to another part of Knoxville it's…read morenot a very long bridge but it has some cool sites all on the way and it's nice how it's covered and it takes you right over to the stratosphere sons here in the Knoxville world fair so that's cool to see but this is a nice little bridge that wasn't expecting to come upon while we were there so it's definitely cool walk across instead of walking across the street's

The visitor center is located in the Childen's Museum of Oak Ridge. To be honest, I was expecting…read moremore out of the visitor's center since a lot of the time there's a small associated museum or exhibits, but it was quite bare with only a small looping video. I liked the concept of the park in that you get to explore the community, but since the bus tour wasn't running with no plan or date when it would come back, it was hard to make a cohesive plan. I would say plan on visiting the K-25 history center + overlook and the American Museum of Science and Energy for sure, and then just wandering around the community looking at the placards. If you're into the stamps, there's a three part stamp (the rest of the parts are in Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico).

An off the beaten tract for typical visitors. Department of…read moreEnergy sponsors a bus tour. Make reservations on line and early. We went in a rainy day and it was still fabulous. Seeing up close the impact of the Atomic era was eye opening. So much More to the history besides the actual bombing. Take a day to do this historical site.

A beautiful day to take a brisk walk in the sunshine at this park. Plenty of adorable furry friends…read moreenjoy this park too. It is clean and it's full of history. What a nice place to explore.

This friendship bell was gifted to Oak Ridge from Japan as a sign of remembrance and peace between…read moreour two countries after the events of WWII and the Manhattan Project. Even those our connection has a dark history, the bell is meant to signify a brighter future. The bell itself is huge and very heavy, suspended in air with the ability for visitors to "ring" it. It is under a pavilion in the midst of Bissell Park, which has a great walking trail and a park/playground a short distance away behind the library. Worth a stop, in combination with the Children's Museum of OR, and the American Museum of Science and Energy, which both cover more history of the Manhattan Project and the creation of our small town.

Not that long ago, the United States Congress finally past the 19th Amendment, "The right of…read morecitizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." A very simple sentence that conveyed a lot of rights to half of the citizens of our country. Once Congress approves a Constitutional Amendment, it must be ratified by a percentage of States. At that time, it needed to be at least 36 to reach the requirement. Thirty-five other states ratified the Amendment before Tennessee did. It took them a year and much debate before a tie vote in the state house of representatives was broken by a single vote. Looking back now, you really have to wonder about Tennessee's elected representatives! This monument is dedicated to the suffragists who made it possible and has a prominent spot in Knoxville's Market Square. [Review 12892 overall, 208 of 2020.]

Neat little statue that holds a lot of history behind it. I'm not sure why this statute is here in…read moreAsheville maybe it took place here? But it is a nice representation of women's rights and I am all for that and equality. It is nice to show my daughters how far women have come over the years

Came to visit the campus. After a long day of walking hills we ended up back in our hotel room and…read more'Googled' things to do near by. This popped up so we came to check it out. There is a lot of street art in this town. This is a pretty cool piece! Come check it out and share your fun pics!

This is a cool design of painted steps that is located right across from university of Tennessee…read more Someone put a lot of time and effort into these steps and I appreciate their hard work. Knoxville is filled with designs and paintings

FORT SANDERS HISTORICAL MARKER…read more Nothing remains of the site known as Fort Sanders. Just a few years following the war, homes were being built on this historical site. However, I was determined to locate the historical marker and stand on the site that serves as a reminder of this famous . So as we are following the address in the GPS, we see nothing. We are clearly in a residential area and I know that I am looking for a marker. As traffic starts to back up, I decide to just get out and walk. I'm looking all over and eventually catch up to the car because there was nothing at the indicated address As we turn the corner, I see a sign. OMG, I tell my husband to pull over quickly and I literally jump out of the car. SCORRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!! I was so excited and a bit shocked to realize that the markers and monument are located in the most random spot you could ever imagine. It is literally in a mixed use area next to a side walk. If you didn't see the specific signs that actually border this landmark, you might assume that this is just a large misplaced rock. Fort Sanders has an important place in history because it represents a significant battle in Civil War history, and especially the city of Knoxville. On November 29, 1863, approximately 180 men were killed while hundreds more were injured during a battle that only lasted for 20 minutes. Next time you drive or walk by that big rock, THINK about that. ***The stone marker was erected by the Knoxville Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy on November 29, 1914. It is inscribed with the following words: Nor wreck, nor change, nor winter's blight, Nor Time's remorseless doom, Shall dim one ray of glory's light That gilds your glorious tomb.

Easily drivable but better to walk the winding lanes and the short rises of this beautiful old…read morecemetery. Old Gray was founded in 1850 and is a classic example of the "park" style of cemetery, much like Hollywood in Richmond or Auburn near Boston. Starting with the beautiful entrance on Broadway, you need to also spot the classic stone wall perimeter. Note that the Knoxville National Cemetery has a separate entrance. Famous interments here include Confederate generals, US Congressmen and Senators, Knoxville mayors, Tennessee governors and even World War I pilot Charles McGhee Tyson who was the namesake for Knoxville's airport (the code is TYS). [Review 1185 of 2024 - 501 in Tennessee - 22208 overall]

Very cool, old cemetery. A lot of them date back to the early to mid 1800s but found at least one…read morewho's DOB was the late 1700s. So much history. Beautiful, well kept grounds. Peaceful and serene. Just please make sure you don't litter. Someone did leave a slurpy cup. I hope they didn't get any tapping on their bedroom window that night.