The Thompson-Boling Arena, now called the Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, is home to the University of Tennessee's men's and women's basketball teams and the Lady Vol volleyball team. It also hosts a variety of other events, including concerts, conventions, and other sporting competitions. A premium SEC arena with all the latest and greatest amenities... Very comfortable and esthetically pleasing... convenient to get to and plenty of parking... read more

Thompson Boling Arena - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Within the past couple of months I have been to this facility quite a bit for basketball games. This is a nice arena that is well kept and maintained. Very spacious. The seating in certain sections of the arena is very tight. There are individual seats, but I highly suggest end seats so that you can stretch out your legs. read more

Thompson Boling Arena - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Parking Traffic was a cluster and it took 1 and 1/2 hours from the 4th floor parking garage to get out of the building after the Shane Gillis event. Traffic into the venue was also horrific, as it bottle necked at the parking building entrance and no one was directing until you got to the venue. So, we were 2 hours late to the event not because of poor planning, but poor planning on the city's part of not having a good flow metric of traffic coming into the arena. It was like a first time event and no planning or fore thought were put into the execution of the event. read more

Thompson Boling Arena - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

The UT Event staff needs to do better! My family was there for a Christian concert and the staff during entry was very rude to our group because we were not moving fast enough. Then seat attendant went to inform me that I couldn't sit in an area that was not blocked off and I apologized and he said "yea you need to move on." Maybe overworked at the moment due to being in basketball season but no excuse for everyone just being rude! read more

So many events take place in this older, but huge arena. Last night, my family went to a Lady Vols basketball game (where they whomped UT Chattanooga!). We wandered around for about 30 minutes prior to the game trying to find a ticket booth that was open. Once we found our way inside, the space was clean and easy to navigate with many friendly staff. Likely due to the holidays and many student workers being out of town, the usual experience was greatly pared down with no band, dance team, halftime show, etc. We still had an amazing time! The music consisted of all of my 90's/early 00's jams and lots of fan interaction with the MC and Smokey the mascot. There are suites available and the seats in the "normal humans" sections are padded and comfy, all with pretty decent views. There are areas to purchase UT gear and an abundance of concessions to be nom'd (Papa John's, Petro's, snocones, pretzels, etc. You can use credit cards and prices seem pretty typical. They event have $1 large popcorn which was great, but a bottle of water was $4. ha! Don't forget to bring approved, clear bags when you go to the arena (or any of the large university venues/events). read more

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Unbelievably narrow seats. Paying hundreds of dollars for tickets to be this uncomfortable should be a crime. I'd prefer bleacher seats!

Okay I won't give this the homer's review of a Vol fan, although I am one. This will be an alleged fair review of the behemoth known affectionately to the local-yocals as TBA. First, you'll have to park. Thankfully it's not football so you can find a lot a couple blocks away at most, or walk a little and park for free evenings/weekends. Now it's go-time, where as a fellow hoi polloi member you can hit up the scalpers on the way in, or thankfully now aftermarket sites galore for tickets. The plentiful seats inside mean you can avoid hocking a child except for a UK game etc. Even the nosebleed seats offer a good vantage point, and except for one time where we watched from the lower-bowl corner as the Vols beat Florida like a drum by 25, we've always been up there in the great beyond with no complaints. Halftime shows deserve their own paragraph since they can range from PeeWee (not recently I date myself although let's bring that back) to tumbling juveniles. College basketball halftime shows raise the bar nationwide, generally, and no exception here. Food selections are typical and we usually are grabbing some sort of BBQ, but you can also hit up river spots or the strip pre-post-game for all those college-night dining experiences. Recently there's been less "sit down in front" request from the old crew which is good for those who enjoy celebrating a good play. The 4 stars is my totally unscientific combination of fan experience and building. It's not your intimate gathering but when it's rocking there are likely few arenas louder during a sporting event. We'll return and hope for more wins and maybe another championship for the basketball Vols. read more

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Nice venue. Parking was a challenge. The staff was nice and friendly. This is a cute little arena.

4/5 from a repeat patron for various events. - there's really not a bad seat in the house in terms of being cut off from anything specific - decent food variety; prices and quality generally fall around my expectations, knowing stuff runs high - i would say my -1 docking here primarily comes around the parking here. it is a chaotic dance every single event and you need much patience to endure getting in and leaving. if you can't deal please let someone else drive - appreciate the security checks and frequent checks around the area for tix; good to know people aren't moving down beside you unless they paid for it - music or sound in the area is reasonable levels. however if loud sound bothers you take some sound dampening ear plugs to help TIP: plan your seats you buy according to your ability to walk a while and do stairs. if you have folks that have any sort of needs at all do review your best options there. read more

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Handicapped had to walk 2 miles and missed first half of game. Apparently they only cater to people who can afford season passes.

Fun to watch collegr basketball, friendly fans, unlikely I'll be back, but it was nice to visit for a couple of games.

This by far the worst concert venue in the US. It's amazing that they can't figure out how to sell beer. Very few vendors, long lines, they ID 50 year olds 3 times in one line. I've been to 25+ concerts in 12 states in the last 2 years and NOBODY ID's like this. Selling beer isn't rocket science...set up more points of sale, including people walking up and down the isle. This place sucks...buts it's the only game in town read more

My 11-year-old son likes to visit the Thompson bowling arena in Knoxville, for the circus each year. The Thompson-Boling Arena is home to both the U.T. men and women's basketball college teams. This arena provides one of the largest campus basketball facilities in the whole of the United States Of America. https://youtu.be/IriJq5J2KR0 read more

Thompson Boling Arena - Rain at Thompson Boling Arena. - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Lady Volunteers! None better. If only we could field a solid mens team after Pearl. read more

We just saw the Five Finger Death Punch concert and it was AMAZING! The venue was easy to get in & out and it was surprisingly easy to get our Uber after the show. My only complaint/suggestion would be to add or better organize the beer lines. That seemed really disorganized and the lines were LONG. The venue itself was great. The restrooms were clean. There didn't seem to be a bad seat in the venue at all. We would definitely come here again! read more

This is an awesome arena for concerts, which is why I'm here... to see Brantley Gilbert... basketball games, graduations and Monster Jam. The seats are stadium seats and they do have handicapped. Love this arena-- read more

Thompson Boling Arena - Brantley Gilbert's bus - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

For concerts this facility is amazing! Sound is clear all the way up to the nose bleeds. Seats are comfortable unless you get floor seating and then it's a crap shoot between padded folding chairs and impasses folding chairs. Staging can go center or on the end. Ceilings are high so balloon drops, confetti and pyrotechnics are no issue. A few heads up FYIs about this location, Will call is in a nice covered area at street level. Sadly, people are dropped off at this same location to enter the facility. Makes sense! But it isn't. It's a staff entrance only. Handicapped people can enter at the BLUE Light (Kmart Special) area to the left of Will Call and closer to the parking garage. It is also a coveted drop off point. The rest of you schmucks have to schlep up three winding levels of ramp madness! (Unless you pay to park in the $10 or $20 garage options then you can just walk across and in). Yes. It's a regular stroll through the park if you have excellent cardio health. It's a near pulmonary crisis is you don't. I ran up it, but this isn't about me. Upon reaching the top level of the arena you will see a whole lot of doors, security at ever one, and YUP, they are rifling through your stuff! Don't bring a backpack, firearm or a beverage with you. It will be confiscated and sold on Craigs List later. Okay, maybe on eBay or at the local pawn shop. Dining and beverage options are also on this level which is the 100 level of the stadium. Restrooms as well. Oh, and lines! Lots of lines! When ready to head to your seat, you either walk down to the 100 seating or floor seating. Up to the 209 level (Logue - BEST seats in the house), sky boxes, and nosebleeds. There are TWO open WiFi networks at this site. Head up, both get bogged down when 25000 people are all uploading their concert pics. Overall, solid event venue with over priced food, ample stalls to pee in, and comfy seats. read more

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Last night my 21 year old daughter drove four hours to see Cody Johnson in concert. There were 8 people in her group. She was the youngest, her boyfriend will be 24 in 5 months. They would not sell them beer because their license was vertical. Keep in mind they were visiting from Georgia. Then one of her friends bought beer for them and they flagged his license! NO WHERE on their website is this information listed. They took Uber to the venue so they could enjoy the beverages. Wasted money and reported the person was super rude about it and they even spoke to someone in management and they said it was the venue's policy. That should be available to people BEFORE they buy tickets and spend money on hotel to visit there. Would not recommend this venue for adults! read more

Incredible arena with friendly staff. Loved seeing the tribute banners to the UT Lady Volunteers!

This is Thompson Boling. There is nothing less than 5 stars for this one. This is part of my alma mater though, so I am skewed. I wish our basketball team was little better though. Actually, I wish all our teams were a little better. Judging by our sports complexes, we should be awesome. read more

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Very cool place to visit. We went to see a concert there were 16,500 people there and the experience was very smooth. Not as cramped as we thought it was going to be. The biggest downfall was they did not serve beer and it was not advertised at all. We walked around the whole stadium trying to find beer just to be informed they weren't allowed to sell it. read more

Definitely a very nice arena. I was there January 6th for the Kentucky game. It's cold in there, although I was sitting in the top row, close to a set of doors. Overall, it's nice and clean. read more

Thompson Boling Arena - Section 110 Row 30 - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Go Big Orange! I love the remodeling of the restrooms and the hot water to wash your hands. What a nice place to see a Tennessee ballgame. A super arena for college ballgames for Tennessee and for concerts. My seats are in 118 and I have a great view of the whole court. read more

Great venue for concerts. Sound system is awesome. The bathroom situation is a nightmare. They had one set of bathrooms completely closed and they had converted one mens room into a womens room, so they basically had one tiny mens room open to service 10,000 people on my level. It took 25 minutes to get in during intermission. Once inside, they only had two urinals and 4 toilet stalls. Absurd for a sporting/concert venue. read more

Visited here for HS graduation. Clean facility but one thing I found was horrible. Cell service and WiFi. For a place this size and surrounded by concrete there is hardly any cell service once inside and their WiFi is horrible. I made several attempts in various locations to get on WiFi but all were a waste of time. If and when I got connected the speed was horribly slow. Cell service could be improved vastly. Either issue could be solved rather easy but apparently the outside construction work takes funds away. Oh, BTW the construction work has been going on for over 6 months. One of the things I've come to realize about Knoxville is their constant roadwork. read more

Very large arena. Second biggest in the nation I believe? Was easy to get in and out without fighting crowds. Could use some improvement in parking and the upper level seats are so tightly backed that you feel like your shoving your knees into the person in front of you and scared to lean back in your own seat because of the person behind you. They have literally packed as many seats as possible in this place, understandable. But there really are no bad seats. read more

Thompson Boling Arena - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

The arena itself is good lots of parking and bathrooms but beware you can't bring a purse security is just too tight and getting out of the parking lot is a nightmare because there's no help. Ten dollars to park too read more

Large arena with terrible parking. Lady Vols have established themselves a dynasty in this place. Enough said.

Large arena, visited for the Willie Nelson, Alison Kruass and Union Station concert. We had floor seats and of course you're always packed in like sardines, but that's the nature of the beast. It was an amazing convert btw, but as for the venue the ventilation was great considering how close we all were, good sound and bathroom were clean :) read more