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The Wonderful City of Knoxville
After
spending the previous week dealing with sweltering heat and huge crowds in the
Smoky Mountains area, I was getting pretty drained, both physically and
emotionally. Fortunately, northeastern Tennessee came to my rescue.
I had spent the past 10 days traveling all across Tennessee, but after I got to
northeastern Tennessee, I quickly decided that this area, with its lush, rolling
hills dotted with picturesque small towns, was absolutely the best part of the
state.
Although
I'm not a real "city person," I enjoy visiting cities during my travels and I
wanted to check out nearby Knoxville, because I'd never been there before and
knew absolutely nothing about it. I left the campground
near Sevierville and drove into Knoxville on a foggy Tuesday
morning thinking that I'd stay only a few minutes, but the sun soon emerged and
the town was so
interesting that I spent about three hours there. As I learned, Knoxville
is, among other things, the home of
the University of Tennessee, which is spread over a large campus on the banks of
the Tennessee River right near downtown, and I spent some time touring the
campus.
If you've been following this website, you also
know that Knoxville is the hometown of
Survivor
winner and fellow Doritos-lover, Tina Wesson. I didn't see Tina but I ate
some Doritos in her honor, and I really enjoyed visiting her city. If I
ever moved to Tennessee, Knoxville would definitely be the place.
Above
left: After traveling through some not-so-great cities in the South, I visited three great cities in one day: Knoxville, Greeneville,
and Jonesboro, all in eastern Tennessee. Knoxville sits on the Tennessee
River and is the home of the University of Tennessee.
Above
center: Knoxville is a pleasant blend of the old and the new. It's
a real gem.
Above
right: Street scene in Knoxville.
Above
left: Knoxville reminded me of Portland, Oregon. Both cities are on a
large river with lots of interesting architecture and with sculptures
scattered about.
Above
center: Hank Williams, one of the founders of country
music, died here at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in
Knoxville on New Year's Eve, 1952. He was only 29 and died of an
overdose. Hank, of course, was the father of Hank
Jr., the guy who sings "Are you ready for
some football?" on Monday nights in the fall.
Above
right: Here's Hank Sr. (with guitar) with his wife, daughter, and
son, Hank Williams, Jr. in happier times.
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Through the
miracle of modern technology, here's Hank Williams Sr.
singing with his son, who was only a little boy when his
father died. This is There's A Tear In My Beer.
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Home >
Travels (2001-02) >
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U.S. Stories > The
Wonderful City of Knoxville
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