Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville Overview

Overview

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the state of Tennessee, behind Memphis and Nashville.

Exploring Gatlinburg

      It’s always a great time of year to visit Gatlinburg.  The Christmas lights are always up and twinkling, the mountain is open, and it takes less than an hour to get there from Knoxville, so a Gatlinburg adventure can be done is less than 36 hours, which is all it needs.  It’s a quaint place, it’s beautiful, and there’s a lot to do. Fun Stuff to Do on the Strip

Barley's

Barley's
200 E Jackson Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 58' 18.5664" N, 83° 54' 59.1876" W

Another student favorite of in the Old City. Barley's is huge with an outside patio, downtown bar, and upstairs room with a bunch of pool tables. The downstairs bar is about 50 yards longs and features tons of beers on tap. There is a stage to the left that will host a concert every once in a while. If the right band is there, then Barley’s will transform into a packed party from its normally chill atmosphere. Their food is also great with the pizza being a favorite.

Long Branch Saloon

Long Branch Saloon
1848 Cumberland Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 20.1924" N, 83° 56' 5.5968" W

A fun bar when rented out for a mixer or party. On a normal night it draws an older crowd who enjoy its dark saloon atmosphere. 

Macleods‎

Macleod's
931 Cumberland Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 35.766" N, 83° 55' 19.9056" W

A transplant of the famous downtown bar. MaCleod's features karaoke and an Irish theme. It is located right in between Stefano's and University Liquors. This is a great alternative to the bigger bars on the strip during a game weekend. Many of the main bars will become so packed that there is a line way out the door and even if you are inside it is really hard to get a drink. 

Downtown Grill & Brewery

424 S Gay St
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 57.8016" N, 83° 55' 7.5828" W

Located on Gay St. in Downtown Knoxville, DGB, as the students call it, offers great food and a variety of house brewed beers. Wednesday night offers free pool upstairs and 2-for-1 beers.

Shell Gas Station (Rocky Top Market)

2001 Cumberland Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 17.7912" N, 83° 56' 11.8248" W

The most famous late night food item in Knoxville is the “Rooster” from Shell. The “Rooster” is a sandwich made up of a fried egg, chicken patty, cheese, and a variety of toppings. This is the "Chicken on a Stick" of Knoxville for all the Ole Miss fans.

Moe’s Southwestern Grill

1800 Cumberland Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 21.5676" N, 83° 56' 1.8924" W

Another chain restaurant, but definitely a student favorite. Moe’s serves cheap pitchers of beer alongside their staple Mexican food. The restaurant is packed with students at all times of the day.

Stefano’s Pizza

1937 Cumberland Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 18.9684" N, 83° 56' 8.6892" W

One of the oldest restaurants on the strip, Stefano’s has been serving up Chicago Style deep dish to students for a long time. They have it down to a science. It can be expensive at peak hours, but they have a week day lunch buffet that is a great deal.

Cool Beans

1817 Lake Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 17.9136" N, 83° 56' 1.302" W

Another one of the staple bars at UT, cool beans has good food. Cool Beans has deals on food and beer on most weekdays. They also feature the typical bar food like chicken wings and burgers.

Cumberland House Hotel

Cumberland House Hotel
1109 White Ave
Knoxville, TN
United States
35° 57' 37.2708" N, 83° 55' 30.9396" W

Cumberland House is very close to campus, but kind-of expensive and hard to book for a game weekend. It is very nice on the inside and many of the rooms offer great views of Knoxville or the UT campus.

Hike in the Smokies

Get out from Knoxville and drive an hour to the Smoky Mountains. There are tons of great hikes and you will likely see other students on the trail any weekend. Two of the most popular are the Chimney Tops and Mt. Leconte.
Paul Hassell: Clingman's Dome

Location Subsection

  • Overview

    Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the state of Tennessee, behind Memphis and Nashville.

    Knoxville is also the home of the University of Tennessee's primary campus. The university's sports teams, called the "Volunteers" or "Vols", are extremely popular in the surrounding area. In recognition of this popularity, the telephone area code for Knox County and eight adjacent counties is 865 (VOL). Knoxville is also the home of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, almost entirely thanks to the popularity of Pat Summitt and the University of Tennessee women's basketball team.

    Knoxville Skyline

    Buildings

    With annexation attempts stalling, Knoxville initiated several projects aimed at boosting revenue in the Downtown area. The 1982 World's Fair— the most successful of these projects— became one of the most popular world's fairs in U.S. history with 11 million visitors. The fair's energy theme was selected due to Knoxville being the headquarters of the Tennessee Valley Authority and for the city's proximity to the Oak Ridge NationaWorld's Fair Parkl Laboratory. The Sunsphere, a 266-foot steel truss structure topped with a gold-colored glass sphere, was built for the fair and remains one of Knoxville's most prominent buildings

    Culture

    The city also hosts numerous art festivals, including the 17-day Dogwood Arts Festival in April, which features art shows, crafts fairs, food and live music.

    Autumn on the Square showcases national and local artists in outdoor concert series at historic Market Square, which has been revitalized with specialty shops and residences. Every Labor Day brings Boomsday, the largest Labor Day fireworks display in the United States, to the banks of the Tennessee River between the University of Tennessee football stadium and downtown.

  • Get out from Knoxville and drive an hour to the Smoky Mountains. There are tons of great hikes and you will likely see other students on the trail any weekend. Two of the most popular are the Chimney Tops and Mt. Leconte.
    Paul Hassell: Clingman's Dome

  • Cumberland House is very close to campus, but kind-of expensive and hard to book for a game weekend. It is very nice on the inside and many of the rooms offer great views of Knoxville or the UT campus.

No events have been submitted yet. Please click here to submit one.

  • Another one of the staple bars at UT, cool beans has good food. Cool Beans has deals on food and beer on most weekdays. They also feature the typical bar food like chicken wings and burgers.

  • One of the oldest restaurants on the strip, Stefano’s has been serving up Chicago Style deep dish to students for a long time. They have it down to a science. It can be expensive at peak hours, but they have a week day lunch buffet that is a great deal.

  • Another chain restaurant, but definitely a student favorite. Moe’s serves cheap pitchers of beer alongside their staple Mexican food. The restaurant is packed with students at all times of the day.

  • The most famous late night food item in Knoxville is the “Rooster” from Shell. The “Rooster” is a sandwich made up of a fried egg, chicken patty, cheese, and a variety of toppings. This is the "Chicken on a Stick" of Knoxville for all the Ole Miss fans.

  • Located on Gay St. in Downtown Knoxville, DGB, as the students call it, offers great food and a variety of house brewed beers. Wednesday night offers free pool upstairs and 2-for-1 beers.

  • A transplant of the famous downtown bar. MaCleod's features karaoke and an Irish theme. It is located right in between Stefano's and University Liquors. This is a great alternative to the bigger bars on the strip during a game weekend. Many of the main bars will become so packed that there is a line way out the door and even if you are inside it is really hard to get a drink. 

  • A fun bar when rented out for a mixer or party. On a normal night it draws an older crowd who enjoy its dark saloon atmosphere. 

  • Another student favorite of in the Old City. Barley's is huge with an outside patio, downtown bar, and upstairs room with a bunch of pool tables. The downstairs bar is about 50 yards longs and features tons of beers on tap. There is a stage to the left that will host a concert every once in a while. If the right band is there, then Barley’s will transform into a packed party from its normally chill atmosphere. Their food is also great with the pizza being a favorite.

  •       It’s always a great time of year to visit Gatlinburg.  The Christmas lights are always up and twinkling, the mountain is open, and it takes less than an hour to get there from Knoxville, so a Gatlinburg adventure can be done is less than 36 hours, which is all it needs.  It’s a quaint place, it’s beautiful, and there’s a lot to do.

    Fun Stuff to Do on the Strip

Top Events

March 8, 2012 7:00 pm
Knoxville, TN

 SAE Boxing tourney is one of the oldest and largest fraternity events in the country.

The three day event attracts 3,000+ students from all over the south east. It has been going on annually for the last 28 years occurring in the last week of February or the first couple weeks of March. In 2012, SAE Boxing Tournament is March 8th, 9th, and 10th.  The tickets are $15 a night or $35 for the 3 nights and the proceeds normally raise over $70,000 for charity.
"

Loading...

"

Update:

April 23, 2012 10:00 am
Oxford, MS

The Double Decker Arts Festival is definitely the most exiting weekend at Ole Miss in the spring. “Taking its name from the town's authentic double decker bus imported from England in 1994, the festival brings together visitors and residents alike for a daylong celebration of music, food, and the arts held on the picturesque Courthouse Square of Oxford Mississippi.” Double Decker has been known to draw more than 50,000 people in attendance; making it another Mississippi spring day that you cannot miss!

April 2, 2012 3:00 pm
Oxford, MS

Want to see overweight, out of shape High School Heroes strap back on the pads? How about beautiful sorority girls competing for the cheerleading championship?

March 17, 2012 10:00 am
Baton Rouge, LA

The St’ Patty’s pic by bethanykingDay Parade in Baton Rouge is one of the biggest St’ Patty’s day celebrations in the country and a great reason to head to LSU for a weekend. The parade starts at 10:00 A.M. on March 14th, 2009 and will be a rocking party all day long.

April 14, 2012 3:00 pm
Tuscaloosa, AL
If you are a Bama fan, wish you were, or just want to head to T-Town for an awesome weekend then this is the time to go. The Crimson Tide had a great season last year as they rose back to being a top competitor at a national level.
"
Loading...
"
This is the biggest event of the spring at Bama and draws fans from all over the South. It is very similar to going to a Bama game during the fall except for one major difference, everyone everywhere you look is a Bama fan.

April 24, 2012 6:00 pm
Knoxville, TN

Volapalooza is a free concert hosted at Fiji Island in Fraternity Park at The University of Tennessee. This annual event normally takes place at the end of the school year and draws about 1,000 UT students for the night of fun. In the past the All Campus Events committee has been able to bring in some pretty big bands like Ben Folds, Cake, and Dashboard Confessional.

April 30, 2012 9:49 pm
Fayetteville, AR

 
 
Row Week at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville

Each spring, a phenomenal music opportunity draws thousands to the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville campus.  Students gather just before finals to celebrate and enjoy a variety of music from country to urban to hip-hop and more.

March 26, 2012 12:00 pm
Charlottesville, VA

UVA SPRINGFEST 2011 on Nameless field

UVA Springfest is one of the biggest events hosted at UVA each year. It is a huge concert held at Nameless field in late March or early April. They have had some great acts in the past like Ben Folds and Ok Go. They have not announced who they have this year yet, but continue to check back here or post it in the comments if you find out.

April 20, 2012 2:00 pm
,

Vanderbilt’s Rites of Spring concert, or “Rites” as VU students like to call it, is an annual concert series hosted on campus to celebrate…you guessed it…the start of spring.

It is hosted on Alumni Lawn which also plays host to Vanderbilt Graduation and other large events. It is the perfect area because it is in the center of campus and surrounded by picturesque trees. In the past, Rites has hosted big name bands creating an excuse for students to have a 3-day party instead of studying for finals.

It draws a huge crowd

October 31, 2012 3:09 pm
Chapel HIll, NC

Halloween is enormous in Chapel Hill. The city shuts down the main drag, Franklin Street, and people from all the surrounding towns and colleges descend upon Chapel Hill for a night of debauchery. It is a really fun time as there are often upwards of 80,000 in the streets enjoying themselves.

February 24, 2012 12:00 am
New Orleans, LA

Every February, people around the world gather to celebrate Mardi Gras

A tradition of parades, masks, beads, dancing, and of course drinking.  With celebrations all over the world, the headquarters for this “holiday” is in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The week long  event builds in size and celebration each day before ending on Fat Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday).

October 16, 2012 10:00 am

Check out Bridge Day!