Best Outdoor Activities in Knoxville

"We were also just a five-minute walk from Market Square, so we left our car valeted at the hotel for much of the week and explored Knoxville by foot. Dinnertime was drawing near, and there is always a wait at Stock & Barrel (and no reservations accepted); know that going in and arrive an hour (or more) before you’re ready for dinner, put your name on the list, then venture elsewhere until you receive a text that your table is ready. On this visit, we discovered Emilia, a new spot opened by Knox Mason owner Matt Gallagher that focuses on contemporary Italian from the Emilia Romanga region, and ordered a round of drinks and a round of appetizers while we waited for our call from Stock & Barrel."

"The lively bustle of open-air commerce at Market Square has been going strong for more than 150 years and shows no sign of slowing. Locals and out-of-towners alike still come to shop and eat and socialize just the way they always have, way back to the days when this was Knoxville's market house."

"If you visit Knoxville between May – November, and can time your trip for a Wednesday or Saturday, start your visit at the Knoxville Farmers Market in historic Market Square. We love a good local farmers market, and many of our readers suggested this as one of the best, and they weren’t wrong!"

"Honeysuckle Meadows is in the middle of all the adventure that Tennessee has to offer. Located in Wears Valley in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, it’s a short drive from both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, as well as all their attractions. While the campground may be in the middle of all the fun, it’s also a relaxing place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life!"

"Reduce your stress and help your health along the 10 miles of greenways, trails, and pathways around Sevierville. As part of an initiative to improve communities and improve open spaces, the Sevierville Greenways project continues to expand and develop more paths."

"Not too many years ago in the hills of Tennessee, Moonshiners hid their stills from Federal Revenuers as they continued the 200-year-old tradition of making high-proof ’shine’ from corn mash and sugar. It was called hooch, mountain dew, white lightning and the better known name of Moonshine, all made famous in the 1958 movie “Thunder Road” starring Robert Mitchum and Gene Barry, and shot in Cocke County, Tennessee, right next door to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. But today, there has been a revival of the drink with the passing of legislation making production of Moonshine legal in Tennessee, and distillers have been coming out of the woods ever since."

"Everyone deserves to feel relaxed, renewed, and rejuvenated. Come away from The Retreat feeling exactly that with a massage using warm oils and soothing strokes that are welcoming. Massage is not only good for the body, but for the soul."