Knoxville Day Trip
Goal of Trip: Take my Atlanta-based friend on a tour of my local Knoxville favorites!
Keywords: Sweet, Orange, Smoky Mountains
Time Visited: November/Fall
Don’t forget to pack:
Hiking gear (shoes, pants, layers, jackets, hats)
Comfortable walking shoes
Travel:
Mcghee Tyson Airport (30 minutes from Downtown Knoxville) - if flying in, would recommend renting a car unless planning to stay in a central location and walk or rideshare for your entire trip
Easily drivable from Middle Tennessee and many surrounding cities, it’s great to have your own car here so you can visit different areas of Knoxville as well as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Accommodations
My friend stayed with me in Maryville, which is an excellent home base if you want to visit both the Smoky Mountains (45 minutes away) and Knoxville (20 minutes away). Staying with friends is an awesome way to get to know a city from a local resident’s perspective!
Saturday
5:30pm – Dinner at Kefi
Made a reservation for an early dinner a few weeks in advance, which I highly recommend. The atmosphere is upscale and chic, with dramatic lighting and chill music.
Upon entering, we were immediately aware of a strong cheese scent. The reason for this was shortly revealed – our waiter recommended the Saganaki for sharing. This dish was presented to us with an impressive brandy flambe with flames that reached for the ceiling as the waitress held it aloft. Basically, the dish is a column of flame which results in a beautifully melted Kasseri cheese that you pair with fig jam and a crostini! It’s theatrical, it’s delicious, and it’s a show I will absolutely be taking my parents to see.
Kasseri cheese with fig jam and crostini (after the flames had died down!)
We split a few appetizers, choosing stuffed grape leaves and baba ghanoush (fresh, lemony). For entrees, we had the short rib fettucine and the salmon with tender broccolini. The salmon had a delicious, crispy seared bottom and was tender throughout the rest of the cut.
Salmon with broccolini and yogurt sauce
Although we were impressed by the saganaki dish, the true star of this night was the dessert. Our server recommended the Bombe (chocolate brownie, truffle-filled vanilla ice cream, black cherries) flambeed tableside (another dramatic column of fire!). This dish was delicious and enjoyable to watch!
Chocolate bombe with the last of the brandy flambe flames
However, their tahini cheesecake is now one of my top 3 dessert dishes of all time. It is thick, generously portioned, and carries a full bodied savory flavor that melts into a sweet aftertaste.
The cocktails were also phenomenal, I savored a sweet and punchy prosecco and peach drink called Beggar’s Palace. This is a wonderful special occasion restaurant and I’m excited to bring my friends and family here to show off such a cool atmosphere with spectacular food as well.
Beggar’s Palace (Prosecco, Peach)
Sunday
7am Hiking in the Smoky Mountains
Departing from Maryville at 7am allowed us to reach the Middle Prong trail by 7:45am, which is an excellent time to get a prime parking spot at the trailhead. Middle Prong remains one of my favorite trails to this day. It’s not as crowded as the more famous trails and waterfall spots, which is a huge part of its attraction for me.
Important tip: All cars parking in the national park now require a parking pass. Locals may find it more practical to purchase a yearly pass, but if you’re only in town for the day you can easily purchase a day pass from kiosks at the ranger station.
The temperature at 8am in early November was high 40s to low 50s, but increased over the day to the comfortable 70s range. Middle Prong is classed as a moderate level hike and if you hike the full distance, will be ~8.1 miles in total. The trail gently slopes up and is very wide – horses are allowed on this trail so watch out for horse poop! I have seen every type of hiker on this trail, from hard core hikers with intense gear and hiking poles to those with small children out for a walk to those in between.
At every turn, there’s something beautiful to see on this trail, from babbling brooks to waterfalls to gigantic moss-covered logs.
We hiked 3 miles out and 3 miles back for a total of 6 miles. We glimpsed a black bear from afar during this visit, so remember to be bear aware at all times!
11am Lunch at Peaceful Side Social
After our 6 mile hike, we were ravenous! We chose to stop at Peaceful Side Social on the way back. They have an adorable play area outside for kids as well as indoor and shaded outdoor dining areas. Start by placing your order at the cashier and take a buzzer to your table, then the waitstaff will bring the food right to you.
Their signature dish is their pizzas, but we chose to go with the steak bites covered in chimichurri sauce and served with brussel sprouts. The goat cheese fritters were delicious, with a crispy and satisfying finish. We enjoyed eating here and the food was heavenly after our hike.
Steak bites with chimichurri sauce served with crispy potatoes and brussels sprouts
Golden, crispy fritters with goat cheese and comeback sauce
2pm Visit Knoxville Museum of Art
After stopping for a change of clothes, we continued to downtown Knoxville and started with the art museum- You can’t beat the price of free admission! Although the Knoxville Museum of Art is on the smaller side, they aren’t afraid to change things up and during our visit were displaying an immersive piece called “Drink Up the Moon” by Jane Cassidy. You walk into the darkened exhibit hall and settle into a comfy corduroy bean bag to gaze at giant ocean waves or the moon as it goes through different phases.
Sculpture display in the exhibit hall
Another reason I recommend visiting here if you’re from out of town or treating friends and family to a tour of Knoxville is the beautiful sculpture gardens and balcony with scenic views of World’s Fair Park.
Stunning view of the iconic Sunsphere from the gardens
4pm Market Square and Gay Street
Next, we headed over to the Market Square and Gay Street area (parked in a nearby garage with free parking on the weekends) to peruse the shops and pick out a place for dinner.
A humorous Knoxville boutique find, true to the spirit of this college town
5pm Dinner at Tomato Head
A true crowd pleaser, Tomato Head has something for everyone – soups, salads, pizzas, vegetarian friendly dishes, meat lover entrees, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Their pizzas are their signature, and I chose the flavor-packed Griffin pizza, with roasted portobello, roasted onion, roasted garlic, blue cheese, hot honey, and black pepper on a garlic oil base. This was a totally flavor-packed experience, and I recommend choosing one of their themed pizzas for this exact reason. If you are a pickier eater or have dietary restrictions, you can go the build-your-own pizza route and pick individual toppings.
I also enjoyed a comforting bowl of the pumpkin soup as an appetizer. The ginger sparkler (cranberry, ginger syrup, soda) was energizing and refreshing!
6:30pm Dessert at Cruze Farm Dairy
My #1 choice for ice cream in Knoxville! Do not miss out on the luscious, creamy soft serve style of this old fashioned ice cream parlor. Their cookies and cream is revolutionary – instead of being chunky, it’s infinitely smooth with the same heavenly cookie taste. Other top favorites are their sweet cream flavor and their affogato (sweet cream ice cream melting into shots of espresso).
Kid-size cup of the cookies n cream
From the Smokies to the city, this was the perfect end-cap to my sweet-toothed friend’s visit!