The Sunsphere is an amazing architectural wonder and remnant from the 1982 World's Fair in…read moreKnoxville. My visit to the Sunsphere made my day. The 342' steel structure was designed by Don Shell and completed in 1982. The glass on the 75' sphere is coated with gold dust. During the World's Fair, a small restaurant operated at the top and visitors could visit the observation deck for $2. We were passing through Knoxville and my daughter wanted to visit. Today, visitors can pay to go up to the observation deck of the giant structure. ($10 for adults). You can buy tickets on line or at the Sunsphere. When we arrived, the Sphere was closed until 1:30, so we did not go up in it. But we enjoyed walking around and taking photos. There is parking a block south and the walk through the park is lovely. There is a drop off circle near the Sunshpere as well. Let's are not allowed in the structure.

Knoxville wanted to do something truly special for the 1982 World's Fair. The result was the…read moreSunsphere. The theme for the fair was "Energy turns the world" and Knoxville showcased solar energy by creating a replica of the Sun. I was fortunate enough to visit the Sunsphere during their "free local days" and all you need to show is your license to prove you're local to Knoxville. More free local days will be announced throughout the coming year, so stay tuned. Definitely recommend elevating your view of our little city by visiting the Sunsphere. Know Before You Go: ~ $10 tickets per adult and also annual passes can be bought in person. $40 for an individual annual pass or $120 for a family pass. Both passes are good for a calendar year. ~24 kt. gold panels are actually glass layered with gold dust. ~The Sunsphere observation deck was re-opened on February 22, 2022. The floor offers a 360-degree view of the Great Smoky Mountains, World's Fair Park, the Tennessee River, and the UT Campus. ~There is a small gift shop offering everything from Sunsphere Christmas ornaments, tee shirts, Sunsphere coffee tumblers, stickers, postcards, and more.

A very busy part of the Market Square area, this pedestrian bridge runs from Locust Street and…read moreacross Henley Street alongside the convention center. It brings together the Market Square retail and restaurant area with the World's Fair park and the Sunsphere. The bridge is wide enough for a golf-cart and definitely wide enough for four people to walk abreast. At Locust Street, the bridge is at street level. At the other side near the Sunsphere, there is a set of stairs and an elevator. There's also a nice view of the World's Fair park. If you're not interested in crossing Henley Street at street level, which I completely understand as it is a very busy road, this bridge will help. [Review 12898 overall, 214 of 2020.]

This is a neat bridge that takes you from one part of Knoxville to another part of Knoxville it's…read morenot a very long bridge but it has some cool sites all on the way and it's nice how it's covered and it takes you right over to the stratosphere sons here in the Knoxville world fair so that's cool to see but this is a nice little bridge that wasn't expecting to come upon while we were there so it's definitely cool walk across instead of walking across the street's

David welcomed my wife and I to the Museum, gave us a mini tour and showed us a newspaper piece…read morefrom The Oregonian after seeing that I was coming from Portland, Oregon. It was nice to see his father in one of the old photos where he was a butcher for Y12 during the Manhattan Project. It was nice to see people from those days were still visiting and the generations after them as well. Definitely an interesting place to see for anyone passing by!

The visitor center is located in the Childen's Museum of Oak Ridge. To be honest, I was expecting…read moremore out of the visitor's center since a lot of the time there's a small associated museum or exhibits, but it was quite bare with only a small looping video. I liked the concept of the park in that you get to explore the community, but since the bus tour wasn't running with no plan or date when it would come back, it was hard to make a cohesive plan. I would say plan on visiting the K-25 history center + overlook and the American Museum of Science and Energy for sure, and then just wandering around the community looking at the placards. If you're into the stamps, there's a three part stamp (the rest of the parts are in Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico).

A beautiful day to take a brisk walk in the sunshine at this park. Plenty of adorable furry friends…read moreenjoy this park too. It is clean and it's full of history. What a nice place to explore.

This friendship bell was gifted to Oak Ridge from Japan as a sign of remembrance and peace between…read moreour two countries after the events of WWII and the Manhattan Project. Even those our connection has a dark history, the bell is meant to signify a brighter future. The bell itself is huge and very heavy, suspended in air with the ability for visitors to "ring" it. It is under a pavilion in the midst of Bissell Park, which has a great walking trail and a park/playground a short distance away behind the library. Worth a stop, in combination with the Children's Museum of OR, and the American Museum of Science and Energy, which both cover more history of the Manhattan Project and the creation of our small town.

Not that long ago, the United States Congress finally past the 19th Amendment, "The right of…read morecitizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." A very simple sentence that conveyed a lot of rights to half of the citizens of our country. Once Congress approves a Constitutional Amendment, it must be ratified by a percentage of States. At that time, it needed to be at least 36 to reach the requirement. Thirty-five other states ratified the Amendment before Tennessee did. It took them a year and much debate before a tie vote in the state house of representatives was broken by a single vote. Looking back now, you really have to wonder about Tennessee's elected representatives! This monument is dedicated to the suffragists who made it possible and has a prominent spot in Knoxville's Market Square. [Review 12892 overall, 208 of 2020.]

Neat little statue that holds a lot of history behind it. I'm not sure why this statute is here in…read moreAsheville maybe it took place here? But it is a nice representation of women's rights and I am all for that and equality. It is nice to show my daughters how far women have come over the years

Came to visit the campus. After a long day of walking hills we ended up back in our hotel room and…read more'Googled' things to do near by. This popped up so we came to check it out. There is a lot of street art in this town. This is a pretty cool piece! Come check it out and share your fun pics!

This is a cool design of painted steps that is located right across from university of Tennessee…read more Someone put a lot of time and effort into these steps and I appreciate their hard work. Knoxville is filled with designs and paintings

FORT SANDERS HISTORICAL MARKER…read more Nothing remains of the site known as Fort Sanders. Just a few years following the war, homes were being built on this historical site. However, I was determined to locate the historical marker and stand on the site that serves as a reminder of this famous . So as we are following the address in the GPS, we see nothing. We are clearly in a residential area and I know that I am looking for a marker. As traffic starts to back up, I decide to just get out and walk. I'm looking all over and eventually catch up to the car because there was nothing at the indicated address As we turn the corner, I see a sign. OMG, I tell my husband to pull over quickly and I literally jump out of the car. SCORRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!! I was so excited and a bit shocked to realize that the markers and monument are located in the most random spot you could ever imagine. It is literally in a mixed use area next to a side walk. If you didn't see the specific signs that actually border this landmark, you might assume that this is just a large misplaced rock. Fort Sanders has an important place in history because it represents a significant battle in Civil War history, and especially the city of Knoxville. On November 29, 1863, approximately 180 men were killed while hundreds more were injured during a battle that only lasted for 20 minutes. Next time you drive or walk by that big rock, THINK about that. ***The stone marker was erected by the Knoxville Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy on November 29, 1914. It is inscribed with the following words: Nor wreck, nor change, nor winter's blight, Nor Time's remorseless doom, Shall dim one ray of glory's light That gilds your glorious tomb.