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Surrounded by the backwoods wilderness of the Great Smoky, the
Cumberland and the Blue Ridge mountains, KNOXVILLE , the original
capital of Tennessee, is a rather quiet city of 180,000. Modern
skyscrapers, older brick buildings and a riverfront at the bottom
of steep bluffs combine to give downtown an attractive edge, but
specific places of interest are thin on the ground. On the northern
fringe, the Old City , centered on Central Street and Jackson Avenue,
is a small area of shops, galleries, restaurants and nightspots
in Victorian warehouses.
On the western edge of downtown, the World's Fair Park is dominated
by the futuristic Sunsphere , a huge glass ball mounted on a round
concrete tower. There is an observation deck on the lower level
of the sphere (Mon-Sat 9am-4.30pm; free). The Knoxville Museum of
Art , in the park at 1050 World's Fair Park Drive, hosts visiting
exhibits and features a small permanent collection of paintings
and a cleverly designed sculpture garden focused on a 200-year-old
elm tree (Tues-Thurs & Sat 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-9pm, Sun noon-5pm;
$7; tel 865/525-6101). Follow Cumberland Avenue up a few blocks
and you come to the sprawling campus of the University of Tennessee
. Lined with bars and diners, frequently bedecked in the orange
and white colors of the Volunteers football team, the campus has
two theaters and the Frank H. McClung Museum at Circle Park, which
features displays on the city's archeology, art and history (Mon-Sat
9am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; free).
The Gateway Regional Visitor Center , 900 Volunteer Landing Lane
(daily 9am-5pm; tel 1-800/727-8045), celebrates east Tennessee's
natural resources and its technological (predominantly nuclear)
achievements. It stands among the waterfalls and foliage of the
revitalized Volunteer Landing, which boasts riverside restaurants
and a marina complex.
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