Knoxville Sunsphere
Day 1 You'll See:
- Ijams Nature Center
- WDVX Blue Plate Lunch
- Knoxville Museum of Art and Chocolate Factory
- The Sunsphere
- Dinner + Shopping at Market Square
Day One
Ijams Nature Center - Welcome to the highly beloved Ijams Nature Center, the urban nature park located off of Island Home Avenue in Knoxville. Originally a simple yet stunning homestead owned by the local Ijams family, this nature preserve has turned into a large area in which to go and admire, love and care for the earth. This park is so popular, as a matter of fact, that it has been ranked one of the top three Knoxville attractions by TripAdvisor! While here your group can choose between such activities as hiking, biking, paddling, learning, strolling, or simply relaxing. Explore the rocks, rivers, trees, and trails, you may even see some owls or salamanders along the way.
WDVX Blue Plate Lunch - While in Knoxville your group will have the unique opportunity to eat lunch at the WDVX Radio station, deep within the fun and informational Knoxville Visitor Center. With the WDVX Blue Plate special your group has the chance to relive an old local noonday classic, a live performance radio show! Economy booster, the attraction of the year, and truly entertaining lunch option, the WDVX Blue Plate Lunch is an absolutely amazing dining option.
Knoxville Museum of Art - The Knoxville Museum of Art is the rich visual legacy of Eastern Tennessee located within the gorgeous campus of the city's World’s Fair Park. World’s Fair Park is a lively and highly popular local social gathering place well-known for hosting annual festivals, live performances, meetings and conferences, and all the great spots within for reflection and learning. One quick look around will show you acres of well-manicured lawn, cascading falls, placid streams, and several various gifts of natural beauty.
Chocolate Factory - Welcome to the Knoxville Chocolate Factory, located right next to the Museum of Art in the sprawling and stunning World’s Fair Park. Under the name of Bradley's Chocolate, this small production chocolate facility sells wholesale delicious confections and local handicraft gifts and decor, all within an absolutely great location to continue shopping, eating, and sightseeing. This is truly a chocolate lover must-stop, the entire establishment selling highly popular Tennessee chocolates, Tennessee Walking Sticks, assortments of chocolate confections, chocolate corn pops, and even wedding event goodies!
The Sunsphere - Your next stop is the last one within World’s Fair Park, the grandiosely stunning Sunsphere! The Sunsphere is an 81 meter high, or 266 foot, hexagonal steel truss structure that stands today as a glimmering culture icon and symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair. This amazing structure is topped with a 23 m. gold-colored glass sphere as well as 360 panes of exterior glass windows caked in 24 karat gold dust. That’s right, this building is gold!
Dinner + Shopping at Market Square - Welcome to Market Square, a historic pedestrian mall that has developed over several decades, growing from an 1854 original regional market for farmers to a multi-purpose meeting, commerce, and social space. This overall highly unique and highly enjoyable gathering place allows you and your group to do everything from playing to shopping, eating to enjoying an entertaining date night on the town.
