Culture
A Twelve Day Urban Musical Journey (with bonuses)
I’m pretty sure I’ve never had tickets to six concerts in a twelve day period (outside of festivals) in my life until recently. With the way tickets are sold these days, of course, you buy them...
Knoxville Opera Presents The Merry Widow This Weekend
Tonight and in a Sunday matinee, Knoxville Opera presents The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar. Originally written in German, the libretto will be performed in English and includes both speaking portions as well as singing. The...
Nxt Gen Concert Series Turns the Spotlight on the City’s Younger Jazz Talent
How does a musically talented young girl growing up in a small Italian town and a young man growing up in a small Appalachian city, find themselves on stage a few years later to perform a...
Brightening the City One Mural at a Time: A Visit With Megan Lingerfelt
You’ve seen her work all around downtown and in some spots outside the city. She adds an update to the seasonal mural beside Coffee and Chocolate at the south end of Strong Alley each quarter and...
Business
Knoxville’s First Moonshine Distillery, Drop Zone Distillery; Open for Business (And Headed to Kerns Bakery!)
(Today’s article is by guest writer Heather Ryerson) Step into Drop Zone Distillery and you will instantly understand its name and a bit more about it’s owner. Rod Parton served 8 years in the Army as...
Bliss Integrated Bodywork Opens in South Knoxville
Bliss Integrated Bodywork is open at 1119 Sevier Avenue, Suite C. It joins a range of other health and fitness-related businesses that have opened in the same stretch, including LB Endurance Lab, Peak IV Hydration, which...
Axle Logistics to Develop Brown Appliance Location; Partners with Haslam College of Business
(Today’s article is by guest writer Heather Ryerson, Photos also by Heather with the exception of Brown Appliance) We first told you about Axle Logistics in 2019 when they purchased property in North Knoxville, began construction...
LB Endurance Lab Opens on Sevier Avenue
Lana and Chris Burl moved to downtown Knoxville in 2020, intending to open their business downtown at the same time. While that took a bit longer, LB Endurance is opened in March of this year at...
Development
Former Marriott to Become Vision Apartments; Funding Requested
It’s been a long and arduous journey for the former Marriott at 501 East Hill Avenue (briefly known as Hotel Knoxville). In October 2020, Melrose Knoxville, LLC (DBA Omni Vision Knoxville) a group based in Beverly...
Visit Knoxville Celebrates 10 Years of Promoting the City
This past Friday, inside the Sunsphere, Visit Knoxville celebrated its tenth anniversary in its current incarnation as the city’s official convention and visitors bureau for the City of Knoxville and Knox County. Over that time it...
Keys to Urban Economic Development: Trees and . . . Blowing Up Highways?!?
It’s intuitive that a city is better served with more trees, right? But exploding highways as a pathway to urban development? Well, yes, in many cases. It was a topic on the table for conversation recently...
Solar Power: Where Does Tennessee (and Knoxville) Stand and Where Is It Going?
The Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association recently held its annual two-day conference at the downtown Hilton in Knoxville. Nearly four hundred people, mostly industry professionals and other directly interested parties, attended from Tennessee and surrounding states....
Events
Scenes From the First Holiday Weekend 2022
Downtown was packed starting Friday afternoon and it continued through most of the weekend with crowds on nearly every sidewalk from Market Square to the Old City. I hope the shoppers supported local retail and I...
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (11/27-/12/06/2022)
If you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims – you’ll have to friend me) and it will be included. I need enough lead time that the list can be...
Downtown For the Holidays
It’s a magical time of the year for children and grown-ups alike as the downtown festivities get underway in a serious fashion starting today. The centerpiece of today’s fun is the lighting of the 42...
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (11/20-11/29)
If you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims – you’ll have to friend me) and it will be included. I need enough lead time that the list can be...
Life
Giving Thanks for the Life Brandon Gibson
What makes a city a place worth living? Its history matters. Iconic or historic buildings make a difference. Its culture provides its contextual interest. In the end, while all these are critical, a place is only...
Look What’s Returning! (More Than You Might Realize)
A simple walk around the core of downtown will tell you that some of the favorite parts of the season are taking shape. The Christmas Tree on Gay Street is under construction and should be finished...
Facelift and New Direction for the Fourth and Gill Neighborhood Center (AKA The Birdhouse)
The Fourth and Gill Neighborhood has been through several swings over the years. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it was a posh neighborhood of north Knoxville. It even incorporated at one point and elected...
Adolph Ochs’ Knoxville Connection Celebrated
Most Knoxville residents likely don’t know that Adolph Ochs, the long-time owner and operator of the New York Times, began his career in the newspaper business here in Knoxville, on Market Square. Ochs, whose descendants continue...