Culture
SoKno Sculpt Puts Public Art in the People’s Hands
On a recent humid evening, against a backdrop of towering kudzu monsters, a crowd gathered on Sam Houston Street. The occasion: the unveiling of The Revelator, the first commissioned sculpture through SoKno Sculpt, a new community...
Museum in Motion: Circle Modern Dance’s ‘Shadows & Light’ at KMA
On Saturday night at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Shadows & Light unfolded in real-time as a collaboration between KMA, Circle Modern Dance and composer William Wright. The one-night-only, site-specific performance began with a piece in-the-round...
Downtown Welcomes Its ‘Newtest’ Residents
Downtown has some new residents. Meet Neyland, Nigel, Nya and nine of their sneaky little friends: “Newts in Knoxville.” It’s both a permanent public art installation and a scavenger hunt. Funded by Downtown Knoxville Alliance and...
“Electricity For All” Opens at the Knoxville Museum of Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art debuted its new exhibition, “Electricity for All, which will run until August 17. The title, taken from a TVA slogan in the 1930s teems with surprises. Expecting a retrospective of the...
Business
Big Slate Expands Possibilities of Media Production in Knoxville
As Big Slate Media celebrates 10 years, the company is expanding its capabilities to help brands and groups better tell their story. Co-owner Jonathan Halley recently gave me a tour of their facility off Broadway, next...
The Revival Vintage and Art Shop Opens at 825 Locust Street
Just last week I mentioned that downtown used to have several things it has lost. I specifically stated that where guitars were once for sale in downtown Knoxville, they are no longer available. In an illustration...
XÜL Beer Company Announces Big Change to Kill The Lights Beer Festival for 2025
XÜL Beer Company opened in October 2020. But no pandemic would keep partners Brad, Tara and Bentley from achieving their dream of providing quality beer, sours and a great atmosphere for the community. The brewery...
Sweet P’s Downtown Dive to Close
According to a press release this afternoon, Sweet P’s Downtown Dive will close June 15, while Sweet P’s Uptown Corner will continue operations at the Tazwell Pike location. Catering operations will also continue. The restaurant opened...
Development
Hey Knoxville, Can We Think Big?
When was the last time you heard someone say, “Wow! Have you seen what they are doing in Knoxville?” I’ve heard people say something similar about Big Ears, but they are usually expressing their incredulity that...
Downtown Knoxville: What Is Missing? What Has Been Lost?
I can tell you fancy, I can tell you plain You give something up for everything you gain Since every pleasure’s got an edge of pain Pay for your ticket and don’t complain -Bob Dylan and...
Downtown Knoxville Development Update, May 2025, Part Two
Yesterday I mentioned the influx of new housing on the downtown market, with multiple new buildings and several older ones converting from apartments to condos. One of the larger conversion projects is the Medical Arts Building...
Downtown Knoxville Development Update, May 2025, Part One
Development continues to move rapidly, with more deals and construction starts and stops to come. I recently dropped the sculpture (now completed) from the list and today I’ll add one and finish off three others. We’ll...
Events
Downtown Knoxville 10-Day Planner (6/15-24/25)
If you want your event included, please create a Facebook event, invite Leslie Wylie Bateman via the “invite” button on the event page (you’ll have to friend her), and it will be included. We need enough...
Downtown Home Tour Preview: A Peek Inside Urban Guy’s Place
The East Tennessee Historical Society presents its Downtown Home Tour 2025 this Saturday, June 14. Previously presented by the now defunct City People organization, a downtown home tour has been a staple of most years since...
Praise Be to the Patron Saint of Sequins: Rhinestone Fest Turns 5
In the Year of Our Lord 2025, there is one thing and one thing only that we can all universally agree upon: Dolly Parton is our queen and she must be protected at all costs. Each...
Downtown Knoxville 10-Day Planner (7/8-17/2025)
If you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite editor Leslie Wylie Bateman via the “invite” button on the event page (you’ll have to friend her), and it will be included. We need...
Life
Ghost Walking Around the Lamar House
Down on the 800 block of Gay Street it’s generally a lot quieter than a couple of blocks farther north. With the quiet end of a federal building on one side, and a towering office tower...
A Word from the New Editor + Reader Survey
If you don’t know me yet, hi, I’m Leslie. And stepping into this role feels like coming home. Here’s the quick-as-I-can-make-it version: I grew up in Fountain City, went to UT, and the day I wandered...
The Times They Are A-Changin’: A Tribute to Urban Guy
Compiled by Leslie Bateman, K.W. Leonard and Heather Ryerson On Sunday afternoon, at a proper-fancy downtown party to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Inside of Knoxville, Alan Sims—aka Urban Guy—stood up and shared some big...
15 Years of InsideofKnoxville.com: Celebration and Change
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the first article I wrote for this website. My wife and I moved downtown in November 2009 and by the spring of 2010 I felt the need to share our...