(Today’s article is written by guest writer Heather Ryerson)
Last week, Visit Knoxville released it’s 2023 Official Visitor’s Guide to Knoxville. A small gathering inside of Addison’s bookstore welcomed Visit Knoxville volunteers, sponsors and friends to get the first look at the new guide. Formerly produced in partnership with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, this year they got to reimagine the look inside and out, and it is gorgeous.
A stunning Bruce McCamish photo of Augusta Quarry graces the front and back of the guide as one cohesive shot. Inside you will find new features like a dog’s eye view from Sally, a pooch who designates Knoxville as the most pet friendly city, an events calendar and articles on various areas of the city. Keep an eye out for more from Sally’s point of view! I hear she may be starting her own blog.
In addition to breaking down many scheduled events by category, you will now find a section for Neighborhoods around the city. From Market Square to West/Farragut, you will see a little history of each neighborhood and many of the popular attractions and businesses in that area.
I sat down with Kim Bumpas, Visit Knoxville President, to find out what has her excited about 2023. You can find more information in the Visitor’s Guide, but a couple of highlights are the Bass Master Classic coming at the end of March. Last year, Knoxville has 153,000 participants, which set a record. Since then, another city has broken that record and Kim is looking forward to luring in more fishermen this year and getting that record back.
Feb. 22 will mark the one-year anniversary of the reopening of the Sunsphere and the Sunsphere Fund. As a non-native to Knoxville, the Sunsphere has always been a landmark of significance for me and my family. Now as a resident, it is something I take all my visiting family and friends to see. There are plans for the area to come, but for now, we can all enjoy the view from the observation deck for only $5. I am so excited to see what the funds will make possible in the future for continuing to keep the Sunsphere relevant and make it a destination for all of us and not only a tourist attraction.
A new event coming this year is the Knox Film Fest. The date is TBD, but we can expect it to be held sometime in the Fall. It is in partnership with Visit Knoxville Film Office and The Public Cinema and will bring a selection of short films, feature films and workshops to town.
Visit Knoxville has secured The Eagles to return to our city for their Hotel California 2023 concert in April. After the success of getting Sir Paul McCartney here in 2022, we can expect more major headliners to come our way. Knoxville is on the top 20 list of music scenes in the country and this is a well deserved designation.
With these events and more coming to our city in 2023, you’ll want to stay connected here and with the Visit Knoxville Facebook and Instagram pages. Pick up one of the new Visitor Guides next time you pass by the Visit Knoxville Visitors Center and consider taking their popular walking tour.