The Visit Knoxville Visitors Center at 301 S. Gay Street is a kind of front porch for downtown Knoxville. Tourists wander in clutching maps. Locals pop by for a last-minute gift. And, right on cue almost each day at noon, WDVX’s Blue Plate Special fills the stage with sound.
For the next few months, that familiar rhythm is on pause.
The Visitors Center will be closed through mid-to-late May for a ground-floor remodel, its first major refresh since 2017. Work began almost immediately after the holidays, kicking off a tight renovation timeline aimed at reopening just as Knoxville heads into peak summer tourism season.
“We’re still alive and well,” said Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas when I stopped by last week. The ground floor was cleared out, with all of the iconic WDVX Blue Plates featuring a who’s-who of musicians already in storage for safekeeping. The Visit Knoxville offices upstairs, however, are still humming. “Visit Knoxville is alive and well, and we are still working, working, working.”
Anyone looking for face-to-face help is being redirected to the Sunsphere Welcome Center, which got a refresh of its own in late 2024. It is open seven days a week and free to enter (tickets to the observation deck are available here). Visit Knoxville’s website and app are fully stocked with up-to-date information, and yes — if you still prefer calling a human, someone will answer the phone.
Retail sales, an important part of Visit Knoxville’s support for local makers, are continuing online. Orders can be shipped or picked up at the Sunsphere, and Kim says if someone has a particularly urgent or unusual request, the team is willing to get creative. A refreshed Gift Shop featuring current and new artist partnerships is part of the plan for the remodel.
Other elements include casual seating arrangements for visitors to engage with Visit Knoxville staff and visitor materials, a new meeting space that will allow for private and public use, and a new mural throughout the lobby space which will be designed and installed by a local artist. McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects, Inc. (MHM) is the architect for this project, and Holston Construction Services will be doing the renovation.
“Folks can expect a whole different entrance,” Kim said. “So when you come in, it’s going a little bit softer. It’s going to lean a little more into the artsy side of what Knoxville is about, and lean into our new tagline, ‘Calling the Curious.’ It’s going to have a more welcoming and warm space to sit and hang out in.”
The Visitors Center stage has been home to WDVX’s Blue Plate Special since 2004 — a free, daily live radio broadcast music series that has introduced Knoxville audiences to future household names and longtime local favorites alike. It will remain a focal point of the space, but with improvements to sound quality and video capability.
I spoke with Benny Smith, the station’s Director of Marketing and Community Relations, about what the remodel means for WDVX. The independent, listener-supported station serves counties throughout East Tennessee, with recording studios in Norris and downtown Knoxville in the basement of the Visitors Center. Some mold issues displaced them from the latter last fall but, now remediated, they’re preparing to move back in. Not having the stage upstairs this spring, however, is a bummer.
“It’s heartbreaking not to have Blue Plate downtown for a while,” Benny told me. “But this renovation gives us a chance to step back, hit refresh, and ask how we can grow this thing.”
The hiatus doesn’t mean going silent. Big Plate Friday noon shows will continue at Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria in the Old City. Upcoming performances – all free and at noon – include Amelia Day (Jan. 16), Nathan Morgan Band (Jan. 23), Heart tribute band Crazy on Heart (Jan. 30), and The Dimestore Cowboys (Feb. 6). WDVX also presents music at the Bijou Theatre, including the Dan Tyminski Band this Thursday, Jan. 15.
Visit Knoxville is also hosting the “Sunsphere Sessions,” a free live music series featuring local musicians inside the Sunsphere Welcome Center each Friday from 5-6 p.m. Upcoming performances include Maggie & Owen (Jan. 16), Sammy T (Jan. 23) and Ella Pinchok (Jan. 30).
WDVX is also rolling out Blue Plate Special Revisited, airing special archived performances at noon Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays while also expanding its video presence online. Spanning over 3,300 videos, WDVX’s YouTube channel is a real treasure trove and archive of Blue Plate Special performances.
Benny said they’re also exploring opportunities to take the Blue Plate Special on the road this spring. He’s been in talks with various venues in different markets throughout East Tennessee, and welcomes others to reach out. “The demand is there and that’s exciting; we want to make sure we park it in the right place,” he says. “We call Knoxville home but we are ‘East Tennessee’s Own.’”
Whatever the next five months end up looking like, Benny said they remain steadfast in their support of Appalachian music and the people who make it: “It’s our passion and our mission to put these artists on the stage, especially up and coming artists.” He notes that Blue Plate Special provided a platform for musicians like Tyler Childers and Charley Crockett before they were famous: “We don’t want to lose that.”
It’s worth reminding that 2025 was a tough year for WDVX. Congress passed a rescissions package with cuts to public radio that left them with a $100,000 gap – roughly 15-20% of WDVX’s budget. A listener drive raised over $60k to help make up the difference but the work continues. Learn more about how to support the station here.
When the Visitors Center reopens, Blue Plate will return to a refreshed stage better equipped for the next generation of artists and audiences. The goal is to reopen by mid- or late-May with a grand reopening celebration to follow. We are superfans of both Visit Knoxville and WDVX, and you know we’ll keep you posted!
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