The Old City is a ridiculously charming treasure in the downtown landscape: gorgeous old buildings, local businesses and that vintage-urban je ne sais quoi you can’t manufacture from scratch.
The year and a half since Covenant Health Park opened has scrambled some of the district’s rhythms but its various stakeholders have all signaled a willingness to work together. One result of collaboration is a new Old City Passport, designed to get people exploring the district and reward them for doing it. The passport lives in the Visit Knoxville app, which you can download here.
How it works: Stop by a participating business, redeem its special offer and collect a digital stamp. Visit 15 locations and you’ll earn an Old City gift basket that includes four tickets to either a Knoxville Smokies baseball game or a One Knoxville SC soccer match at Covenant Health Park, good for a standard home game during the 2026 or 2027 season.
What’s on the Passport
- Alchemy Lounge & Cigar: $5 Old Fashioned
- Amulet: $3 off any Blind Date with Magick Kit
- Awaken Coffee: Buy one drink and get one of equal or lesser value
- Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria: Free sticker
- Boyd’s Jig & Reel: $3 off food
- Chic Vintage: 5% off your purchase
- Contra: Enjoy $5 off purchase under $100 or $10 off purchase
Corks Wine & Spirits: 10% off your entire purchase - Cowboy Cantina: $3 Lone Star drafts or $3 mystery shot
- Curious Dog: Free sticker with purchase
- Fin-Two Japanese Ale House: 50% off a sushi roll
- Fiori Bar & Kitchen: 20% off
- Good Golly Tamale: $1 off any tamale
- Hanna’s Old City: Free cover
- Kaizen: Free steamed bun
- Monkey’s Bar: $10 house cocktail
- Old City Java: $1 off coffee or tea
- Old City Sports Bar: $3 domestic drafts
- Osteria Stella: Free dessert with entree purchase
- Pour Taproom: Free pint of snacks
Pretentious Beer Co.: $1 off beer - Red Panda Grocery: 50% off sandwich
- Side Hustle: Free side with entrée purchase
- Southbound Nightclub: $5 well drinks
- Southern Grit: 50% off appetizer
- Tesoro Gelato: $1 off gelato
- The Back Pocket: 5% off
- The Pilot Light: One free non-alcoholic beverage
- Two Bikes: Free sticks
- Urban Bar: $1 off draft beer $3 or more
- Wagon Wheel: $1 off well drinks
Once you’ve completed 15 offers, Visit Knoxville will reach out using the contact information attached to your passport registration. You’ll choose between Smokies or One Knox tickets and select a game, and they’ll coordinate the rest.
It Took a Village
A lot of people had a hand in getting the Passport off the ground.
Old City Association board member and Outreach Chairperson Gina Truitt took the proverbial bull by the horns and more or less willed the whole thing into existence, coordinating moving parts. Last week she walked me through the program over a delightfully savory cottage pie at Boyd’s Jig & Reel, which she manages.
Gina recalled that Visit Knoxville Executive Director Kim Bumpas came to the table asking, “How can we help the Old City?” Managing Director of Web Experience Clint Casey then did much of the work required to turn the idea into an actual digital passport.
The Knoxville Smokies and Boyd Sports were game to join in. Executive Vice President Jeremy Boler agreed to provide prizes and help promote the program at the stadium, including videos by photographer/videographer Dustin Hilbelink on the jumbotron, with support from Assistant Director of Corporate Partnerships Baylor Love and Creative Services Manager Lindsay Miller.
Old City Association President Robin Easter of Robin Easter Design has been key in creating opportunities for Old City merchants to collaborate. Caroline King, the firm’s client liaison and community engagement lead, helped with messaging and pulling the final product together with Clint.
One challenge was figuring out how to get everyone involved when Old City businesses offer such wildly different things: food and drink, shopping, entertainment, services and experiences. So they got creative with the offers.
Matt Zingg of Two Bikes (see you at their Honky Tonk Soiree fundraiser tonight!) joked that nobody is likely to leave a Smokies game and suddenly think, “I should go buy a bike.” But the Passport gave businesses like his a way to participate anyway. He was encouraged by the stadium’s willingness to participate. “They’ve been super receptive to being a part of the neighborhood and watching it grow,” he said.
Erin Emory, manager of Corks Wine & Spirits, sees that variety as one of the district’s strengths. She pointed to the very different businesses clustered around the intersection of Central and Jackson: “The Old City really is still a place for everyone. There’s something here for everyone.”
Learn more about the Old City and all it has to offer (including but not limited to the new passport!) at the website here.
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