Downtown Knoxville Walking Tour (Self Guided), Knoxville

A small town with big-city amenities and a vibrant music scene (a mix of country, bluegrass, and rock), Knoxville, or K-Town as it's popularly shortened by locals, is also often referred to as “the Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains,” for its proximity to the national park area, whose marble quarries, in the past, gave it another moniker, The Marble City.

Knoxville was founded in 1791 by James White, a Revolutionary War veteran, and named after Henry Knox, the first United States Secretary of War. From 1796 to 1817, it served as the first capital of the state of Tennessee.

Throughout the early 19th century, the city struggled with geographic isolation until the arrival of the railroad, in 1855, which led to an economic boom. At that time, the premier local gathering spot, Market Square, was built.

Knoxville played a significant role in the American Civil War for its strategic location between the northern and southern states. It was occupied alternately by Confederate and Union armies, culminating in the Battle of Fort Sanders in 1863, following which the city remained firmly under the Union forces' control.

After the war, Knoxville enjoyed rapid growth, becoming a center for the textile and marble industries. In the 1920s, as the manufacturing sector collapsed, the city's economy stagnated and the downtown district declined. Still, the arrival of movies during that period prompted the construction of one of the city's most popular cultural landmarks, the Tennessee Theatre.

Nearly half a century later, some New York newspaper wondered, “What if you gave a World's Fair and nobody came?”, suggesting it was a likely scenario for a "scruffy little city" on the Tennessee River (referring to Knoxville's rough-around-the-edges, DIY vibe). To this, Knoxville responded in style by holding a boffo exposition and celebrating success with a slogan declaring: "The Scruffy Little City Did It." And this is how its yet another nickname came to be.

Indeed, hosting the 1982 World's Fair helped reinvigorate Knoxville, especially its downtown. The purpose-built 70-acre World's Fair Park today features a new city symbol, the iconic SunSphere tower.

Down South, they say, people “don't hide their crazy but parade it down the street.” To see if that can be attributed to Knoxville's unique personality, take this self-guided walk and find out!