Knocking around Knoxville

Every fall for the last decade a gang of us have traveled to the

Knoxville area

Asheville/Black Mountain area to work with little, tiny spheres of glass, find out about each other’s lives, and generally have a great time. This year we had a bit of an obstacle in the form of a rather large hurricane. And although we did eventually get there, some of us had to detour to Knoxville – and thereby began another adventure in traveling. And one of those adventures nearly necessitated a trip to an emergency room; however, if it isn’t a life threatening issue the option of a CVS Minuit Clinic is a good one. They have a doctor on duty, they take most types of insurance, and you can get your prescription immediately – it’s a good deal if you need some help.


Knoxville is the county seat of Knox County and was the first capital of Tennessee. Settled in 1786, the city was geographically isolated until the

Small church

arrival of the railroad in 1855. Of course with the railroad came an economic boom that lasted through the Civil War. Growth continued, relying on manufacturing and wholesaling until the 1920s; everything stagnated until the 1980 when the World’s Fair came to town. Folks focused on revitalization efforts, attracting growth, particularly in the downtown area. Along with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is also home to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Supreme Court, and the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.


Bumping up against the edge of Knoxville is Maryville; this cute little city

Maryville pillar

is the seat of Blount County. There have been people in the area since the Great Indian Warpath trail was used by the indigenous peoples of the area, quite possibly the Cherokee. It was even used by the family of Sam Houston when they moved to Maryville in 1808; Sam was 15 at the time. The Society of Friends made Maryville a center of abolitionist activity throughout the early 1800s, but the city was not liberated until May 1864. Maryville is also home of one of the fifty oldest colleges in the United States and the twelfth oldest institution in the South, Maryville College. There are a lot of artists in the area, so there are lots of places to indulge our need for beads and fabrics. 

This is a cool area and I am anxious to return someday soon. There are more places to explore and lots more places to go for a meal. For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews.

Where we stayed:

Four carrots

Hilton Knoxville Airport (2001 Alcoa Hwy, Alcoa, TN 37701, 865-970-4300) is a nice place to stay, particularly when you’re avoiding weather.

L to R: Bath, Bedroom

Barb had the foresight to book a room for us when it became apparent we weren’t going to get into Asheville. Once we were off the plane and had our bags, we could literally walk out the side door of the airport and onto the Hilton grounds. It’s an easy walk to the front desk, even in bad weather. The folks at this Hilton were happy to let us check in early. They did do a bit of scrambling to keep from putting us in a ‘team room’. What we didn’t know was that the UTEP football was checking in a bit later in the day. Having the team there with all of their personnel was no problem – they were so quiet that we didn’t even know that they were there. Our only negative comment was that you could only get two drinks in the executive lounge, then we were asked to move to the bar – not at all like the lounges at the Hilton’s in Europe, but that’s another story.

What we ate:

Four carrots

Lambert’s Southern Pies and Bake Shop (131 E Broadway Ave,

Chicken salad sandwich

Maryville, TN 37804, 865-981-9700) isn’t just a bakery. We went in for lunch and had some of the best sandwiches we’ve ever had. I had the chicken salad sandwich that was on a fresh croissant. It all tasted as if they had just made the bread and the salad. The sandwich was huge, but I ate the whole thing anyway. It came with chips and a glass of iced tea. Unfortunately I was too full to get dessert. I guess that means that we’ll have to go back. Everything (except the chips) is made in house so all of the foods are fresh. The people are very nice and have spent some time making the restaurant look cute and welcoming. This is a ‘go order then find a table kind of place’; one of the servers will bring your food to you.

Three and one-half carrots

Taziki's Mediterranean Café (6100 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919, 865-444-0661) is a close to fast food place. The food was okay, but

Left T to B: Taziki, Chicken gyro
Right T to B: Beef gyro, Soup, Salad

certainly not authentic Mediterranean. Everything is clean and there are plenty of places to sit. The folks where you order were very nice and were happy to make sure that you got what you ordered. We all decided that it was a good place to go for something in a hurry. Probably the best thing on the menu was the salad. There was plenty of cheese on the salad and the dressing was tasty.

What we did:

Four carrots

How can you not like a place called Twisted Sisters Quilt Shop (240 Gill

Wonderful fabrics

St, Alcoa, TN 37701, 865-980-0950)? It’s run by a couple of women who are, of course, twisted. They were as much fun as wandering through their shop feeling of all of the fabrics. The shop is moving (or has moved) to a bigger place with its own parking lot and room for more classes. These ladies are heavily involved in charity work, such as a pillowcase challenge, and Breast Cancer Research; their sales reflect these causes. In any case, it’s a nifty shop that I look forward to visiting, again.

One of the best things about visiting Knoxville was White Fox Beads (4928 Homberg Drive Knoxville, TN 37919, 865-980-0237). This large

Gypsy - waiting to bead

bead shop is filled with traditional favorites, plus unique and hard to find beads! There is an entire room for open beading or classes, plus the folks who visit bring yummies if you feel like you need more beading energy. Not only was it fun to meet all of the people, there is a great shop cat, Gypsy, who allowed me to hug, cuddle, scratch his ears, and chuck his chin. Since we were visiting during open beading, I was working on some earrings. The owner of the shop, Gail DeLuca, went out of her way to help me find the perfect beads to complete my project. It was a great place!!

Three and one-half carrots

Gina's Bernina Sewing Center (10816 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN

Batik fabrics

37934, (865-966-5941) is a nice little quilt shop with more than 6000 bolts of fabric and some really nice people. They provide classes, machines, and repairs. We spent a substantial amount of time touching lots of fabric and making selections.

















Loopville (5204 Kingston Pike - Knoxville, TN 37919, 865-584-9772) is yet another place that is full of things that just call out to be touched. This

Shawl

place is full of wonderful yarns, patterns, other things that spur creativity. We spent a substantial amount of time making choices and thinking about what sorts of things we ought to make out of the soft froth. It was a great deal of fun and we’ve all got something new to do.

An array of superheros on a wall

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