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Photo: Kg4ygs - Jeffrey Paul Prickett, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A modernistic monument built for the 1982 World's Fair
The Sunsphere is a 266-foot (81 m) tall hexagonal steel truss structure located in World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It is topped with the 75-foot (23 m) gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair. Directly across a man-made pond from the Tennessee Amphitheater, they are the only remaining structures from the fair.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The East Tennessee Historical Society off Market Square has a new and fascinating museum about the history of the area, from Native Americans through Davy Crockett, the Revolutionary War, industrialization (the city was once called the Underwear Capital of the World), the Civil War, and modern history, including the role of the area in producing the first atomic bomb.
Daily live performance radio show at noon on weekdays at WDBX recording studio, which is located at the Knoxville visitor center. Music genre varies from blues to bluegrass, country to Celtic, folk to funk, rockabilly to hillbilly, local to international. Audience are welcome to bring their lunch.
Knoxville Smokies
Watch the AA level Knoxville Smokies play their Southern League rivals at Covenant Health Park. They are an affiliate of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, and the park even serves Old Style beer, a Chicago staple.
The historic home, studio and gallery of artist Adelia Armstrong Lutz.
Knoxville Zoo
A nice but smallish zoo with 800 animals and a lot of success breeding red pandas. There's also a reptile center and kids play area.
In addition to being housed in Knoxville's fourth oldest building, the Bijou Theatre has an atmosphere that's perfect for live music and the performing arts. Many performers and music fans consider the Bijou the best-sounding room in Knoxville. Tennessee Shines is a radio show broadcast live from the Bijou the last Wednesday of each month. Sponsored by WDVX, the show celebrates Appalachian and other genres of American music.