On one of our recent vacations, my family and I visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When we did, we knew that we would want to explore the surrounding areas as well. We decided to stay in Knoxville, TN for a couple nights and take some time to explore this city.
Knoxville, TN is home to the most recent successful World’s Fair to be hosted in the USA back in 1982. The theme of the World’s Fair was “energy turns our world”. The fair itself ran for 6 months and hosted visitors from all over the world! I would have loved to have been one of those people who got to explore the Fair. There are only two remaining structures that were built for the World’s fair that are still standing today. The Knoxville Sunsphere and the Amphitheater that sits across the river from the Sunsphere in World’s Fair Park.
I knew that the Sunsphere was something I was going to want to explore when we visited Knoxville after doing some research of activities in this area. It was easy to find but the only drawback was that there was not any parking onsite. We did find parking at Locust Street garage nearby and as a bonus the parking there was free on nights and weekends! There is also a convenient pedestrian overpass to cross the busy road from the parking garage area to the side of the street where the Sunsphere is located.
We arrived at the welcome center for the Sunsphere and paid the $10 entrance fee and were then allowed to go up to the top. When I was doing research before we went, I saw that this particular attraction used to be free. They recently remodeled the Sunsphere and with the remodel came the addition of an admission fee.
When we got to the top, despite it being a cold and dreary day, we were able to see great views of Knoxville and the surrounding areas. There was not a significant amount of things to do at the top of the sphere but there was information posted on the inside wall. They also had some fun artifacts from the World’s Fair to view.
Some of the items that debuted at the World’s Fair were the Rubiks Cube by the Hungarians (they had a giant version at the fair), touch screen technology, Cherry Coke, and Petro’s Chili and chips which is still a restaurant you can eat at in the Knoxville area and one that we tried later on in our trip.
After exploring the top of the Sunsphere and enjoying the views, we headed to the bottom to walk around and explore World’s Fair park. While the park is not huge, it is a nice area that includes the amphitheater, water features, and a nice green space.
Visiting the Sunsphere is a unique and fun experience if you are in the Knoxville area. It is not an activity that will take up much time, so it’s a quick addition to any schedule. We enjoyed our time here and I would like to go back and explore the park a bit more if we are in the area again.
If you find yourself in nearby Nashville, be sure to check out this article on Mission BBQ: https://pepperandpassports.com/experience-mission-bbq-a-delicious-tribute-to-heroes/
If you visit Gatlinburg, check out this unique and fun mini golf: https://suitcasesandsalt.com/experience-hillbilly-golf-in-gatlinburg-a-unique-family-adventure/