Knoxville, Tennessee is filled with museums, a riverboat and parks. All the best things to see without breaking your budget -- in and around Knoxville.
Eastern Tennessee offers amazing natural beauty, history and educational experiences for the whole family. Unfortunately, the vacation stops that get the most publicity often make the biggest hit on your finances. Is it possible for your family to have a good time on a budget? Sure, it is. Let's look at Eastern Tennessee on a budget.
The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge
It's always nice to begin early with a stop that will delight the kids. For a low admission price, the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge offers a wide variety of hands-on learning. In the Discovery Lab, the Waterworks, the Rocket Room and the Dollhouse, kids can interact with the exhibits and learn in the ways kids do best - with their eyes, ears and hands. If you're planning a summer visit, the Museum also runs classes and workshop events where children can learn even more about music, science and crafts.
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
If your family likes sports and history, drive on down to Knoxville and visit the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. For a low admission fee, you can get a crash course in the first hundred years of women's basketball"¦some of it right from the mouth of the mother of women's basketball, Senda Berenson - okay, it's just her animatronic self, but it's still very interesting. This is a particularly good stop for parents of young girls, who may feel their athletic feats take "second place" to the boys.
The Tennessee River Boat Company
As long as you're in Knoxville, consider a sight-seeing ride on the Tennessee River. Daytime sightseeing trips are right at ten dollars for adults, so it just squeaks by in the budget category but the trip on the river will be worth the splurge. After the ride, don't forget to take a stroll along the river. The little park there offers wonderful bits of Tennessee River history for free. Plus, there is a great play-in fountain for a quick cooling splash.
The Knoxville Museum of Art
You might like a little culture after all that sight-seeing, and the Knoxville Museum of Art is a great place to visit for a small ticket price. In addition to the permanent collection, different traveling exhibits visit the museum so there is always something new to see.
Ijams Nature Center
After all that culture, the kids are probably itching to be back outside, so plan a trip to the Ijams Nature Center, an 80-acre park in Knoxville. It's a lovely park with winding trails that take you over streams and through the woods. The wildflowers alone are worth the walk. It's a great place to unwind and soak up nature while not wandering too far from civilization.
Norris Lake
The Tennessee Valley Authority built Norris Dam in 1936, thereby creating Norris Lake. If you've never seen a big hydroelectric dam, the drive is worthwhile just for the sight. It will amaze the kids as they walk across the top of the dam and look out over the lake. Much of the area around the lake is wooded and you can see deer wandering freely and without concern for the passing cars. It's a beautiful area and an impressive display of man shaping nature.
Great Smokey Mountains National Park: Cades Cove
If the little parks have only whet your appetite for the great outdoors, you are only a short drive from the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. One of the most popular spots in the park is Cades Cove. Cades Cove was the home of about 685 settlers in 1850. Many of their original buildings remain standing, an open-air museum of the pioneer way of life. Cades Cove has a visitor center providing information and assistance to visitors.
After hiking around Cades Cove, you'll be tired but glad you came. Eastern Tennessee offers many things to visitors and you can get a sampling of the sights, the history and the great outdoors - all without breaking your budget!
