Disclosure: My stay at the THE TENNESSEAN was hosted, and I also worked with Visit Knoxville. All opinions here are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who allow me to continue to create content on The GR Guide.
Ready for a weekend getaway? I recently got back from Knoxville, TN, and I’m already planning a return trip with Cory. This was my first time visiting Knoxville, and I fell in love with this city. It was the perfect weekend getaway with my mom! I was hosted by THE TENNESSEAN Hotel, and the hotel was absolutely beautiful and had the best amenities. Also, this hotel is in the best location for walking around and exploring the city. Knoxville is actually similar in size to Grand Rapids, and just a quick flight or road trip away. What I loved most about Knoxville is how friendly everyone is, the walkability of the city, the culinary scene, and endless things to do. Scroll down to learn more about THE TENNESSEAN Hotel and Knoxville!
THE TENNESSEAN Hotel
THE TENNESSEAN is a personal luxury hotel with 82 guest rooms located in the downtown area of Knoxville. You might wonder what “personal luxury” means? Each of us has our own definition of what luxury means, and THE TENNESSEAN strives to provide personal luxury to each of its guests. The hotel contacts you before your trip to make sure they can best accommodate your needs and truly offer a spectacular experience for their guests. I can tell you from my experience that every employee I spoke with at THE TENNESSEAN was so welcoming, helpful and honestly provided the best service I’ve had at a hotel. That says A LOT from someone who’s stayed in many hotels.
You’ll notice a theme at THE TENNESSEAN Hotel – the Tennessee River. From the artwork, to the carpet to the light fixtures in the hallway you can see water is a theme. Check out the bookcase (seen below) that mirrors the Tennessee River in the lobby of the hotel. How cool is that?
Staying at THE TENNESSEAN Hotel
Like I mentioned above, THE TENNESSEAN Hotel has 82 guest rooms. The hotel also has some amazing suites available if you need extra space. My mom and I stayed in their Queen Queen room, and it was perfect for the both of us. The beds were super comfortable, and the bathroom was incredible. In addition, the hotel also has Executive King King rooms (seen below) which have become very popular at the hotel. Whether you’re traveling by yourself for business, visiting Knoxville with friends, or traveling with your family THE TENNESSEAN has a room that works for you.
As I mentioned above, THE TENNESSEAN Hotel is located in downtown Knoxville It was very easy to walk to Market Square or Gay Street where many of the shops and restaurants are located in Knoxville. I should also mention THE TENNESSEAN is very close to The University of Tennessee. Which is great for visiting the school or attending a game! Apart from the incredible service, location and amazing rooms THE TENNESSEAN offers the best amenities. You can find a full list of amenities at THE TENNESSEAN here. Some of my favorite amenities were the black car service, the concierge service, and the on-site restaurant.
The Drawing Room at THE TENNESSEAN
The Drawing Room is the on-site restaurant at THE TENNESSEAN Hotel. You can enjoy breakfast or dinner + drinks in The Drawing Room. I love the color scheme in this room, and how comfortable the seating is with couches and leather chairs. The menu rotates with the season (something I really appreciate), and again the service here is incredible. My mom and I had a delicious breakfast here with coffee, tea, avocado toast and fresh fruit.
We also experienced dinner in The Drawing Room and loved the Caesar Salad with salmon and The Drawing Room Burger. If you’re ordering a drink, the smoked old fashioned is a very popular cocktail in The Drawing Room. Cheers!
THE TENNESSEAN Tea Service
One of my favorite things THE TENNESSEAN offers is a tea service in The Drawing Room. Since my mom LOVES tea, this was a special experience for us to do together. The tiers of scones, sandwiches and petit four desserts were absolutely delicious and beautifully displayed on the fine china. As a vegetarian I appreciated the team asking if I had any dietary restrictions before we arrived. THE TENNESSEAN really strives to make everyone’s experience the best it can be with this tea service.
The sweet peach noir tea is a signature at THE TENNESSEAN Hotel. They also offered lemon berry meritage, regal english breakfast, and vanilla bean rooibos tea. It was fun trying different flavors and pairing it with the different scones and tea sandwiches.
You can find a list of upcoming tea events at THE TENNESSEAN Hotel here. I would love to experience the princess tea service! If you’re planning a girls weekend or getaway with your mom, this tea service at THE TENNESSEAN was the highlight of our trip. Everything from the service, to the food and of course the tea was such a memorable experience.
Things to do in Knoxville, TN
Outdoor Activities
Wondering what to do in Knoxville? Knoxville has a little bit of everything for everyone visiting. Be sure to check out Visit Knoxville to learn more about the best things to do while you’re visiting. Whether you’re traveling with your family, significant other or a group of friends you can find something to do in Knoxville. If you enjoy the outdoors you can check out the Great Smokey Mountains National Park for hiking and other outdoor activities.
Arts & Entertainment
If the arts is more your thing, check out the Tennessee Theatre on Gay Street. You can find a full list of events at the Tennessee Theater here. Next time I visit I would love to see a show here!
You can also visit the Knoxville Museum of Art while you’re in Knoxville. The museum offers free admission, and it’s a 5 minute walk from THE TENNESSEAN Hotel. This cycle of life installation at the Knoxville Museum of Art was amazing.
History
If you enjoy history, Knoxville has tons of history to explore. My mom is a history lover so she really enjoyed learning more about the Blount Mansion, James White’s Fort, World’s Fair Park, and the Museum of East Tennessee History. You can see Blount Mansion pictured below, and it was fascinating to learn more about the birthplace of Tennessee and William Blount. William Blount signed the U.S. Constitution and his home is a National Historic Landmark in Knoxville. I would highly recommend taking a tour of the Blount Mansion!
You can also tour James White’s Fort while you’re in Knoxville. James White’s Fort is considered the birthplace of Knoxville and also Knoxville’s first home. You can take a self-guided tour of the fort to learn more about James White and the history of the home.
Check out the Museum of East Tennessee History in downtown Knoxville to learn more about the history of the area. My mom and I learned quite a lot walking through this museum! The next time I’m in Knoxville I would like to visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
If you need more ideas of things to do, check out Visit Knoxville! They are an incredible resource for things to do, see and explore in Knoxville.
Dining in Knoxville
Did you know Knoxville has over 90 restaurants in the downtown area, and most of them are not chain restaurants? Pretty amazing right?! Knoxville has an awesome culinary scene with some very talented chefs. We really enjoyed the Market Square area for local restaurants, and it was just a short walk from THE TENNESSEAN Hotel. There are also many restaurants in the Gay Street area and the Old City area. Here are some of my recommendations for dining or grabbing a drink in Knoxville.
Breakfast
The French Market was a perfect stop for breakfast while we were in Knoxville. I grabbed coffee and a croissant (my ideal breakfast), and enjoyed warm weather on the outdoor patio. You can also find sweet and savory crepes, croissant sandwiches or omelettes on the menu. Here are a few more breakfast spots and also coffee shops that Visit Knoxville recommends.
Lunch
We really enjoyed The Tomato Head for lunch while we were in Knoxville. The hummus platter, greek salad and their tomato soup were amazing. I would also recommend Stock & Barrel that specializes in burgers and bourbon. My mom and I enjoyed the Opa! appetizer for a late afternoon snack. If you need more suggestions for lunch while you’re in Knoxville, here are some recommendations from Visit Knoxville.
Dinner
Our dinner at Emilia in Market Square was absolutely incredible and I’m dying to go back here. We started with the warm castelvetrano olives and young arugula salad. The arugula salad was so good with the hint of truffle. For dinner I had the pan roasted sustainable salmon and it was probably the best salmon I’ve ever had. That’s saying a lot because I order salmon very frequently at restaurants. I would highly recommend going to Emilia for dinner while you’re in Knoxville. Check out more recommendations from Visit Knoxville here.
Dessert
Dessert is a must when you’re on vacation right? A trip to Cruze Farm is just what you’ll need on a warm day in Knoxville. They have the best ice cream! We also stopped in the Phoenix Pharmacy and Fountain on Gay Street and it was really cool inside. If you want a shake or ice cream float head here. Here are more spots to check out for desserts and sweets.
Drink
Looking for a fun spot to grab a drink while you’re in Knoxville? Check out Pretentious Beer Co.! The crafted beers are great and all of the glasses are made on site from Pretentious Glass Co. You can even catch live glass blowing demos while you’re here. Knoxville actually has quite a few breweries and you can find a full list here. We also enjoyed visiting The Vault for an after dinner drink. The Vault was once a bank so you’ll notice vaults and fun aspects from the bank in this cocktail lounge.
Are you ready to visit Knoxville? I truly had the BEST time visiting Knoxville and look forward to returning soon. A huge thank you to THE TENNESSEAN Hotel for hosting, and Visit Knoxville for their help planning activities and dinner.
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