Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Knoxville - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

William M. Bass Forensic Anthropology Center

Better known as the "Body Farm," this unique research facility has been studying how human bodies break down since the 1980s.

Knoxville, Tennessee

The Sunsphere

Knoxville’s architectural icon was the symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair, even catching the googly eye of Bart Simpson.

Knoxville, Tennessee

S.S. Sultana Memorial

This stone memorial pays tribute to a massive shipwreck which was sadly overshadowed by the death of John Wilkes Booth.

Knoxville, Tennessee

Airplane Filling Station

Once a gas station, this flightless airplane beside the Old Dixie Highway now houses a barbershop.

Are we missing something unusual in Knoxville?

Powell, Tennessee

Ciderville Music Store

A roadside music shop featuring a confounding series of folk art installations.

10 miles from Knoxville

Alcoa, Tennessee

Millennium Manor Castle

One man’s religious convictions led him to build this stone castle meant to withstand an apocalypse.

12 miles from Knoxville

Clinton, Tennessee

Whirlwind Mansion

This Tennessee manse was built so opulent that the very utilities doomed it to fail.

15 miles from Knoxville

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Stories About Knoxville

Could the colors of leaves indicate something beneath?

Could a Tree Help Find a Decaying Corpse Nearby?

On a “body farm,” researchers are exploring whether the nutrients from human cadavers can change the look of plants, which authorities might use to locate missing persons.

October 12, 2020

The Libation Ceremony began in 2015, but carries on a long local tradition of remembrance.

Local Emancipation Commemorations Bring Black Communities Closer to the Past

Events like Tennessee’s Libation Ceremony offer a chance “to finally start grabbing the pieces that have been scattered and lost.”

by Nicole Rasul

August 14, 2020

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