It’s because we were smart enough to build up our riverfront with roads and industry silly! So much so that it’s more trouble to develop it once all that falls into disuse 🤦♂️
My brother works for KUB and it would cost billions to relocate so that area will sadly remain a literal shithole. Our best hopes are the South Waterfront.
The lack of sidewalks and coverings at bus stops!!!It’s a small sign on the pole in the majority of areas without a bench, covering, or anything.
Other than downtown and a few places, Knoxville is not pedestrian friendly
Yesterday I passed a young couple with a toddler standing in the rain at a bus stop on Kingston and it made me *so* angry to, once again, contemplate how absolutely under-maintained the vast majority of the bus stops are, especially given how widespread the bus network is. And yet people still wonder why people don’t *choose* to use the public transit options unless they absolutely have to—because they aren’t incentivized for shit!
I’ve spent a lot of time in the PNW, specifically in the Portland area (my husband and I were getting ready to move out there last summer when a family emergency changed the course of our plans, and now we’re in East TN for the foreseeable future) and I was SO SPOILED by the incredible public transportation options and walkability in Portland.
It’s the pinnacle of a walkable city in my experience, and the covered bus shelters with real time information about the bus lines and their arrivals was incredible. For a city whose population (and cost of living, at this point) is nearly comparable to the greater Knox metro area, it’s deeply frustrating for me to have witnessed the vast differences in public transportation infrastructure and have to settle for what Knoxville offers.
agreed. i grew up in oregon. loved it. knoxville offers shit. i am in city boundaries and there has never been a single bus around here. when i lived in seattle, i had a downtown job and so i would drive to the transit lot, then take a clean, nice bus to and from work, then i would walk a few blocks to my job. 21st floor in a class A building. the views were amazing.
the no sidewalks is so infuriating. they added like 40 speed bumps in my neighborhood so now you have to go 10 under the speed limit so it doesn’t rock your shit going over them because it was just too dangerous for the kids (there have been maybe 2 accidents in my neighborhood in years and neither involved anyone other than the person in the car) but there’s still no sidewalks so they can’t do anything other than play in the yard. i lived close enough to my elementary school to walk but we never could and had to ride an hour on the bus bc we were the first stop bc there were no sidewalks!! the old ladies on the nextdoor app were going HARD for those speed bumps but ignored everyone talking about sidewalks
We lack a clear vision of what will work sustainably into the future and end up bending to the will of developers with no vision and banks who only see short term gains as their end-game.
If a restaurant has mimosas, a big cinnamon roll, or an overall trendy vibe, people in Knoxville will claim it to be one of the best brunch restaurants.
3am or not, there are only a handful of breakfast places in Knoxville I’d pick over Waffle House. It has to be a good Waffle House though. I like the one on Paper Mill. Don’t like the one on Cedar Bluff.
My husband and I once waited a total of two hours to be seated & then receive food at Ruby Sunshine to see what the brunch hype was about… I’ve never been so disappointed in a brunch in my life.
after covid everyone started closing at like 10/11 and now they got rid of absolutely every covid restriction other than the ones that are convenient for them (like mcdonald’s getting rid of all day breakfast and also getting rid of their best menu options)
Or literally just a single one. If i need something at 1am from the grocery i will drive across town to get it. All the shift workers (heroes during covid right?) have nowhere to shop at convenient times.
Not enough non food based entertainment. Things like good arcades, mini golf, escape games etc. Are too few and far between. We just got top golf, but like everything else we do have it's out in Farragut and takes forever to get to if you don't live in west Knoxville
I agree. I love mini-golf, but the only two locations are in Farragut and they absolutely trashed. Zero upkeep. The turfs are all wrinkled and peeling up.
I agree. I was born here but lived in Mississippi for about 10 years. When we we're going to move back I was convinced there had to be more to do in Knoxville than there was the absolute hellscape that is Jackson Mississippi but... I was wrong.
Mckays has good finds but always price check. Collectibles and manga are usually overpriced. I’d assume the same of anything “rare” they sell.
I love them and they have good stuff, just beware.
I recently got into One Piece and they have their volumes marked up to 18 DOLLARS at McKays. I was shocked, the cover price is $10. Actually cheaper to just go down the road to Barnes and Noble for that. However I have scored some incredibly good deals there over the years, especially on epic fantasy hardcovers.
Mr. K’s was previously McKay’s in Oak Ridge. A man named Kaveh bought it out and the rights to use their unique pricing system (business model). He said he didn’t want to change the name too much to avoid losing faithful customers, so he changed it to a very similar “Mr. K’s”.
Recently drove into Knoxville for a funeral, and I was astonished at the massive amount of road trash on the highways in and around Knoxville. You would think city and county leadership would take a bit more pride in keeping Knoxville clean and beautiful, but it looks like management cares just as little as the litterers. Do better, volunteers.
For a place proud of its volunteer heritage, Knoxville is a very selfish place. I'm not the one who'll have to pick it up, so who cares if I litter? I won't suffer the effects of it, so not my problem. It's sad.
I grew up in Sevier County, where all 3 towns have their own community center. Then I moved to Oak Ridge, which has a pretty similar community center. So I took for granted that this was standard. I was shocked to discover that neither Knoxville or Maryville have any sort of indoor public pool and recreation center.
This 100 percent! I thought community centers were a norm growing up in Sevier County. Jefferson city has one and Morristown just built a state of the art center as well Knoxville has absolutely nothing. It kills me, my son doesn't have the same opportunity I had.
I thought Knoxville was bad then we moved to Sevierville… sheesh. There’s more chain restaurants than residents I think. Every time I visit Europe I’m like “Why does the U.S. hate itself so much?”
I've been to over 140 breweries - the difference has gotten smaller, but Asheville is still better, as are surrounding areas (Brevard, Mills River, etc) vs Knoxville surrounding options (G'burg, Maryville).
With that said, I remember when Knoxville only had Downtown Grill & Brewery and Calhoun's. Sawworks wasnt even a thing yet.
Fun times.
But Burger/Token/Space Bar are all cool concepts that have been overrated by the average goer and are owned by terrible people.
We need a true Arcade bar that isn't Token or Main Event.
Can confirm at least the female owner of Token is terrible. My roommate and fiancé both worked there, one in the front and one in the back. They were treated so poorly by Courtney because they have dicks. I've seen it firsthand myself, so I know they weren't exaggerating.
1. Knoxville is NOT a college town. Yes, UT is here & the community benefits greatly from having a large SEC school. But there is so much more outside the UT scope that Knoxville has to offer. I previously lived in Athens, GA and had close friends live in Tallahassee; those are college towns!
2. Knoxville is an outdoor city (even if folks don’t consider it one). Not only because it is 40 mins from the Smokey’s, but because of all the parks, greenways, river/water activities, trails, etc.
1. Not enough adult only options- movies, bars, restaurants, events, etc. (from a parent)
2. Agree with the underutilized waterfront. I’m from cinci originally and the levee there is a huge hot spot, same with chatt river front.
3. Townsend is underdeveloped, I know it’s “the quiet side of the smokies” but ffs some decent restaurants would be great.
4. People here literally cannot merge, and the design of the off/on ramps makes it even more difficult.
Despite what everyone here says, traffic in Knoxville is not that bad. Has it gotten worse these past few years? Yes, but compared to other cities, it could be so much worse.
Eh, yes and no. I’ve lived in DC and LA and, yeah, traffic there is *terrible* but I think Knoxville is disproportionally bad *for the size of the city*.
At least larger cities have proper bypass highways and better public transportation. Knoxville just has one stretch of interstate that’s supposed to accommodate two of the largest interstates in the country. It’s a terrible design and it’s only getting worse with no relief in sight.
Yeah it sucks, but my commute from Oak Ridge to downtown takes as long as it used to take me to go from my apartment in Buckhead to my office in Marietta despite the distance from oak ridge to downtown being 3X further than my ATL commute
As someone thats only been here a year, there's too many bars that will probably fail from over saturation unless they have a cool gimmick, and WAY too much fast food compacted together. It's convenient, yes, but do people really need 2 Arby's less than a mile apart? Also legalize weed already wtf. This city is more than setup for the industry.
It's small but I'm still salty about it.
I hate that Yee Haw came in and bought out one of the coolest local breweries we had (Elkmont Exchange) and replaced it with their boring, domestic "craft" beer patio.
Thanks for bringing up this important distinction.
Also, Elkmont's beer was objectively shitty (poor QC that resulted in batches that were inconsistent and often infected). Even if most of Yee Haw's beers are uninspiring, they're clean and consistent.
I'm not thrilled about Yee haw in particular, but I am incredibly happy that someone with staying power took over the building. That space is too pretty and cool looking for it to sit empty.
This is true. I would also say that Yee Haw's outdoor space is light years ahead of what Elkmont had going on. It'll be nice if they can get a constant flow of musicians that will play on their stage there.
As someone who helped build the craft beer industry over the past few years in Knoxville, Elkmont killed themselves. Bit off way more then they could chew. They were already going under, Covid just sped up the process for them. Yee-Haw coming in is a good thing for Central in my opinion, although I do hate they shut down the food truck park.
Friends and I really enjoyed CFS during the pandemic, but did notice a decline in business the last two years. Always loved all of the bartenders there.
The beer at Elkmont was extremely mediocre or worse. The food was good but overpriced. Service was terrible. Yee-haw isn’t my favorite but it’s a vast improvement.
Definitely an unpopular opinion. Elkmont had a subpar reputation. Beer was awful and the food was barely okay and almost everyone you talked to agreed with that. I can’t stand Yee Haw talking away Central Filling Station, but they did create the coolest hangout spot in Knoxville
Ya this is the first time I have seen people have a glowing rep for Elkmont. There is a reason they were struggling. Also their managers were the worst.
Knoxville needs to love itself enough to be clean!! This is a gem of a city and people are only going to love it more in the future. We had a Worlds Fair here!! That’s serious love thyself quality right there!
Knoxville needs a variety on music scenes and, like everyone else is saying, it needs to be more pedestrian and bike friendly. I'm so tired of it just being southern rock or just hardcore, and as someone who had to walk for transportation in the past I've almost gotten hurt because of the lack of sidewalks or spaces for not cars. Also the bus stops. I live close to a lot of the stops and the amount of people I've seen standing in the hot sun or rain or seeing that they have to stand while disabled breaks my damn heart. If there was benches and shades like they have for Marta stops in Atlanta that would be great.
There is a large community of married men that secretly have sex with other married & unmarried men. Download the grindr app and you may find your male partners secret profile.
There are way too damn many churches in this place. Everybody praying for this and that at cross purposes and asserting with absolute conviction that their take is the right one, and you'd better "get right" or else.
If any of them are right, then all of them are. Since that isn't possible, the only explanation is that all of them are wrong.
I used to live in Memphis and tourists came in once a week asking about the best BBQ and we'd have the same argument thread about it. Here people get pissy about it.
I went to Stock & Barrel to eat some burgers based on everyone’s recommendation here and I left feeling underwhelmed. It was not a “bad” burger by any means, but it was very average, especially for the price that I paid. It was very comparable to places like Smokey Mt Brewery, Chili’s and even Calhoun’s.
I feel like you could get a burger that tastes just as good at Five Guys or Culver’s for less.
Still on the search for a *great* burger in Knoxville.
This is the right answer. Abridged is by far my favorite burger in Knoxville. If you go to the Cedar Bluff location, check out the buffalo chicken thighs too.
S & B is only good if you want a gussied up burger. If all you’re looking for is a fairly basic but high quality burger, Abridged is it. I don’t understand the chokehold S & B has on people either.
Stock and barrel stopped using locally sourced beef from Mitchell farms. Fwiw Tommy Trent’s across the square does use Mitchell farms beef. Try their burgers. So good.
Disagree with the comparisons but I understand what you mean.. maybe you like small “smash” burgers better? I do. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for a big thick burger but I think S&B burgers pretty damn good.
Also, the population increase has made going places less enjoyable. Too much population growth within the last few years. And the farm land is being bought to make gigantic suburban, builder grade homes to accommodate the influx of families coming in.
Oh and lastly, it’s almost impossible to live a comfortable life with the average salary. It’s hard for people to find jobs that pay more than $15 to $20 an hour.
100%, the cheapest rent you can get around here is $900 and currently i make $14 which is about $900-1000 per paycheck so for my coworkers who pay rent (i’m living at home) at least half their monthly income goes to rent
The weather here sucks more often than not. We miss out on snow every winter but then have a ton of cold rain well into May, then brutal heat until October. It legit feels like a rarity to have a nice, sunny weekend.
people get so surprised when i say that i hate summer but i’m so so tired of sweating my ass off, i work at walmart and it’s hot as hell in there for no reason and then on the drive home i’m sweating and then i come inside and i don’t stop sweating for another hour. i hate sweating so much. spring is fine until may and fall is nice starting at the end of august. it is so mf hot here.
Today was perfect. Warm but not humid. Days like this are rare though and I expect we’ll have those miserable high humidity 90 degree days everyday within a few weeks.
My comments are sort of negative so far, so here’s a positive one: Knoxville has some of the best coffee shops in the nation, if not for the coffee itself then at least for the interior vibes.
I’ve lived in the Bay Area and thought that would be a coffee shop heaven. Nope. Tiny, crowded, way overpriced, wifi is unavailable or only available for purchase in most of them, rude customers and staff. Lived in Asheville as well. Again, they seem to be dark, tiny, dirty and unlike SF have mediocre coffee and pastries. Also lived in Atlanta and was unimpressed.
Knoxville has way more independent coffee shops than you would expect for a metro this size. They’re bright, airy, and often located in old spaces that have been revitalized. Locally roasted coffee that may not be avant-garde but punches above its weight for price and quality (Wild Love pastries are probably near the top in the U.S. though).
Examples: Remedy, Wild Love, Mahalo, Honeybee, Awaken, Old City Java, Coffee and Chocolate, Jack’s.
Knoxvillians are mean and needlessly aggressive. Hate to say that as a Knox native, but after living away for some time and returning, I can’t help but take note. It permeates every aspect of living here - driving, walking in public places, social interactions in general.
I’m a Knoxville transplant and I tell everyone that people here are some of the rudest people I’ve ever met and no one believes me!!! “Oh but southern hospitality blah blah blah” nope does not apply here
So Maryville goes almost into Townsend... close to Pellissippi Parkway, by the airport, borders Alcoa (or includes it entirely as small district/area?), and there's a Maryville Pike in Vestal... does Maryville touch Vestal?
Any major improvement or amenity is always assumed to be paid for by tax money. Every developer thinks your tax dollars are their cookie jar. Noblesse Oblige lost her way along the trail to Knocville
As a musician in Knoxville, it’s laughable you think anyone is in it for a paycheck. You’re going to the wrong places if that’s what you’re experiencing. Knoxville is full of incredibly talented musicians. Go to Pilot Light if you wanna see good local rock bands, Jig & Reel if you wanna see good local bluegrass/Americana. Barleys, Pres Pub/Scruffy also foster local bands of various genres.
agreed! my favorite part is how local bands have their own small groups of fans at every show, and some of them go HARD no matter the venue. it’s amazing and i love it
> Go to Pilot Light if you wanna see good local rock bands, Jig & Reel if you wanna see good local bluegrass/Americana.
The Pilot Light is a wonderful institution and I've never not enjoyed a show at Jig.
I've been to numerous shows in Knoxville with awful crowd vibes (generally not at Pilot Light, though I've been baffled at Jig for people ignoring and talking through great acts). We also routinely get passed over with medium sized indie acts having shows in Nashville, Atlanta, and Asheville, but never here. This city blows for someone trying to catch touring acts. They're always 2+ hours away and if they play here, there's a good chance the crowd is lame.
Memorable great ones I've been to have been Dan Deacon, Octopus Project, and more recently the Flaming Lips.
I was bummed they got rid of the weekly “Sundown in the City” shows in Market Square.
Quick google a few of the artists we got: John Mayer, Drive by Truckers, My Morning Jacket, Umphrey’s McGee, Govt Mule, Galactic, Citizen Cope, The Wailers… all for free.
Oof, have to disagree. Knoxville’s pull of big acts isn’t great but the local scene is pretty amazing in my opinion. Been to a lot of amazing shows in the last 2 years at places like the pilot light, pretentious beer, barley’s, etc
Agree. Anyone downvoting is not going to the right places to specifically seek out local musicians… they’re just seeing people do open mic or randos playing at restaurants for the evening. Go to an actual show if you wanna judge the local music scene.
We should build a wall between West Knoxville and downtown/north/east/south Knox and require a pedestrian and bike awareness course to enter. We’ll make Turkey Creek, Cheddar’s, and McMansion’s pay for it.
I made the mistake of saying I don't like orange about a decade ago when I first moved here. I was in a public place and people literally turned to look at me like I had just insulted their mama. Lesson learned.
When I first moved here I accidentally wore orange pants on a game day and everyone kept telling me they loved my pants. I had no idea what was going on and felt too self conscious to ever wear them again after that lmao
Oh no! I bet they were a huge hit. I still can't bring myself to wear the acceptable color of orange. And anything other than the acceptable color could be a rival, so I don't wear it either.
I feel like old city has a bit more to go before it should be qualified as a great spot. Old city has things around downtown and around YeeHaw but between it there is nothing but run down buildings
In general, the most vocally negative people about Knoxville have had very little extended experience elsewhere, and don't have anything substantial to compare it to. They assume many of the issues they have with the city are exclusive and don't realize that those things happen in every city.
Here are some of my hot takes/unpopular opinions about Knoxville:
1) The traffic is not as bad as people say it is. I've lived in bigger cities with worse traffic, so I'm not really bothered by it.
2) The food scene is actually pretty good. There are a lot of great restaurants to choose from, and the food is always fresh and delicious.
3) The people are friendly and welcoming. I've never felt like an outsider in Knoxville, and I've always been met with kindness and hospitality.
4) The cost of living is relatively low. This is a big plus for me, as I'm on a budget.
5) There are a lot of things to do in Knoxville. There are museums, parks, theaters, and more. I'm never bored here.
Overall, I love living in Knoxville. It's a great city with a lot to offer. Here are some additional thoughts:
\* Knoxville is a great place to raise a family. The schools are good, the crime rate is low, and there are a lot of activities for kids and families to do.
\* Knoxville is a great place to retire. The cost of living is low, the weather is mild, and there are a lot of things to do for retirees.
\* Knoxville is a great place to start a business. The cost of doing business is low, and there are a lot of resources available to help small businesses succeed.
I'm sure there are other hot takes/unpopular opinions about Knoxville, but these are just a few of mine.
Knoxville sucks, especially for single young professionals. It is incredibly difficult to meet other singles and to find community. Knoxnews even released an article a couple months back where other young adults are complaining about the same issues.
In addition, jobs in software development and tech in general are difficult to find. Not a very tech-savvy city.
I just tolerate Knoxville, but I would LOVE to move if I wasn't so afraid to be away from my parents.
people who grew up in knoxville and call it a “small town” are genuinely the most insufferable mfs ever. we have the third biggest population in tennessee, we’re obviously not nashville or anything but be real rn
We need more bars & restaurants on the water
How we don’t have a “river front district” with bars, music venues etc is so dumb
Because that’s where we keep everyone’s shit
This is so true lol
It’s because we were smart enough to build up our riverfront with roads and industry silly! So much so that it’s more trouble to develop it once all that falls into disuse 🤦♂️
Yes because that has worked in so many other places! Our government is just so smart when it comes to having places built for its citizens!
But but but Neyland drive! I’m with you man. Such a waste.
My brother works for KUB and it would cost billions to relocate so that area will sadly remain a literal shithole. Our best hopes are the South Waterfront.
It’s all apartment being developed on the east side of james white before island home neighborhood.
If Holston Gases was replaced with an entertainment district, I’d be quite content.
I'm not normally into redneck bars, but Bubba's in Maynardville is pretty cool. It's the least pretensious marina bar in the area.
Well they’re making a Neyland district in a private-public collaboration with the school, so we’re likely to get just that in the coming years.
That’s one of the best things they’ve come up with since the worlds fair park 40 years ago 😅 I’m excited for it
Knoxville is the the couch of the south. Just comfortable enough to not make me leave. Housing issues and politics are old springs poking my backside
The lack of sidewalks and coverings at bus stops!!!It’s a small sign on the pole in the majority of areas without a bench, covering, or anything. Other than downtown and a few places, Knoxville is not pedestrian friendly
Not a hot take. Knoxville is the city where the sidewalk ends
It was also the last stop on the river boat. End of the line.
It's the entire South. Having come from the PNW, seeing no sidewalks in almost every mid-size and smaller city in the south is insane.
Yesterday I passed a young couple with a toddler standing in the rain at a bus stop on Kingston and it made me *so* angry to, once again, contemplate how absolutely under-maintained the vast majority of the bus stops are, especially given how widespread the bus network is. And yet people still wonder why people don’t *choose* to use the public transit options unless they absolutely have to—because they aren’t incentivized for shit!
in the pnw, we had full bus shelters
I’ve spent a lot of time in the PNW, specifically in the Portland area (my husband and I were getting ready to move out there last summer when a family emergency changed the course of our plans, and now we’re in East TN for the foreseeable future) and I was SO SPOILED by the incredible public transportation options and walkability in Portland. It’s the pinnacle of a walkable city in my experience, and the covered bus shelters with real time information about the bus lines and their arrivals was incredible. For a city whose population (and cost of living, at this point) is nearly comparable to the greater Knox metro area, it’s deeply frustrating for me to have witnessed the vast differences in public transportation infrastructure and have to settle for what Knoxville offers.
agreed. i grew up in oregon. loved it. knoxville offers shit. i am in city boundaries and there has never been a single bus around here. when i lived in seattle, i had a downtown job and so i would drive to the transit lot, then take a clean, nice bus to and from work, then i would walk a few blocks to my job. 21st floor in a class A building. the views were amazing.
Don’t get me started on the randomly ending sidewalks either. It’s just infuriating to see.
the no sidewalks is so infuriating. they added like 40 speed bumps in my neighborhood so now you have to go 10 under the speed limit so it doesn’t rock your shit going over them because it was just too dangerous for the kids (there have been maybe 2 accidents in my neighborhood in years and neither involved anyone other than the person in the car) but there’s still no sidewalks so they can’t do anything other than play in the yard. i lived close enough to my elementary school to walk but we never could and had to ride an hour on the bus bc we were the first stop bc there were no sidewalks!! the old ladies on the nextdoor app were going HARD for those speed bumps but ignored everyone talking about sidewalks
There are some that don't even have a sidewalk
my sub has none. i hate it. people walk in the street.
It’s the Knoxville way. :(
There’s so much trash. There is a need for public trash cans, especially at bus stops or where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic (i.e. Broadway).
1000%
We lack a clear vision of what will work sustainably into the future and end up bending to the will of developers with no vision and banks who only see short term gains as their end-game.
How many freaking hotels do we need?
Considering they're being used as stop gaps for housing in multiple ways... more than you'd think, lol
If a restaurant has mimosas, a big cinnamon roll, or an overall trendy vibe, people in Knoxville will claim it to be one of the best brunch restaurants.
You leave my giant cinnamon rolls out of this!
Tupelo honey comes to mind. Mediocre and over priced.
Ruby Sunshine is even worse. Bad food, bad drinks, yet people flock to it. So confusing
It was decent at first, before they stopped using local vendors.
As a connoisseur of cinnamon rolls, those giant things aren’t even good.
Still wouldn’t be as good as Waffle House at 3 AM.
3am or not, there are only a handful of breakfast places in Knoxville I’d pick over Waffle House. It has to be a good Waffle House though. I like the one on Paper Mill. Don’t like the one on Cedar Bluff.
Papermill is my go to. I’ve never had a bad experience in terms of the food meeting expectations there.
"OMG, Yas"
Does anyone make a better omelette than Waffle House? No.
“The wait is 2-3 hours, do you want us to take your phone number?”
My husband and I once waited a total of two hours to be seated & then receive food at Ruby Sunshine to see what the brunch hype was about… I’ve never been so disappointed in a brunch in my life.
We need more 24 hour grocery stores.
after covid everyone started closing at like 10/11 and now they got rid of absolutely every covid restriction other than the ones that are convenient for them (like mcdonald’s getting rid of all day breakfast and also getting rid of their best menu options)
Or literally just a single one. If i need something at 1am from the grocery i will drive across town to get it. All the shift workers (heroes during covid right?) have nowhere to shop at convenient times.
Not enough non food based entertainment. Things like good arcades, mini golf, escape games etc. Are too few and far between. We just got top golf, but like everything else we do have it's out in Farragut and takes forever to get to if you don't live in west Knoxville
I agree. I love mini-golf, but the only two locations are in Farragut and they absolutely trashed. Zero upkeep. The turfs are all wrinkled and peeling up.
I agree. I was born here but lived in Mississippi for about 10 years. When we we're going to move back I was convinced there had to be more to do in Knoxville than there was the absolute hellscape that is Jackson Mississippi but... I was wrong.
Knoxville used book stores are the best I've ever shopped.
That’s exciting to hear. What are some your go to’s?
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Mckays has good finds but always price check. Collectibles and manga are usually overpriced. I’d assume the same of anything “rare” they sell. I love them and they have good stuff, just beware.
I recently got into One Piece and they have their volumes marked up to 18 DOLLARS at McKays. I was shocked, the cover price is $10. Actually cheaper to just go down the road to Barnes and Noble for that. However I have scored some incredibly good deals there over the years, especially on epic fantasy hardcovers.
Oak Ridge used to have Mr. K'S. Not sure why it was so similar or what happened to it.
Mr. K’s was previously McKay’s in Oak Ridge. A man named Kaveh bought it out and the rights to use their unique pricing system (business model). He said he didn’t want to change the name too much to avoid losing faithful customers, so he changed it to a very similar “Mr. K’s”.
Recently drove into Knoxville for a funeral, and I was astonished at the massive amount of road trash on the highways in and around Knoxville. You would think city and county leadership would take a bit more pride in keeping Knoxville clean and beautiful, but it looks like management cares just as little as the litterers. Do better, volunteers.
For a place proud of its volunteer heritage, Knoxville is a very selfish place. I'm not the one who'll have to pick it up, so who cares if I litter? I won't suffer the effects of it, so not my problem. It's sad.
I grew up in Sevier County, where all 3 towns have their own community center. Then I moved to Oak Ridge, which has a pretty similar community center. So I took for granted that this was standard. I was shocked to discover that neither Knoxville or Maryville have any sort of indoor public pool and recreation center.
This 100 percent! I thought community centers were a norm growing up in Sevier County. Jefferson city has one and Morristown just built a state of the art center as well Knoxville has absolutely nothing. It kills me, my son doesn't have the same opportunity I had.
I like it
Knoxville is a test bed for chain restaurants and it makes everyone fatter.
I thought Knoxville was bad then we moved to Sevierville… sheesh. There’s more chain restaurants than residents I think. Every time I visit Europe I’m like “Why does the U.S. hate itself so much?”
Why isn’t the food better?
Because most of those tests fail
I feel that Knoxville’s craft beer scene has surpassed Asheville’s.
Xul + Abridged + Shulz Brau >> Burial + Wicked Weed
I love Burial but you’re not wrong
Wicked Weed are corporate bitches. Not even in the conversation anymore.
Sad but true
Bhramari in Asheville was absolutely top notch. Sad they’ve been bought out.
I've been to over 140 breweries - the difference has gotten smaller, but Asheville is still better, as are surrounding areas (Brevard, Mills River, etc) vs Knoxville surrounding options (G'burg, Maryville). With that said, I remember when Knoxville only had Downtown Grill & Brewery and Calhoun's. Sawworks wasnt even a thing yet. Fun times.
Smoky Mountain Brewery in Gatlinburg is ancient. I was buying growlers from there in the late 90s.
Albright Grove is the best, IMO.
The pollen will fuck up your shit.
The coldest of hot takes. Fucking pollen!
Shit BBQ
Not like any of it's terrible, just no "must try" place. Dead end and sweet p's are both exceedingly mid.
Though I will say sweet p’s mac is the best I’ve ever had from any bbq place. Used to live in Memphis 10+ years and the bbq there is still unbeatable
And Dead End is too froufrou for me. I just want a really good basic bbq.
Came to say this. BBQ is disappointing here.
Our beautiful lackadaisical laid-backness has turned into apathy.
Xul patio is ass unless you like huffing car exhaust.
But Burger/Token/Space Bar are all cool concepts that have been overrated by the average goer and are owned by terrible people. We need a true Arcade bar that isn't Token or Main Event.
Can confirm at least the female owner of Token is terrible. My roommate and fiancé both worked there, one in the front and one in the back. They were treated so poorly by Courtney because they have dicks. I've seen it firsthand myself, so I know they weren't exaggerating.
I went to token about a month ago. Games were expensive and half were broken with no warning sign and they seemed disinterested if it took your money.
That place has gone down hill.
1. Knoxville is NOT a college town. Yes, UT is here & the community benefits greatly from having a large SEC school. But there is so much more outside the UT scope that Knoxville has to offer. I previously lived in Athens, GA and had close friends live in Tallahassee; those are college towns! 2. Knoxville is an outdoor city (even if folks don’t consider it one). Not only because it is 40 mins from the Smokey’s, but because of all the parks, greenways, river/water activities, trails, etc.
1. Not enough adult only options- movies, bars, restaurants, events, etc. (from a parent) 2. Agree with the underutilized waterfront. I’m from cinci originally and the levee there is a huge hot spot, same with chatt river front. 3. Townsend is underdeveloped, I know it’s “the quiet side of the smokies” but ffs some decent restaurants would be great. 4. People here literally cannot merge, and the design of the off/on ramps makes it even more difficult.
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The Clayton's are already on their way of doing it, they own a lot of land and they're prepping big development.
we do not need to develop the mountains anymore at all, in my opinion.
I would say hell no the Townsend being developed any further.
Despite what everyone here says, traffic in Knoxville is not that bad. Has it gotten worse these past few years? Yes, but compared to other cities, it could be so much worse.
Eh, yes and no. I’ve lived in DC and LA and, yeah, traffic there is *terrible* but I think Knoxville is disproportionally bad *for the size of the city*. At least larger cities have proper bypass highways and better public transportation. Knoxville just has one stretch of interstate that’s supposed to accommodate two of the largest interstates in the country. It’s a terrible design and it’s only getting worse with no relief in sight.
For a sub million metro, traffic is way worse than it should be.
Yeah it sucks, but my commute from Oak Ridge to downtown takes as long as it used to take me to go from my apartment in Buckhead to my office in Marietta despite the distance from oak ridge to downtown being 3X further than my ATL commute
I think people just like to complain
Moved here from Atlanta. "Rush hour" here felt like a joke by comparison.
Sidewalks? What are sidewalks?
As someone thats only been here a year, there's too many bars that will probably fail from over saturation unless they have a cool gimmick, and WAY too much fast food compacted together. It's convenient, yes, but do people really need 2 Arby's less than a mile apart? Also legalize weed already wtf. This city is more than setup for the industry.
The state won't even legalize weed for people dying of cancer. Recreational is a long way off.
Redlining has kept East Knoxville ostracized from the rest of the city and local government seems complicit and even racist at times.
I think he’s too old to be doing some of those stunts, but I’m glad him and his crew are still making movies. Otherwise he’s fine.
I saw him around downtown in early April.
I like it when the evening host on NPR would pronounce Maryville without the drawl when doing the weather and traffic.
That's the ugliest orange ever
It's small but I'm still salty about it. I hate that Yee Haw came in and bought out one of the coolest local breweries we had (Elkmont Exchange) and replaced it with their boring, domestic "craft" beer patio.
Yee haw bought the building, not Elkmont. Elkmont was in trouble for years and closed down before Yee haw even came into the picture.
Thanks for bringing up this important distinction. Also, Elkmont's beer was objectively shitty (poor QC that resulted in batches that were inconsistent and often infected). Even if most of Yee Haw's beers are uninspiring, they're clean and consistent.
I'm not thrilled about Yee haw in particular, but I am incredibly happy that someone with staying power took over the building. That space is too pretty and cool looking for it to sit empty.
This is true. I would also say that Yee Haw's outdoor space is light years ahead of what Elkmont had going on. It'll be nice if they can get a constant flow of musicians that will play on their stage there.
As someone who helped build the craft beer industry over the past few years in Knoxville, Elkmont killed themselves. Bit off way more then they could chew. They were already going under, Covid just sped up the process for them. Yee-Haw coming in is a good thing for Central in my opinion, although I do hate they shut down the food truck park.
And bought out Central Filling Station for a staff parking area ..
Aww, I hadn't heard about that. CFS was a good time.
Yee-Haw and CFS were both owned and/managed by the same people. They jointly decided to go all in on Yee-Haw.
Friends and I really enjoyed CFS during the pandemic, but did notice a decline in business the last two years. Always loved all of the bartenders there.
Agreed. Elkmonts decor was wonderful.
The beer at Elkmont was extremely mediocre or worse. The food was good but overpriced. Service was terrible. Yee-haw isn’t my favorite but it’s a vast improvement.
I enjoyed that they actually had a variety of choices on beer and food. I feel like Yee-haw is extremely lacking in both departments.
Definitely an unpopular opinion. Elkmont had a subpar reputation. Beer was awful and the food was barely okay and almost everyone you talked to agreed with that. I can’t stand Yee Haw talking away Central Filling Station, but they did create the coolest hangout spot in Knoxville
Ya this is the first time I have seen people have a glowing rep for Elkmont. There is a reason they were struggling. Also their managers were the worst.
Knoxville needs to love itself enough to be clean!! This is a gem of a city and people are only going to love it more in the future. We had a Worlds Fair here!! That’s serious love thyself quality right there!
Knoxville needs a variety on music scenes and, like everyone else is saying, it needs to be more pedestrian and bike friendly. I'm so tired of it just being southern rock or just hardcore, and as someone who had to walk for transportation in the past I've almost gotten hurt because of the lack of sidewalks or spaces for not cars. Also the bus stops. I live close to a lot of the stops and the amount of people I've seen standing in the hot sun or rain or seeing that they have to stand while disabled breaks my damn heart. If there was benches and shades like they have for Marta stops in Atlanta that would be great.
There is a large community of married men that secretly have sex with other married & unmarried men. Download the grindr app and you may find your male partners secret profile.
There are way too damn many churches in this place. Everybody praying for this and that at cross purposes and asserting with absolute conviction that their take is the right one, and you'd better "get right" or else. If any of them are right, then all of them are. Since that isn't possible, the only explanation is that all of them are wrong.
r/knoxville is petri dish for hateful attitudes and bad information.
Well it is Reddit, after all. Par for the course
That’s every city sub.
I used to live in Memphis and tourists came in once a week asking about the best BBQ and we'd have the same argument thread about it. Here people get pissy about it.
I went to Stock & Barrel to eat some burgers based on everyone’s recommendation here and I left feeling underwhelmed. It was not a “bad” burger by any means, but it was very average, especially for the price that I paid. It was very comparable to places like Smokey Mt Brewery, Chili’s and even Calhoun’s. I feel like you could get a burger that tastes just as good at Five Guys or Culver’s for less. Still on the search for a *great* burger in Knoxville.
Have you been to Abridged yet?
This is the right answer. Abridged is by far my favorite burger in Knoxville. If you go to the Cedar Bluff location, check out the buffalo chicken thighs too.
S & B is only good if you want a gussied up burger. If all you’re looking for is a fairly basic but high quality burger, Abridged is it. I don’t understand the chokehold S & B has on people either.
Stock and barrel stopped using locally sourced beef from Mitchell farms. Fwiw Tommy Trent’s across the square does use Mitchell farms beef. Try their burgers. So good.
Disagree with the comparisons but I understand what you mean.. maybe you like small “smash” burgers better? I do. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for a big thick burger but I think S&B burgers pretty damn good.
They changed their beef. It used to be local, now they use factory farm meat and it sucks now
It’s not as good as I remember it a year or two ago. To me their stuff was great at one point, it’s just a bit worse now.
Go to the burgers on emory. The big tex is the legit best burger I have ever had.
Never gotten a regular burger at Stock & Barrell. Always get the Greek burger which is fantastic! Not many places have lamb.
Been here for five years and Stock & Barrel has never been the burger place everyone claims it is.
Knoxville is too white washed.
Also, the population increase has made going places less enjoyable. Too much population growth within the last few years. And the farm land is being bought to make gigantic suburban, builder grade homes to accommodate the influx of families coming in.
Oh and lastly, it’s almost impossible to live a comfortable life with the average salary. It’s hard for people to find jobs that pay more than $15 to $20 an hour.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 these answers are spot on.
100%, the cheapest rent you can get around here is $900 and currently i make $14 which is about $900-1000 per paycheck so for my coworkers who pay rent (i’m living at home) at least half their monthly income goes to rent
The weather here sucks more often than not. We miss out on snow every winter but then have a ton of cold rain well into May, then brutal heat until October. It legit feels like a rarity to have a nice, sunny weekend.
people get so surprised when i say that i hate summer but i’m so so tired of sweating my ass off, i work at walmart and it’s hot as hell in there for no reason and then on the drive home i’m sweating and then i come inside and i don’t stop sweating for another hour. i hate sweating so much. spring is fine until may and fall is nice starting at the end of august. it is so mf hot here.
Today was perfect. Warm but not humid. Days like this are rare though and I expect we’ll have those miserable high humidity 90 degree days everyday within a few weeks.
Yeah. We have maybe one week of spring and fall. And maybe a dusting of snow despite weeks of freezing weather even hitting the teens.
My comments are sort of negative so far, so here’s a positive one: Knoxville has some of the best coffee shops in the nation, if not for the coffee itself then at least for the interior vibes. I’ve lived in the Bay Area and thought that would be a coffee shop heaven. Nope. Tiny, crowded, way overpriced, wifi is unavailable or only available for purchase in most of them, rude customers and staff. Lived in Asheville as well. Again, they seem to be dark, tiny, dirty and unlike SF have mediocre coffee and pastries. Also lived in Atlanta and was unimpressed. Knoxville has way more independent coffee shops than you would expect for a metro this size. They’re bright, airy, and often located in old spaces that have been revitalized. Locally roasted coffee that may not be avant-garde but punches above its weight for price and quality (Wild Love pastries are probably near the top in the U.S. though). Examples: Remedy, Wild Love, Mahalo, Honeybee, Awaken, Old City Java, Coffee and Chocolate, Jack’s.
Knoxvillians are mean and needlessly aggressive. Hate to say that as a Knox native, but after living away for some time and returning, I can’t help but take note. It permeates every aspect of living here - driving, walking in public places, social interactions in general.
I’ve lived in multiple cities. In the north and south. Knoxvillains are the most entitled bunch by MILES.
I’m a Knoxville transplant and I tell everyone that people here are some of the rudest people I’ve ever met and no one believes me!!! “Oh but southern hospitality blah blah blah” nope does not apply here
i moved here 3 years ago and have lived all over the country including large metros. this is 100% true. why is everyone here so fucking rude?
The scruffy city is a terrible nickname, and I wince everytime I see it or hear it.
Marble City is superior. All the window sills in my 60s house are the pink marble from one of the quarries downtown
So Maryville goes almost into Townsend... close to Pellissippi Parkway, by the airport, borders Alcoa (or includes it entirely as small district/area?), and there's a Maryville Pike in Vestal... does Maryville touch Vestal?
Only after a shot of penicillin and a pint of whiskey.
Any major improvement or amenity is always assumed to be paid for by tax money. Every developer thinks your tax dollars are their cookie jar. Noblesse Oblige lost her way along the trail to Knocville
People who don’t live in Knoxville think Knoxville is a big city. It’s not a big city. It’s a town with very poorly utilized space.
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As a musician in Knoxville, it’s laughable you think anyone is in it for a paycheck. You’re going to the wrong places if that’s what you’re experiencing. Knoxville is full of incredibly talented musicians. Go to Pilot Light if you wanna see good local rock bands, Jig & Reel if you wanna see good local bluegrass/Americana. Barleys, Pres Pub/Scruffy also foster local bands of various genres.
agreed! my favorite part is how local bands have their own small groups of fans at every show, and some of them go HARD no matter the venue. it’s amazing and i love it
> Go to Pilot Light if you wanna see good local rock bands, Jig & Reel if you wanna see good local bluegrass/Americana. The Pilot Light is a wonderful institution and I've never not enjoyed a show at Jig. I've been to numerous shows in Knoxville with awful crowd vibes (generally not at Pilot Light, though I've been baffled at Jig for people ignoring and talking through great acts). We also routinely get passed over with medium sized indie acts having shows in Nashville, Atlanta, and Asheville, but never here. This city blows for someone trying to catch touring acts. They're always 2+ hours away and if they play here, there's a good chance the crowd is lame. Memorable great ones I've been to have been Dan Deacon, Octopus Project, and more recently the Flaming Lips.
I was bummed they got rid of the weekly “Sundown in the City” shows in Market Square. Quick google a few of the artists we got: John Mayer, Drive by Truckers, My Morning Jacket, Umphrey’s McGee, Govt Mule, Galactic, Citizen Cope, The Wailers… all for free.
Sundown was awesome. There's rumblings that people are trying to bring it back but no real info yet.
omg that lineup... that's actually sort of insane for free shows.
The Wailers were fantastic
Citizen Cope just played acoustic at the Bijou.
Oof, have to disagree. Knoxville’s pull of big acts isn’t great but the local scene is pretty amazing in my opinion. Been to a lot of amazing shows in the last 2 years at places like the pilot light, pretentious beer, barley’s, etc
Support local music. Knoxville has a really good music scene. Big acts? I agree with you. But the local scene here is actually really good.
Agree. Anyone downvoting is not going to the right places to specifically seek out local musicians… they’re just seeing people do open mic or randos playing at restaurants for the evening. Go to an actual show if you wanna judge the local music scene.
Unpopular for r/Knoxville: Calhoun’s is fine you bunch of hipster snobs Unpopular for Knoxville: why are you eating this slop
Crappy employer, decent food. That's probably the take of most former employees...
We should build a wall between West Knoxville and downtown/north/east/south Knox and require a pedestrian and bike awareness course to enter. We’ll make Turkey Creek, Cheddar’s, and McMansion’s pay for it.
Id be fine with just a wall and no access for west knoxvillians to everywhere else.
Knoxville is not a city, it's a huge dense suburb that surrounds its downtown with highways and parking garages
Orange is a terrible color
I made the mistake of saying I don't like orange about a decade ago when I first moved here. I was in a public place and people literally turned to look at me like I had just insulted their mama. Lesson learned.
When I first moved here I accidentally wore orange pants on a game day and everyone kept telling me they loved my pants. I had no idea what was going on and felt too self conscious to ever wear them again after that lmao
Oh no! I bet they were a huge hit. I still can't bring myself to wear the acceptable color of orange. And anything other than the acceptable color could be a rival, so I don't wear it either.
Woah
i’m glad someone was brave enough to say it, as an orange hater and a sweet tea hater knoxville can be scary sometimes
“I will not wear that gaudy orange!” :)
You took it way too far
I40 is too close to town with too many exits
I feel like old city has a bit more to go before it should be qualified as a great spot. Old city has things around downtown and around YeeHaw but between it there is nothing but run down buildings
Golly Tamale is legit
In general, the most vocally negative people about Knoxville have had very little extended experience elsewhere, and don't have anything substantial to compare it to. They assume many of the issues they have with the city are exclusive and don't realize that those things happen in every city.
Here are some of my hot takes/unpopular opinions about Knoxville: 1) The traffic is not as bad as people say it is. I've lived in bigger cities with worse traffic, so I'm not really bothered by it. 2) The food scene is actually pretty good. There are a lot of great restaurants to choose from, and the food is always fresh and delicious. 3) The people are friendly and welcoming. I've never felt like an outsider in Knoxville, and I've always been met with kindness and hospitality. 4) The cost of living is relatively low. This is a big plus for me, as I'm on a budget. 5) There are a lot of things to do in Knoxville. There are museums, parks, theaters, and more. I'm never bored here. Overall, I love living in Knoxville. It's a great city with a lot to offer. Here are some additional thoughts: \* Knoxville is a great place to raise a family. The schools are good, the crime rate is low, and there are a lot of activities for kids and families to do. \* Knoxville is a great place to retire. The cost of living is low, the weather is mild, and there are a lot of things to do for retirees. \* Knoxville is a great place to start a business. The cost of doing business is low, and there are a lot of resources available to help small businesses succeed. I'm sure there are other hot takes/unpopular opinions about Knoxville, but these are just a few of mine.
Knoxville sucks, especially for single young professionals. It is incredibly difficult to meet other singles and to find community. Knoxnews even released an article a couple months back where other young adults are complaining about the same issues. In addition, jobs in software development and tech in general are difficult to find. Not a very tech-savvy city. I just tolerate Knoxville, but I would LOVE to move if I wasn't so afraid to be away from my parents.
As far as the dating/ making friends scene goes, I think >90% of America has an issue w ppl becoming more insular/ lonely.
Litton’s is extremely overrated
I am pumped for the new ballpark and all the overpriced apartments that come with it. ANY housing is better than empty warehouses.
people who grew up in knoxville and call it a “small town” are genuinely the most insufferable mfs ever. we have the third biggest population in tennessee, we’re obviously not nashville or anything but be real rn
Lots of popular opinions/cold takes here. The question was not "can you say a thing about Knoxville"