Knoxville

Breaking our cardinal rule of at least one cup of coffee before driving, we were off to the dealer at 0830. Mercedes-Benz of Knoxville got us right in and we had a comfy lounge to wait in with coffee, wi-fi, and pastries. Luckily, they diagnosed the problem, had the parts in stock and replaced the fan motor and controller in under two hours.

Heading out, we couldn’t pass the University of Tennessee Arboretum. Other than some tree surgeons, we had the place to ourselves. Although there was a collection of conifers, this is the place to come for holly plants. Who knew there were so many varieties? Here are a few of the different leaf and berry combinations.

 

 

Seeing Oak Ridge National Laboratories and the American Museum of Science and Energy on the map, we headed that way. The museum has a daily bus tour of the historical Oak Ridge sites, but it was sold out on-line. The folks at the museum were friendly and helpful letting us know that there are 16 seats reserved for walk-ups. They recommended getting in line by 8:30 since the tour is popular. Beth asked if it would be okay to spend the night in the parking lot and they were fine with that. Took down our license plate number to let security know we would be staying.

Knowing that was secure, we set out to explore nearby Knoxville.  Backing into a parking spot under the freeway only cost $2 for the day. The lot was on the free city shuttle line, so we had a nice tour of the city. Once oriented, we walked around downtown and found the riverwalk. Knoxville sits on a high bluff. Getting to the river involved crossing the freeway on a pedestrian bridge and riding an elevator three stories down to the river.

A historical plaque let us know that the Everly Brothers performed at a WROL-AM radio station here in the 1950’s. Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, and All I Have To Do Is Dream were a few of their big hits.

On the way back to the van we noticed a line of food trucks turning into a train station parking lot. Trains and food sounded good so we wandered over and found it was a free music festival sponsored by a local radio station. Though passenger trains don’t come through Knoxville any longer, the station has been restored and even hosts a winery.

The Chicken Coop earned our business as the most creatively constructed food vendor. We enjoyed “southern wings with sass” then headed back to Oak Ridge to settle in for the evening.