Another Wonderful Saturday in Knoxville (Free!)

On Saturday, we packed another lunch and headed off for another day of exploring (free) things on Knoxville.  

Our first stop was the East Tennessee Veteran Cemetery on East Gov. John Sevier Highway. This is the new veteran's cemetery that was recently opened in 2011.

There was a beautiful monument to the families of soldiers near the entrance. Too often, we forget the sacrifices that these families make.

There are already 2500 interments in this cemetery. This is third veteran's cemetery in the area, a sobering reminder of East Tennessee's commitment to volunteering.

 When we visited, there was also a large flock of Canadian Geese resting during their migration. 

We only took a few pictures of this cemetery, since there were family members visiting their loved ones and we wanted to be respectful. More information on Gold Star Family monuments and the organization erecting these can be found here.

Next, we headed back to South Knoxville and Fort Dickerson Park. We stopped first at the Harold Lambert Overlook, which has a beautiful view of the Fort Dickerson Quarry.  Harold Lambert was a long time business owner in Knoxville, and well known for his support of different charities.

Then we continued along the park's road to the site of Fort Dickerson, a Civil War fort. 

 After the Union seized Knoxville, this fort was built on the other side of the Holston (now the Tennessee river) to protect the "back door" of Knoxville.

The fort is gone, but the ditch still remains, along with a depression where the ammunition bunker was, and three cannon.

 It was another gorgeous summer day in Knoxville, but we couldn't help thinking about how cold and miserable the men of both sides must have been in November, when the Confederates attempted (and failed) to take the fort.

It was Saturday but there were very few visitors, so we had one of the large picnic pavilions to ourselves. It was a perfect place to eat lunch and soak in the beauty of this park.

Full, we headed back to the main street to find the quarry. To access it, we had to loop around the park and then cross a set of railroad tracks. Click for directions.

There is a parking lot at the entrance, and beyond it, a gravel road which leads to another parking lot closer to the quarry. Since we were on a motorcycle, we choose to stop at the first parking lot, and walk in.

We were glad we choose to park, because the gravel road is badly rutted.

The road finally turned into a  small parking lot. There is a short walking trail just off the parking lot, or you can head down the main path to the quarry.

 We can see why this is such a popular swimming hole; the quarry is absolutely stunning. 

This was originally a marble quarry that closed in the 70's. Once the quarry closed and the pumping stopped, it quickly turned into a man-made lake.

 Well, we said swimming hole, but there were quite a few floats, too. Here is one  group who clearly takes floating very seriously!  

Know before you go: Both Fort Dickerson Park and Fort Dickerson Quarry are free, and an easy walk (even if you park at the quarry's first parking lot.) Alcohol is not allowed at the quarry, and the quarry is closed to swimming after Labor Day. 

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Knoxville Museum of Art and McClung Museum (Free!)

On Sunday, We Checked Out Two More Museums 

One of the things that we love about Knoxville is so many museums are free! So, we ate lunch and then zoomed over to UT.

There is usually a construction trade off when visiting a college in the summer. University of Tennessee was no different. 

The campus was quiet and shady, but a construction project meant we had to park a few blocks away from the museum (there is a free public parking lot next to the museum). Parking Map

 

Admission is free for the  McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. We passed this smiling duckbill dinosaur(edmontosaurus) and headed inside.

The current summer exhibit is about the Gilded Age. It was a small exhibit, but the curator did an awesome job, both in displaying the objects and the information provided.

We wondered if this 1880's dress might've been worn by a woman in mourning. A fashionable Victorian lady would wear black for a certain period, then she would wear muted colors, like this purple. Although Queen Victoria outdid  everybody, by sticking to black for 42 years!

How about these hats? Just the thing to wear while boating in Venice.

There was also an Egpyptian Exhibit, filled with statues,

 and smiling canopic jars. We've never seen Anubis so happy.

Does Emperor Qin know one of his terracotta soldiers is now guarding a Victorian window?

There were several Budhist statues in one room,

along side First Nations baskets, 

 and a pretty impressive temple guardian. Nobody was getting past this guy!

 There was also three more exhibits in the basement. One was on Tennessee mussels and the once booming pearl trade, and the second exhibit was on the evolution of man. 

To complete the 'theme', the third exhibit was on Knoxville and the Civil War. We certainly hope the United States Army has upgraded how they pack munitions!

Our next stop was the Knoxville Museum of Art.  It;s also free, but closed on Mondays.

The museum has a great exhibit called 'Higher Ground', which showcases several under appreciated Tennessee artists.  We really enjoyed seeing these artists being recognized, especially Catherine Wiley, who was born in Coal Creek (Rocky Top), Tennessee.

and William Silva, who lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

There was also a contemporary art exhibit, which was awesome. Many of the pieces had been chosen because the art changed depending on where the viewer stood. Our favorite piece was 'Woman and Child', a sculpture by Sam Jinks. 

From the third floor balcony, there is a great view of World's Fair Park.

 It was a hot July day, and families were enjoying the splash pad, 

 and the nearby Sunsphere.

 We we're the only ones enjoying the great view of the park. This dad and his little girl were clearly have fun watching the going ons below.

 On the first floor, there is the Thorne Rooms and a small contemporary glass exhibit. We loved this piece by William Morris 

and also the permanent installation of  'The Circle of Life' by Richard Jolley.

 Of course, no trip to a museum is complete without food. sp we headed tp Stock and Barrel, on the square.

But first, a review of Blue Coast Bar and Grill which we went to after our trip to the Knoxville flea market. It's right next door, and also on Market Square.

We ordered chicken and waffles, and fish tacos and both entrees were very good. The servings were plentiful and the chicken and fish was fresh and flavorful. 

We did feel the prices were a little high, and the staff could have been a little more organized. It took a while for the host to greet us, and our waiter had been assigned more tables than he could comfortably take care of.

This time, we went to Stock and Barrel. Our meal was OK. We ordered chicken and waffles, and the Free Bird, which is a turkey burger, along with fries and mac & cheese. The turkey burger was surprisingly large, and moist, and the french fries were freshly made, 

The mac & cheese was good, but could have been hotter, and the chicken and waffles did not have much flavor. Again, we felt the food was a little over-priced, especially since Blue Coast, next door, had larger servings.

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Ijams Nature Center (Free!)

Ijams Nature Center

This week, we decided to explore the Ijams (rhymes with "times") Nature Center. The Ijams family, avid birders and nature lovers, bought 20 acres on the undeveloped side of the river (downtown Knoxville is on the other side) in 1910. Back then, this wasn't quite as rustic as it sounds - the family was right next door to a couple of quarries, so they probably heard blasting every day!  

To honor the family's legacy, the city turned the property into a park in the 60s. Over the years, the city kept adding on to the park - today it's 275 acres of well-marked nature trails.

The park is divided into two sections. The first section is the original park; which has the visitor center, a trail that is handicap accessible, and Navitat.  The second section is Mead's Quarry Lake. There is a parking lot at the lake, along with bathrooms, and a small swimming hole. 

Access to the park is free, but you will have to pay if you want to rent a canoe or take the Navitat zipline adventure.

Map of Trails

We packed a picnic, parked at the lake, and walked down Imerys trail.

The trail head was right next to the old limestone ovens. The Ross Marble Quarry orginally cut and sold "marble", a crystalline limestone. The marble for the National Art Institute came from this quarry. 

After the Great Depression, the quarry switched to cooking the limestone. The resulting lime would be shipped out on rail cars. 

The trail winds through a field of wildflowers,

curves into a green forest, 

and then begins to wind around massive boulders.

It's hard to believe this used to be an abandoned quarry, and an illegal dump, just 20 years ago.

Hayworth Hollow is cool and shady,

full of massive jumbles of rock,

and thick with moss and ferns. 

We take a small break, and then back track to the other trail.

 We cross over the rock bridge,

 and pick our way down stone steps.

A little ways down the hill, we come to the Keyhole.

 The Keyhole was created in the 1920s, so the workers could access either side of the quarry. There was a crane on either side of the rock bridge, which were used to move the massive blocks.

 

We make our way through the tunnel, 

and back into sunlight and another trail. 

Instead of continuing on, we decide to stop and finish our picnic. After three hours of walking and exploring, we're hungry!

'

Know Before You Go: We visited Ijams on a weekday. The road to the lake is a short but fun ride - at least on a motorcycle. The road is narrow and there is no shoulder.  

We arrived before 9am, and found there was plenty of parking and few people on the trails. By the time we headed back at noon, Meade's Quarry Lake was pretty crowded and parking was tight. We checked and the main section of Ijams was even more packed. We would recommend going early and skipping this park on a weekend!

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