Knoxville, Tennessee
December 2–4, 2021
December 2–4, 2021
Knoxville truly might be my favorite place I’ve visited on this trip, to date. The campground (RV park, really) I stayed in was just okay—the sites were gravelly and not remotely level, my particular site came with a distinct aroma of old urine, and one of the long-timers a few sites down had a large Confederate flag plastered to the front grille of their RV—but I’m starting to learn that private campgrounds generally aren’t my speed, so I try not to judge the town by my accommodations. I feel much more comfortable in state parks.
The mountains of eastern Tennessee are glorious, and the landscape feels a lot like Vermont, if Vermont wasn’t frigid and buried in snow for at least half the year. There are more churches here, for sure, but people seem very chill here, and no one has given me a hard time for wearing a mask or having an obvious Yankee accent. I didn’t get to spend as much time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as I would have liked, but I drove and tromped around Cades Cove and did the very short hike up to Look Rock. I also bought a Bigfoot sticker from a man with only one arm.
Downtown Knoxville is adorable, and I happened to be in town the night of the annual holiday parade. Before the parade even started, I got to see a large man walking a large, fluffy, white dog dressed up like Santa (the dog, not the man) and a pair of buskers playing “O Holy Night” on steel drum and musical saw. I compared Old Fashioneds at different bars and ate delicious hot fried chicken at Southern Grit. But one of my favorite parts of my time in Knoxville was just roaming the streets, occasionally interacting with the very friendly locals but mostly keeping to myself, observing, listening, and feeling. I felt like just one of many bubbles fizzing on the surface of a drink that I might someday melt into and make my home.
The mountains of eastern Tennessee are glorious, and the landscape feels a lot like Vermont, if Vermont wasn’t frigid and buried in snow for at least half the year. There are more churches here, for sure, but people seem very chill here, and no one has given me a hard time for wearing a mask or having an obvious Yankee accent. I didn’t get to spend as much time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as I would have liked, but I drove and tromped around Cades Cove and did the very short hike up to Look Rock. I also bought a Bigfoot sticker from a man with only one arm.
Downtown Knoxville is adorable, and I happened to be in town the night of the annual holiday parade. Before the parade even started, I got to see a large man walking a large, fluffy, white dog dressed up like Santa (the dog, not the man) and a pair of buskers playing “O Holy Night” on steel drum and musical saw. I compared Old Fashioneds at different bars and ate delicious hot fried chicken at Southern Grit. But one of my favorite parts of my time in Knoxville was just roaming the streets, occasionally interacting with the very friendly locals but mostly keeping to myself, observing, listening, and feeling. I felt like just one of many bubbles fizzing on the surface of a drink that I might someday melt into and make my home.
