What to do in TN in early Sept 06?
 

Might be going to Knoxville to see CAL play U of TN (football) beginning of Sept. Wondering what you all would recommend that we do if we are in TN for 3-4 days? TIA

I love to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Beautiful drives and nice hiking trails. Early September should be ideal weather.

If you like touristy, there is Gatlinburg. Many people love it but I usually try to avoid it. But the area is quite nice. If you get down by Pigeon Forge there is Dollywood. Again, not to everyone's taste.

Depending on time and how far you want to drive, I recommend the Biltmore Estate over in Asheville, NC and a leisurely drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

If you do go, be prepared for a sea of Tennessee orange. And by the time you leave you will probably be sick of hearing "Rockytop".

While, I've never been to a UT game, a friend who once went (and therefore makes all details hazy) said something about the best way to get to the stadium is on a boat. I guess there is some river that runs right by the stadium.

Tennessee is divided into three very distinct and diverse regions. They have an excellent website that will give you a feel for this.

http://www.tnvacation.com/

If you are planning a visit to East Tennessee the suggestions above are excellent and one lodging alternative that may be interesting is one of the many cabin and chalet rentals in the area, many found around Pigeon Forge. September is just after the peak summer vacation season and just prior to the fall colors season so you should be able to get a deal.

As stated the thick down-home country family vacation bit can be a bit much for some but is loved by others. The natural beauty of the area is excellent though.

Fall colors won't peak until October, but don't let that keep you from enjoying the natural beauty of East Tennessee. In addition to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, there are numerous other state parks that provide hiking trails, lakes and other outdoor recreation. You will be sharing much of this with crowds as football weekends bring tens of thousands to Knoxville.

Suggestions: whitewater rafting and tubing. visit a dam - they are engineering marvels. fish - trout in the mountains, bass in the lakes. take a ride on the riverboat. history - civil war battlefields, pioneer forts. Knoxville zoo is quite nice for a city of its size. spend some time on campus - it's pretty, busy and amazing on game day (start Saturday on the Cumberland strip). There are numerous good independent restaurants in the area - please do not eat at the national chains. hike - I like Norris Dam and Cumberland Mountain state parks. party - the old city at night, Cumberland drive on game day. womens basketball hall of fame. If any of you are runners, KTC sponsors a lot of races and campus provides some great running if you just want to go out for a couple of miles in the morning. Some people enjoy Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Some don't. I like Dollywood (the rides are not all designed to scare the puke out of you and the music and shows are very well done - if sometimes corny) and downtown Gatlinburg for people watching. There are an unbelievable number of musical shows in Pigeon Forge, but I've never been to one.

make your hotel reservations early. now. most hotels have 2 night minimums game weekends (not a problem for you). I like the Hilton downtown for convenience. The Hyatt is farther, but nicer. Lots of options 10 miles west of town, plenty of newer properties. Don't stay east of Knoxville. Chalets are cool, but it can be a hairy drive home from the game (in the dark, up the side of an unfamiliar mountain on a narrow road, after ??? beers). make your car reservations early. now. they will run out of rental cars at the airport.

enjoy. we try to get back for one game every year. probably not Cal this year, though. don't forget your camera, especially for the game. more orange than a maple grove in Vermont on a September afternoon.

And be sure to have your picture taken along THIS road ;)

Another option depending on how much free time you have is to drive down to Chattanooga. If you have never been there it is a really neat town to visit. There is the worlds largest fresh-water aquarium, the Chattanooga Choo-choo, Rock City, Ruby Falls, etc.

Plus if you are a Jack Daniels fan, you will be only about 1.5 hours away from the distillery. They have great tours and a rich history there in Lynchburg. (Though they do not give out free JD samples. Something about insurance problems. :eek: )

It is the Tennessee River, and no, it is not the best way to get to the stadium.

First of all, book your hotel and car now, as BamaVol said. There may not be any hotel rooms left because there are only a few hotels close to UT.

TYS is a small (but nice) airport, and as you probably have figured out, no direct flights from SFO. I've gone through DEN, IAD, ORD, and DFW and I always book through DEN whenever possible because the planes for the leg to TYS tend to be bigger and more comfortable.

Incidentally, I am a student at UT. My family has season tickets for both football and basketball. Feel free to PM me as we get closer to the date and I may be able to set you up with tickets, if you need them. I'm not exactly sure where the 2 seats will be, but they will be somewhere in section C, between row 1 and 30 behind the Tennessee bench.

I can also give advice for post-game restaurants/hangouts and parking, if you need.

Moore county is a dry county. Probably for the best all things considered.

If you want to fit in a Vols game, you must do the following: Get completely wasted, yell constantly about anything and everything, especially to tell the other drunks to quit yelling; wear orange everything, paint what cannot be clothed; fall over the people in front of, behind, and to both sides of you; be a jackass; sing rockytop over and over and over. Repeat.

It will be a good time though, provided you can reach and maintain the madatory BAC. Oh yeah, be sure to wear an Auburn jersey.

First, with only 3 or 4 days you do not have time to see much in the region. Now lets get down to the things of interest that are nearby. Whether you like science or history go to Oak Ridge next door to Knoxville. Walk where the world's fair was held in Knoxville. You will even see a large interesting ball in the air, worth a visit. If you like zoos the Knoxville Zoo is different and worth a visit. There are many parks in the area but since you are limited on time you can easily get down to Pigeon Forge and the overcrowded tourist trap known as Gatlinburg. Or you could take the bypass around Gatlinburg and go straight into the beautiful Smoky Mountains park and make sure you go to Clingman's Dome a great spot to see the mountains at the top. Staying in a cabin is a wonderful idea and when done in advance is rather inexpensive. You can also go down the other side into the Carolinas and stop right at the outside of the park gate and visit a working exhibit of how things used to be, complete with chickens and crops and sorgham making. There is a lot of interesting Native American culture in Cherokee and at least 3 days of things to do here alone (I am not mentioning the casino on purpose). At Pigeon Forge you can turn south at the BP and drive through Wear's Valley to the end of the road and turn East to Cade's Cove (this is a park that is a step back in time and you always see plenty of wildlife, highly recommend early morning drives with a camera). The Lost Sea is a wonderful attraction and if you have children they will be amazed. There are many other attractions in the area and if you are into water rafting there is the Nantahala and several others nearby. Sure you can go to Chattanooga (which has a weeks worth of actractions) but you could just as easy go to the Tri-Cities area and spend quiet time in the many national and state parks. Unless you are there for a few months, you will have to pick your poison and come back again.

As for the river and boats.... if you have one, it is the premier way to the stadium but gets very congested. However, so does the roads as well. So your friend is correct in that it could be considered the best way to the stadium as it does pass right by it. There is a whole different party going on down by the river before, during and after the game.

Must be from Nashville..... can't spell "MANDATORY"....HAHAHA :D

Oh,, yes and if all else fails,,, carry or find a lady friend and .......

Nice one ^

Yeah, forgot the N. We don't worry too much bout a fancy spellin and a wreading an a ritin round abouts these parts.