2008 Woodie Awards
Cheap trips
Tennessee contributes more than great country music
Whitney Harrod
Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: College Life
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Tennessee is home to much more than country music. With a drive of just under five hours, take advantage of the best time to visit the natural and man-made wonders of Knoxville, Tenn.
Explore spring in Knoxville with the annual Dogwood Arts Festival. The Dogwood trail's opening weekend is April 11-13. Free bus tours depart daily at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Walking trails begin at Fourth and Gill avenues and go through 70 miles of dogwood trees in Knox County and Oak Ridge.
The Dogwood Arts Festival, with a parade at 7 p.m. April 11, will showcase local music and entertainment.
Nature also abounds at the Ijams Nature Center, boasting more than 160 acres of rich history, wildlife, boardwalks and scenic overlooks. At 6 p.m. Saturday, the park will offer a free Living Clean & Green!: Adult Frog Program, where you can hike throughout the property to listen to frogs. The nature grounds are free and open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to dusk.
Visiting Knoxville is a must for environmentalists. Ijams will hold its 19th annual River Rescue Program April 5. The community-led program coordinates the pickup of debris along the 50-mile shoreline of the Tennessee River.
The Knoxville Zoo, open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., costs $16.95 for adult admission. Depending on the day, the zoo offers camel rides for $4. Premier exhibits include the Meerkat Lookout, Grasslands Africa, Chimp Ridge and the Red Panda Village, where more Red Pandas have been born in than any other zoo in the Western Hemisphere. If you enter the zoo after 3 p.m., admission for the next day is free. Visit Knoxville-zoo.org for information on daily shows and keeper chats.
Don't forget to party your tail off. Beginning in August, when the Knoxville Zoo will hold its annual Feast With the Beasts, where guests over 21 can sample exotic foods and beverages from restaurants and local vendors.
In 1882, the World's Fair was held in downtown Knoxville at the World's Fair Park. The urban paradise has been transformed to incorporate commemorative landmarks in walking trails, fountains and large open grounds. Headquartered in Knoxville, the Home and Garden Television Network recently created the HGTV Walk in the Park to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
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