East Tennessee Residential Communities : Holrob Communities : Private Communities near Knoxville, Knox County, Blount County, Anderson County, Sevier County

The Regal Riviera 8 Theater opened one year ago this month (August 2007) in Knoxville's downtown. I'm happy to report that it is doing well, drawing customers not only to the theater itself, but to Knoxville's other downtown establishments. Regal Entertainment, which operates over 550 theaters in 39 states, is headquartered in Knoxville. While most of Regal's new theaters are larger and placed in suburban areas, the company responded to the public and private support for a downtown theater, the smallest and one of few downtown theaters it has built in recent years. Besides the company's commitment to its hometown, the historic importance of the actual site must have been an influence!


Photo by Michael Wender.

Located on Gay Street, the new Riviera "is on the same site as the original Riviera Theater established in 1920." While the original theater, which closed 32 years ago, first featured silent films, such as DeMille's Conrad in Search of His Youth and the works of Charlie Chaplan, over the next 40 years it would go on to show movies such as Charade and Gone with the Wind. In addition, "Like most theaters, the Riviera featured its share of live entertainment, from dancer Ginger Rogers to early jazz bands like the popular local orchestra Maynard Baird’s Southland Serenaders." After a 1963 fire and subsequent restoration, the original theater underwent many tough years of changed ownership and failed efforts. Finally, the building was torn down in the late 1980s and converted to a parking lot. As part of the city's revitalization movement, several local leaders decided to push for a new Riviera. Two years and $14.85 million in public and private funding made the decision a reality. Today's Riviera features first-run releases and offers over "2,000 seats in a total of 8 auditoriums. Regal patrons can enjoy free parking with validation anytime at the State Street Parking Garage." What's showing? Click here. For more information about Knoxville's downtown, submit your inquiry here.

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With fuel prices doubling over the last two years, many families are opting for 'staycations' over destination vacations. What's a staycation? Put simply, it's a vacation spent at or near home, an increasingly popular choice and an easy one if you live in East Tennessee! According to a recent Rand McNally survey, "two-thirds of U.S. adults who planned to take a road trip this summer have altered their plans because of rising gas prices. According to the survey, more than half--57%--said they will shorten their trip's duration or distance."


Photo by Dave Oby.

Families on staycation have gotten really creative, relying on cook-outs, local pools, and area attractions to occupy their time off - but some want just a little bit more. East Tennesseans looking about for activities won't have a hard time finding them! Here's ten fabulous area staycations to consider:

1.    Spend a day on a lake. Pack a picnic and rent a boat or canoe and navigate the beautiful area waters. Take advantage of the area's whitewater! Go fishing!
2.    Go camping at any of the area's 200 campgrounds!
3.    Take a Planned TN Vacation through Nashville and East Tennessee, exploring the history of country music!
4.    Visit the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for biking, hiking, fishing, horseback riding and more!
5.    Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail - or all of it!
6.    Plan a few days around a sports museum or a sporting event such as golfing, motorsports, or baseball.
7.    Get away to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for outlet shopping or a day at Dollywood or the Dixie Stampede.
8.    Plan an area wine tour, perhaps with antique shopping along the way!
9.    Plan a tour of East Tennessee's main streets.
10.  Take advantage of the numerous music and arts festivals the state has to offer.

For more information about East Tennessee's activities and attractions, inquire here.

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There's something magical about a blinking bug. The firefly has been a part of many childhoods, a dusk-to-dark distraction for little ones who hop about, filling mason jars to make twinkling lanterns. The Smoky Mountains are fortunate to have 14 species of fireflies, including the only species in the United States that can "synchronize their flashing light patterns." No one knows why these flies synchronize but the effect is otherworldly. For the observer, it looks something like this: "One moment, the forested slope above the clearing would be dark - cavernously dark.  Then, suddenly, a few flashes would appear off to the right, and like a fuse, they seemed to set off a chain reaction.  In a diffuse and unruly wave, thousands of flashes would appear from right to left across the field of vision, lighting up the entire forest in an eerie green light.  It was as if the world’s largest chain of blinking Christmas lights had been turned on and then was suddenly unplugged again.  The forest would return to that deep, cavernous dark for a few seconds… then… a few flashes occurred off to the right and the cycle would repeat itself."

Photo by jamelah.

It's such a beautiful sight that the two mid-June weeks of firefly synchrony have become a busy Smoky Mountain attraction. As one of only two places in the world where such a spectacle can be seen (the other is in Southeast Asia), the event draws around 2,000 people each weekend night to the site near Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Folks spread their blankets and open lawn chairs, maybe pic-nic a bit while the kids squirm in excitement for the start of the show. Then it does and even the little ones are transfixed. Writes Matt Wasson: "As the blue twilight faded toward darkness and dozens of blinking lights became hundreds – and then thousands - the din of conversation gradually faded into a quiet undercurrent of whispers and gasps of wonder." Just one more reason to love East Tennessee.

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