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

Beating the likes of Lollapalooza, Coachella, and Burning Man, April's Rolling Stone Magazine named Tennessee's Bonnaroo the "ultimate, over-the-top" Best Festival! Bonnaroo is in its seventh year with a full slate of musical, comedic, and other entertainment events to appeal to each of the 80,000+ folks who will attend this year. As a massive caravan in the middle of farm country, they arrive in campers, cars, on bikes, and foot to camp out for this four-day event (there is an RV park for those with campers). Bonnaroo is held each June in Manchester, southwest of Knoxville, on a 700-acre farm, upon which multiple stages are set for "some of the best performers in rock and roll, along with dozens of artists in complementary styles such as jazz, Americana, hip-hop, electronica, and just about any contemporary music you can think of." Promoted by Knoxville based A.C. Entertainment and Superfly Productions, last year's line-up included the Police, Wilco, Widespread Panic, Tool, among many others. The event caught, once again, national attention with write-ups  by the New York Times,  E! Online, Variety, MSNBC, and more. This year's schedule starts with Pearl Jam, Metallica, and Jack Johnson, but the list seems endless - the event organizers have promised over 100 bands!

Besides music, there are several other activities and events, many of which offer air conditioned spaces to hot and sweaty festival-goers. Some of those activities include the cinema, which runs a variety of movies around the clock; the Arcade Discotheque offers Xbox games galore; a new yoga tent will host classes; and the Broo'ers tent offers a wide variety of "hearty bocks, revitalizing pilsners, crisp pale ales, and more, offered up by great microbreweries from around the country."
 

If this sounds like a modern day Woodstock, you're not the first to make the connection. All of the things that happened there are likely to happen in Manchester, despite rather successful attempts to curb the more questionable behaviors. And festival-goers seem to revel in the hippy-esque environment. Although all aren't into the long skirts and flower themes, those who are rather set the tone. If you are thinking of attending, you must also be prepared to suspend access to some of the creature comforts that most of us consider instrumental to a civil society. Soap is scarce, showers aren't for everyone, and it's June - so it's hot. But for those who can make it, there's a marathon of memories to be made at the Best Festival in the country!

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Meant to boost regional tourism and Knoxville’s economy, the Knoxville Convention Center has proven a successful addition to the city. In the late 1990s, city planners, developers, citizens, and leaders began to discuss the construction of a public attraction to draw visitors to the area. The goal was to identify a project that had just the right mix of cost and benefits that would result in extra tax revenue and jobs. While other cities have opted for sports arenas and stadiums, planetariums or aquariums, Knoxville, drawing on its central location, environmental beauty, and Southern hospitality, settled on a convention center. Upon its opening in 2002, the city anxiously waited while the convention center built its clientele and reputation, efforts which have reaped a positive economic impact of $288 million since 2002, certainly justifying this $93 million construction.

The convention center has won national awards for quality service. Last year, nearly 380,000 people attended meetings, conferences, weddings, and shows at the center; their satisfaction and endorsements have helped to increase convention center bookings by 81 percent from the 2005-06 to the 2006-07 fiscal year. Some of the center’s highlights? Fourteen meeting rooms which seat from 100-460 in theater style; a 27,000+ square foot ballroom which can be divided into six break-out rooms; a nearly 120,000 square foot exhibit hall, which can be divided into two spaces; three luxury conference rooms; a 460 seat lecture hall; and first class amenities including a business center and full kitchen services.

The 500,000 square foot convention center is located in the heart Knoxville, adjacent to the 1982 World’s Fair site which has recently been renovated into a beautiful park. The park’s meticulously groomed festival and performance lawns, an interactive water fountain that produces a “stories-high geyser,” and man-made lakes and streams provide a beautiful setting for the modern structure. A short walk away is Knoxville’s downtown, Market Square, and the Old City, featuring great restaurants, shopping, and night life opportunities.

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Since 1960, Knoxville has hosted the Dogwood Arts Festival each April. Today, people from all over the nation come to celebrate nature and the arts as festivities span seventeen days, over one hundred and fifty activities, and two counties! The city’s fantastic dogwoods remain the central focus with blossoms that can reach nearly four inches in length, rivaling Maryland’s famous dogwoods. While most of Knoxville’s dogwoods are white, our pink dogwoods are especially vibrant; the deep pink, almost red, color is caused by the natural acidity in our soil. Other varieties include a native pale pink dogwood and a “weeping” dogwood, similar to the weeping cherry tree.

While tours have been conducted since the Sequoyah Hills Trail opened 1955, other trails throughout the region have been added over the years; there are nine dogwood trails today spanning seventy miles and two counties. When I was a child, signs indicated the trails’ entrances and large pink or white spots were painted on the roads to lead the way. Today, self-guided motor-tourists follow pink and green lines, taking photographs, pacing themselves, often stopping for closer looks. Guided bus tours are also available and, for walkers, the historic Fourth and Gill Victorian neighborhood tour is a popular activity.

Also part of the celebration is a three-day festival held on Market Square in downtown Knoxville. Over one hundred arts, crafts, and food vendors crowd into the newly renovated, historic space to sample East Tennessee’s cuisine, culture, and creations. Shoppers will find everything from homemade soaps to hand-blown glass, and artisan jewelry to rare books. Many of Knoxville’s restaurants and caterers participate; one can find edibles ranging from funnel cakes and famous local bar-b-que to gourmet coconut shrimp and crispy spanikopita. Adding to the festivities, musical events are scheduled each year featuring a variety of musical styles from classical to country.

Last year, the festival introduced Art in Public Spaces, a sponsored display that continued throughout the month of July. Located in Krutch Park, adjacent to Market Square, the exhibit featured the large-scale work of twelve artists. Other artwork was available for viewing at more than fifteen galleries throughout Knoxville’s downtown area. Gallery Walk, was a one-night event in which artists were available and visitors were encouraged to mingle and browse.

There’s so much more! A parade, a jazz concert, children’s activities, and literary events hosted by the Knox County Public Library – there really is something for everyone. In the tradition of the South, the Dogwood Arts Festival brings people together with food and fun, music, nature, and friendship.

Check out the 2008 Dogwood Arts calendar here.

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The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) has been entertaining East Tennessee since it was formally established in 1935. Following its establishment, the KSO brought David Van Vactor on as music director in 1947. Van Vactor commenced the work of establishing the orchestra, bringing in talent, and promoting the KSO to the region. Upon his retirement, 26 years later, his work was continued by Maestros Arpad Joo, Zoltan Rozsnyai, and Kirk Trevor. By the time Trevor left in 2003, the KSO had expanded its original orchestra to over 80 paid musicians! The KSO is recognized as "one of the finest regional orchestras in the United States," performs over 200 shows per year, and has a budget exceeding $3 million.

The KSO's status allowed it to launch an international search for a new maestro upon Trevor's retirement. This search brought the acclaimed Lucas Richman to Knoxville in 2003. Since he arrived, Maestro Richman has built on the KSO's 71 years of success by expanding the orchestra's programs and community involvement, and by focusing on the region's children. Richman believes that programs developed especially for children ensure the successful future of the KSO and classical music, while bringing culture and music appreciation to kids. Some of these efforts include the Young Orchestra Association, the Young People's Concerts, and In-School Programs.

The 2007-2008 concert season continues throughout May offering the masterpieces of the Masterworks Series, the SunTrust Chamber Classics, and the exciting Pops Series. Concert-goers will enjoy Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" in January, while February will bring a KSO salute to George Gershwin and Misha Dichter's Tchaikovsky. March offerings include Schubert's "Trout" Quintet, Natalie MacMaster's Celtic Celebration, and more. April and May follow with Mozart, Berlioz, Paganini, the songs of Stephen Foster, and Herb Reed and the Platters. Performances are held at Knoxville's Bijou Theater, the historic Tennessee Theater, and Knoxville's Civic Auditorium. Tickets prices vary, but all are available for purchase through Tickets Unlimited.

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Owned by the Historic Tennessee Theater Foundation, Inc., and managed by AC Entertainment, Knoxville’s Tennessee Theater has the distinction of being one of 249 theaters on the National Register of Historic Places (NR). When listed on the Register in 1982, the Tennessee Theater joined an elite group of properties which, in most circumstances, must be at least 50 years old and, according to the NR’s guidelines, must “have made a significant contribution to our country’s history and heritage.” The Tennessee Theater certainly has done just that.

When George M. Fuller broke ground for the Theater in 1927, he couldn’t have known the growing pains that were in store for the grand building. Opening in 1928, the Theater’s first show was Clara Bow’s, The Fleet’s In. Moviegoers paid 60 cents to take in the evening event. Over the next 80 years the Theater would experience bouts of great success followed by failures as ownership of the Theater changed hands and political and public interest waxed and waned. Nevertheless, the Tennessee Theater has done much more than survive; the Theater has flourished to host more than 200 public events per year, including operas, ballets, dance presentations, concerts, and cinematic screenings.

The Tennessee Theater was decorated in the Spanish Moorish style, so popular in the Roaring Twenties. The lobby is decorated with tile inlaid walls, gold overlays, and five French-style, Czech crystal chandeliers valued (today) at $150,000 each, terrazzo marble from Italy, and lavish handwoven carpeting and draperies. The 1,650 seat auditorium houses the Theater’s original Wurlitzer organ, a 55-person orchestra pit, red velvet seating, and a truly incredible concaved and frescoed ceiling, all of which underwent a $25.5 million restoration with the theater reopening in January 2005. All restorations were done with a dedication to historical accuracy.

The Mighty Wurlitzer also underwent restoration - from August 2000 to September 2001. Master organ rebuilder, Ken Crome of Nevada, and his crew of artisans and technicians worked to refurbish “almost the entire organ - all the pipes and the console with its manuals, stops, and pedals.” The result led acclaimed organist, Lyn Larson, to claim that the organ’s tonal quality and acoustics of the Theater placed it “among the handful of the very finest 'in-theatre' installations in the country.”

What’s in store for the coming season? Go to the Tennessee Theater event calendar or visit Tickets.com for ticket purchases and more information.

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