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

 Downtown Maryville is becoming artsy! Located just 17 miles from Knoxville, Maryville is home to Maryville College and the corporate headquarters of Ruby Tuesday restaurants. Nestled into the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and central to its surrounding historic towns, Maryville is known for its gorgeous scenery and its quaint homeyness, both of which have attracted new residents, businesses, and investment to the area - not least are the three new art galleries that have opened in downtown Maryville in the past few months, bringing the downtown galleries to a total of five featuring a "plethora of styles, media, price ranges and artists."

 

Karen Brackett, exhibit chair for Fine Arts Blount, credits Last Friday Art Walk which began in January this year as the spearhead for Maryville's arts movement. Held on the last Friday of each month, Art Walk "is a tour through businesses and venues along downtown Maryville’s streets to look, listen, feel and see what the fine arts community in Blount County is up to. ....The (event) showcase(s) different kinds of art at various stores, clubs, restaurants and retail shops in downtown Maryville." According to Katie Gamble, Art Walk's founder, “While the Art Walk supports the arts, having galleries sell, promote and market the arts is another key factor for creating a really stable arts community and cultural hub, which is our goal for Maryville.” 

 

About Maryville's galleries:

 

ArtSpace is located at 106 East Broadway in Downtown Maryville. The gallery features local and regional artists' exhibits and workshops available to the community.
 

The Pistol Creek Gallery Fine Art and Gifts gallery opened on September 6 at 117 East Broadway. The gallery's director was recognized in May 2008, "as one of America's "Emerging Artists" in Art Business News Magazine." The gallery features "Fine Art Painters, Photographers, Potters, Sculptors, Jewelers & Musicians. Each Artist is carefully selected for their innate talent, desirability & technique."

Arts.Alive opened on November 14 at 302 Church Avenue. Owner, Lyda Plemons "sees her gallery not only as a venue for exhibits and sales, but as a learning center for children and adults. She and other artists offer classes, workshops and an area set aside just for kids."

 

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You probably know that Knoxville's Sunsphere was constructed for the 1982 World's Fair, but have you ever visited? While the observation floor was opened to the public in the fall of 2007, the Sunsphere didn't have more to offer than its fantastic view - no bars, restaurants, or cafes to draw new crowds. That changed on August 28 with the opening of Southern Graces' Skybox at the Sunsphere.

Photo by Josh Flory.

With the Skybox, Southern Graces' "owner... Bob Sukenik has taken the hip look of bars in the big city and combined it with a fantastic view of the Knoxville skyline, and what you get is an experience unlike any other in East Tennessee." Meant to draw guests for after work wind-down drinks and gourmet hors d'oeuvres, the Skybox honors Knoxville's unique landmark while offering a fun alternative to the after work crowd's downtown favorites, such as Sapphire, Regas, and Club LeConte.

The Skybox, located on the Sunsphere's fifth floor (Southern Graces operates an event floor on the sixth level), has the capacity to seat around fifty people. Renovations began nearly a year ago to create a modern space that spotlights the amazing 360-degree view of Knoxville's skyline: "The bar itself is one-of-a-kind, hand-poured by artisan Alex Baumann.... Stained wine racks run down between the windows and wood cabinets surround the area above the bar, inconspicuously housing televisions for watching the big game. Everything from the color on the walls to the light fixtures above the bar has warmth unique to such a modern design."

In addition to serving drinks, the Skybox offers gourmet lunch boxes - great for enjoying a leisurely lunch by the water, 266 feet below, at the World's Fair Park! The opening of the Skybox is great news - a great addition to Knoxville's lively downtown. Want to know more about Knoxville's downtown? Contact us.

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A recent article in the Knoxville News Sentinel featured Blackberry Farm's artisan cheese maker and his award-winning cheeses - yet another reason to visit this beautiful resort tucked into the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains!

Photo by markalbert.

Located 25 miles from Knoxville and 32 miles from Gatlinburg, Blackberry Farm's home is in Walland, a small community in Tennessee's historic Blount County. The Farm, founded over 30 years ago, has been featured in Food & Wine and Travel & Leisure magazines, among others. If you are looking for a romantic and relaxing get-away, this is it!

The estate's 4,200-acres boast award-winning accommodations, gourmet meals, an 8,000-square-foot wine cellar, grape, apple, nut, and berry gardens and orchards - including truffles! - and, of course, those artisan cheeses. Among Blackberry Farm's numerous awards are the 2006 Wine Spectator Grand Award, Condé Nast's 2005 award for #1 Service in the US; and Southern Living's 2006 award, America's #1 Country Inn. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of enrichment opportunities throughout the year, including a cooking school, wine courses, and numerous outdoors and adventure activities.

But what about that cheese? The cheese maker, Kristian Holbrook, describes his process in the News Sentinel article mentioned above, as well as a recent Blackberry Farm demonstration event, the "Glorious Cheese Epicurean Experience," where visitors were able to attend a "hands-on cheese-making class."Holbrook crafts four types of cheese from milk collected from his flock of 180 sheep. The cheeses are aged on-site and then made available for use and purchase at Blackberry Farm and at the Maryville Farmer's Market. Holbrook recently entered and won third place with his "Singing Brook" cheese "in the "aged sheep's milk" category at the 25th annual Conference and Cheese Competition in Chicago."

What a great way to relax and enjoy region's unique beauty! With a short drive to Knoxville, Maryville, Gatlinburg, and the Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm is the perfect place to stay while sampling the charm of East Tennessee. Want more information? Contact us.

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For the past two decades motorcycle sales have been on the rise. Since 2002, new purchases have topped over 900,000 each year, a trend that is likely to continue with rising fuel costs. It's estimated that nearly nine million motorcycles are currently in use in America; with such popularity it's no surprise that bike owners have an annual event to share their enthusiasm. Celebrating its eighth consecutive year in Knoxville, Honda Hoot attendees will soon arrive at Chilhowee Park to "blow out the candles" for the Hoot's fifteenth anniversary.

Photo by goatmanbaldy.

This "Top 20 Event" is much like a reunion, drawing visitors back year after year to visit with old friends, make new ones, and to "enjoy the variety of activities and events - from self guided rides through the serene Knoxville outdoors to demonstration rides that offer exclusive opportunities to experience dozens of brand new bikes." Many daytime activities are suggested, highlighting the area's wonderful attractions and scenery. For instance, bikers might take a ride to nearby Dollywood, go white water rafting, visit the Knoxville Zoo, or take a riverboat cruise on the Star of Knoxville. In past years, the rides through the Cumberland Gap and Cherohala Skyway have been popular. This year, new rides include "Bikes and Boats at the Lake" (in which attendees will visit) Lenoir City for water activities and lunch and the "Capes and Cavern Ride" will provide a day of exploring caves..." Over 200 vendors will participate in the vendor expo and nightly shows, fireworks, and games are planned with Wynonna Judd performing a special private concert to Hoot attendees as a grand finale. The June 18-21 event will bring over 16,000 bikers to the city with an estimated city/county economic impact of over $23 million.

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Sixty miles from Knoxville, the Little Congress Bicycle Museum in Cumberland Gap, TN, is a must-see. Founded by Ralph E. McClanahan II, a sitting Kentucky district judge, former movie theater owner and operator, and curator and historian, the museum is a tribute to rare bicycles and the cultures that inspired them. Of the seventeen rare bikes on display, the museum's oldest bike, an 1895 Penny Farthing, might be the most intriguing. Known as the "Widow-Maker," the Penny Farthing is the first bicycle design, sporting an over-sized front wheel and a tiny rear wheel. The nickname, Widow-Maker, comes from the "pivotal point of this bicycle" which guaranteed a head-first tumble if the "rider hit anything, a rock, chug hole, animal, or other obstruction."

Several 1950s art deco bicycles are on display; the 1951 Western Flyer, the 1951 Black Phantom, and the 1950 Schwinn Panther hang on the museum's wall before a midnight blue background with lighting that is reminiscent of an art gallery. Little Congress's rarest bike is "an 1934 Quadrocycle that sat four riders and was used as a pacer vehicle for the six-day bicycle races that were all the rage during the Great Depression." There were only five Quadrocycles produced and "only two of the five still in existence today. The other one is in Disney World and is occasionally ridden through the park by a barber shop quartet." A few modern bicycles are available as well: the 1963 4-Speed Alex Moulton offered efficient, user-friendly design by the creator of the British Mini-Cooper; the 1970 Schwinn Lemon Peeler is one of the banana seated, wheelie bikes that you may remember well; and the 1986 Hutch, which never took off in the market, was designed to be the world's fastest bike, said to reach 30-35 mph "on level ground with no headwinds" by employing an aerodynamic design.

The drive from Knoxville to Cumberland Gap is an enjoyable hour through the East Tennessee mountains and countryside, perfect to take in the region's beauty. With an easy drive and such a great destination, the Little Congress Bicycle Museum is sure to become a weekend favorite. Admission to the museum is free.

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Since 1990, the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) has greatly enriched the area with its exhibits, tours, lectures, events, and workshops. The beautiful $11,000 million, 53,200-square-foot building was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and built on the 1982 World’s Fair site. The KMA replaced the Dulin Gallery of Art when popular demand created a need for a larger space.



The KMA has over 700 two- and three-dimensional pieces of art in its collection, portions of which are displayed as permanent exhibits. In addition to these objects, the KMA schedules exhibitions featuring regional artists as well as those from all over the world. Past exhibitions have included rare Rembrandt etchings, David S. Allee’s photographs, Tomory Dodge’s paintings, and Jean-Pierre Gauthier’s sound designs. Current and future exhibits include Jun Kaneko’s ceramics and a multi-artist exhibit, New Directions in American Drawing, which promotes drawing as an important contemporary art form.

In addition to its permanent collection and schedule of exhibitions, the KMA hosts a variety of educational programs which are geared toward promoting “first-hand involvement with the visual arts.” For students, there are teacher-led programs and field trips. For adults (and sometimes students, too!) there are concerts, such as the popular Alive After Five series; tours, such as the Annual Holiday Home Tour; fine arts and craft auctions, such as the annual Artscapes Art Auction; and workshops such as The Design Lab series which allows the public to interact with artists as they explore “what design is and how it affects life.” For example, a recent lab featured C.A. Debelius’ building designs. The KMA also offers a program for those interested in becoming docents.

As the public’s support for the KMA has grown, the museum has been able to give back to the community. For instance, the KMA recently created a grant program to cover the cost of bus transportation so that children attending qualifying schools are able to visit. Also, the museum participates in the area’s Ticket Subsidy Program which helps underprivileged children gain access to area museums. These are but two of many programs the KMA supports with the intent of bringing world class art and culture to the community. Museum memberships are available but are not required to visit. The cost for non-members is $5. Admission is free on Tuesdays.

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“How will your living costs change if you retire to another town or state?”  That was the question addressed in the September/October ‘07 issue of Where to Retire magazine.  Knoxville, TN, ranked among the lowest in costs of living for top places to retire.

The costs of living between 50 major U.S. cities and 50 popular retirement locations were compared using data compiled by the research group, ACCRA.  Factors included costs of housing, health care, food, transportation, and utilities.

Research shows that if you were to retire from Manhattan to Knoxville, your costs of living would decrease 59%.  Knoxville costs would be nearly half of that in San Francisco and Honolulu, and they would be 34 - 44% less than expenses in Bethesda, Boston, Fairbanks, Los Angeles, NYC-Queens, Oakland, San Jose, Stamford, and Washington, DC.  No other major city in this study had lower costs of living than Knoxville; only Houston, TX, had the same cost of living index.  Click here to view a scanned copy of the chart.

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