Knoxville is home to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), which is technically in neighboring Alcoa and has daily nonstop service to cities across the United States. If you’re flying into Tennessee from overseas, you may be arriving via Nashville International Airport (BNA), which is 172 miles west of Knoxville. Though you can get around town by foot, bus, rideshare, or bike, you’ll likely want to rent a car, as Knoxville is a sprawling city with myriad attractions on its perimeter, as well as Great Smoky Mountains National Park not far away. To get around Downtown Knoxville, you can take the free Knoxville Trolley, which operates along three routes.

With Tennessee’s relatively mild climate, May through October are prime months for enjoying Knoxville, the summer in particular if you plan to take advantage of the city’s many water features. The golden falls of East Tennessee are gorgeous, with the leaves peaking in mid-October each autumn. Spring, however, may very well be the best time to visit Knoxville for those who love both art and flowers. Every April, downtown Knoxville is awash in color with the annual weekend-long Dogwood Arts Festival and the multi-day Chalk Walk art competition on Market Square.

A 315-acre compound spanning gardens, a natural bird sanctuary, and the spring-fed Mead’s Quarry, Ijams is a prime spot to while away an afternoon swimming, canoeing, kayaking, or paddleboarding. If you want to get your heart rate up, test your balance at the Navitat adventure park, whose tree-based terrain spans bridge crossings, tunnels, rolling barrels, nets, and zip lines.

Craft beer lovers will be eager to sip their way through Knoxville’s various homegrown brews. The Ale Trail links more than two dozen craft breweries and taprooms with a passport that encourages you to visit all of them safely and get rewarded for your efforts. The Knox Brew Bus is one convenient transportation option to hit up many of the stops along the trail.

At the turn of the millennium, many of Market Square’s buildings were vacant or boarded up; today, the area is the epicenter of much of Knoxville’s commerce and tourism. In addition to boasting water features and some excellent restaurants and bars, Market Square houses the verdant Krutch Park with its many sculptures, including the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Memorial statue.