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Don't Knock Knoxville

Fun Along the Banks of the Tennessee River

By Elissa Gilbert

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It's easy to pass Knoxville by as you head to the nearby Smoky Mountains. But this small city on the banks of the Tennessee River has a surprising number of attractions to satisfy whatever interests your family has.

The Sports Scene

A building-size basketball sinks into the net outside the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. The hall traces women's basketball from the days when players wore long skirts and the basket was closed on bottom right up to Olympians and the All-Americans today. An early announcer exclaimed, "She handles the ball as well as she handles a lipstick!" and the early locker room was a maintenance closet, but you move quickly past that to a shiny modern locker room where coaches work up plays. You can join a huddle and listen in to a real coach giving instructions to the team at a critical point in the game. If the exhibits don't grab you, head to the lower level where kids can practice their dribbling technique and measure their jumping ability against champions. Visit www.wbhof.com for more information.

Back to Nature

The river front at Volunteer Landing (www.visitvolunteerlanding.com) offers a chance to watch boats on the Tennessee River either from a swinging bench or one of the waterside restaurants.

The walk along the river parallels railroad tracks, and you can hop onboard the historic Three Rivers Rambler train (www.threeriversrambler.com), which rumbles along the riverbanks past farmland and quarries to the point where the French Broad and Holston Rivers join to form the Tennessee River. Or explore the river on the Tennessee Riverboat paddlewheeler (www.tnriverboat.com). You can buy a combination ticket for the Hall of Fame, train and boat ride. If you prefer, you can rent a boat from the marina and explore the river on your own.


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