knoxville tours.com

Worldwide Tours and Charter Services

Hello travelers, our 2024 schedule is under development and will add additional tours as they become available. for a list of tours with set dates  click here. more details and pricing on trips soon to follow., upcoming tours, 5 day charleston and savannah: april 22-26, 2024, 2 day biltmore estates/chihuly exhibit: may 07-08, 2024, 2 day grand ole opry: may 07-08, 2024, 9 day moss mtn. farm & pioneer woman: may 16-24, 2024, 12 day mystery tour: may 29 - june 09, 2024, charter services, we can take your group anywhere you need to go let us know a little more about your travel needs and we can customize the transportation to make sure your group arrives as safely and as comfortable as possible. .

“I was thrilled to hear that Knoxville Tours has survived the Pandemic and will hopefully begin tours sometime in 2021. I can’t say enough about the great trips (about 6) I have been on. The trips are always well planned. Martha Hooks has been a wonderful and informative director. I have always felt safe with the bus drivers. That hasn’t been the case with some other tour companies. I’m very excited to start traveling again. Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and “on the road again” in 2021!”

– nina duncan.

“I organized a 2019 tour of the South for 30 Northerners. All the Knoxville Tours staff and our fabulous driver Suzanne Page could not have been more helpful and professional. We had reserved for a 2020 repeat trip when COVID shutdown our plans. We are intending to travel with Knoxville Tours in 2022 when we try our trip again. I can’t imagine using a different tour company.”

– amelie ratcliff, “do you love fun and adventure i do the mystery trips with knoxville tours are one of my favorites. fun, food, friends, food, learning new things, food i love trying to figure out where we will be the next day come travel, have fun, make new friends”, – shirley from chattanooga, tn, “we had never been on a bus tour and decided to travel with knoxville tours on our first trip. we couldn’t have been more pleased we feel like a big part of that was because we had debbie pearcy for our tour director. we took the fall new england tour and it was absolutely gorgeous. the places we visited and the places we stayed were excellent. we can’t wait for our next adventure”, – sherrell and jan from chattanooga, tn, “life is filled with memories, and we have so many good memories with our knoxville tours travels.”, – julie from tellico village, “i miss you all and think about the tours we have been able to take all the time. hope to see you in 2021.”, – sue and john from knoxville, tn, “i really miss traveling with knoxville tours and sure hope we can get back on the road later in 2021.”, – toni, “ralph and i have always enjoyed all the trips we have taken over the past nine years. we have stayed in wonderful places, eaten great food, and seen many terrific sites. we also have enjoyed meeting great people who have traveled with us. we will keep many memories of fun times and look forward to having many more in the future. i guess one of the best trips we took was to mackinac island. we got to spend two nights at the grand hotel which was out of this world. somehow, we were given the beautiful esther williams suite along with our friends ken and martha. we pray that knoxville tours will once again be able to schedule trips in 2021 and that this pandemic will go away. we thank knoxville tours for being the best tour company ever. they have brought a lot of joy and happiness into our lives”, – pat and ralph, “knoxville tours is the best a trip i especially enjoyed was the trip to new york city when i took three granddaughters and their mothers–their first trip to the big city. it was great fun thank you.”, – dana from abingdon, va, “boy, tessa and i sure missed traveling this year so glad to hear knox tours is still in business and planning for 2021. i, too, hope with vaccines, we can travel again in summer 2021.”, – brenda from maryville, tn, “ready to roll when you travel with knoxville tours you become extended family. i have made so many new friends and memories on our trips seeing the world with friends is amazing can’t wait for the next adventure filled excursion.”, – linda and ken, knoxville, tn, office hours.

Monday-Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday - Closed

Office Location

4910 Clinton Highway Knoxville, TN 37912 Phone: (865)-688-6232 Email: [email protected]

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• Misbehaving Women
• The Early Years
• Literary Heritage Tours
• Old Gray Cemetery Tour
• Black History – Leaders, Writers, and Artists
• Knoxville’s Musical History

Knoxville Botanical Garden

• The Gunslingers
• The Civil War in Knoxville

Shadow Side 2: Ghosts of the Old City

Shadow side ghost tour.

• Shadow Side 3: Side Street Shadows
• Holiday History Tour
• Laura’s Books

Guided Knoxville walking tours

Storyteller Laura Still helps you live the stories of pioneers, soldiers, outlaws, and even fictional characters who walked these streets before you.

Knoxville has a rich history full of colorful characters and famous, and infamous, figures whose lives have been the inspiration for books, movies, and works of art. Take a stroll through history in beautiful downtown Knoxville while listening to true tales of the heroes, heels, and hardened criminals that are part of the hidden lore of this unique East Tennessee town.

In Partnership with Jack Neely and the Knoxville History Project

A haunted history of knoxville, (865) 309-4522.

Choose Your Tour

Holiday history.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays in downtown Knoxville while learning about local traditions and legendary celebrations. Longing for an old-fashioned Christmas feast? Bring on roasted leg of bear! Details & Tickets

Free Summer & Fall Tours

We're pleased to partner with Knox County Public Library to provide special downtown excursions exploring East Tennessee’s literary and artistic heritage on select Saturdays. Details & Tickets

More History Tours

New: misbehaving women.

The struggle for women’s right to vote spans over 70 years and culminates in the passage of the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920. The national movement couldn’t succeed without work at the local level, and in Knoxville women have a proud heritage of misbehaving in the cause of justice. Meet the stalwarts of suffrage who began by refusing to lower their heads and accept the status quo and ended by changing history. Details & Tickets

Early Years

A great place to start. Step back over two centuries and visit Knoxville's founders as you listen to the stories of the settlement of White's Fort and establishment of the capital of the Southwest Territory at the headwaters of the Tennessee. Details & Tickets

Walk the streets of a city torn by divided loyalties and then get an overview of the fighting from Gallows Hill. Spies, bridge burners, miracle shots, betrayal, and battle. Details & Tickets

Black History

Leaders, Writers, and Artists Stroll the streets that inspired Knoxville’s Black artists, musicians, and writers: Charles Cansler, Cal Johnson, Howard Armstrong (Louie Bluie), Leola Manning, Beauford and Joseph Delaney, and author Nikki Giovanni. Details & Tickets

Ten years before statehood David Howell planted a garden, establishing a family business that would last over a hundred years. Travel from the frontier to today hearing the story of this historic property in sun and shadow. Proceeds help support the garden. Details & Tickets

Gunslingers

Family feuds and wanted outlaws. You'll relive the days when Knoxville was the wild west and Gay Street was the OK Corral. Family feuds, love triangles, post-war animosities, and duels in the street! Details & Tickets

Musical History

The Knoxville story has always been set to music, from the time when the poetic rhythms of the native Cherokee tribes still echoed in the hills and the ballads of the Scots-Irish settlers were sung around campfires on the riverbanks. Immigrants from all over the world brought new instruments and tunes to enliven the song and make Knoxville home to musicians of every genre. Details & Tickets

Old Gray Cemetery

Just north of downtown Knoxville, Old Gray Cemetery is a little-known historic jewel. Founded in 1850 as part of the rural park cemetery movement, it became a popular destination for carriage rides and picnics. 1860-1910, when most of the graves were dug, were some of the most violent decades of Knoxville’s history, as well as the heyday of the local marble industry, when the fashion for elaborate monuments and statuary was at its zenith. Details & Tickets

Literary Heritage

Home of Cormac McCarthy, Nikki Giovanni, James Agee, and more. You'll visit the scenes that inspired them and walk in the footsteps of their characters. Details & Tickets

Ghost Tours

Brave souls who enjoy a chill can join us for a trip into Knoxville's shadow side. The city's history of blood-stained streets echoing with gunfire is full of restless spirits. Visit their haunts and hear local legends of ghostly apparitions. Details & Tickets

Red Summer, drunken brawls, hot lead, and blood on the tracks. Knoxville's Old City used to be known as the bowery, where victims of murderous brawls, dealdly shoot-outs, and horrific train crashes haunt the old buildings and back alleys along with the ghost of a musician who hasn't quite faded away. Details & Tickets

New! - Side Street Shadows Ghost Tour

Hear more tales of ghostly history as you follow storyteller Laura Still on the Side Street Shadows tour. Find out who haunts the Farragut, how a gunfight on Cumberland nearly started a war, and where you might meet the courteous spirit of a scholar or the grumpy ghost of a violent rebel. Details & Tickets

© Copyright 2020 Knoxville Walking Tours · All Rights Reserved · (865)309-4522

The 10 Best Tours to Take in Knoxville, Tennessee

By: Author Laurin

Posted on Last updated: September 14, 2023

Categories Activities , Knoxville , Northeast Tennessee

Booking a tour from our list of best tours in Knoxville will have you exploring the city of Knoxville and beyond!

Tours can take away the stresses of decision-making on things to do while visiting a new city, giving you more time to explore.

Situated almost exactly halfway between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau, Knoxville has all the charm of a mountain town.

It’s also one of the largest urban hubs in Appalachia, drawing visitors with its scenery, abundance of restaurants, breweries and distilleries, shopping, live music, nightlife, hotels , and sports.

With so much to see and do indoors and out, one of the best ways to truly experience The Marble City is by booking some of the best tours in Knoxville .

Knoxville tours cover the gamut of interests, from moonshine and local craft beer to aerial helicopter tours and the stunning Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just an hour away.

Keep reading to see what tours are offered in and around Knoxville below!

Table of Contents

The 10 Best Tours in Knoxville, Tennessee

1. a taste of knoxville brew hop.

Knoxville is renowned for its craft beer scene , offering a vast variety of incredible settings to enjoy a brew. In fact, the city has its very own Knoxville Ale Trail , with more than 30 breweries!

This brew hop is unique among tours in Knoxville, allowing you to DIY your very own brewery crawl ! You can pick your starting and ending points, and spend however much time you’d like at each spot. Five local favorites including Printshop Beer Co. (try a sour!) and Elst Brewing Co. are included. 

Not only does this Knoxville tour offer a flexible schedule that you create yourself, but it also includes all five destinations at a fixed rate. In other words, hop on and off the bus visiting as many breweries as your heart desires, all for one flat rate!

Combined with free water and wi-fi on the bus, and free cancellation up until 24 hours before, it’s easy to see why this is rated as one of the best tours in Knoxville!

Book A Taste of Knoxville Brew Hop Tour Here 🍺

2. Knoxville Scavenger Hunt: Knoxville’s Perfect Blend

A real-life scavenger hunt is the perfect way to discover Knoxville’s rich history and cultural attractions.

This tour weaves through some of Knoxville’s most notable locations , all stitched together with super fun clues, riddles, and challenges. Interesting spots in the city, like Bijou Theater and Blount Mansion, are even more fun to explore when there’s a bit of adventure added!

Designed for a group of friends or family , the challenges range from taking silly pictures together to testing your knowledge with some tricky trivia.

Best of all, the scavenger hunt has a team-building energy and friendly competition element, perfect for bringing loved ones together — something not all tours in Knoxville can claim!

Everything is done through an app, so there’s no need to worry about scheduling an exact time. Simply check the forecast, wear comfortable clothing and shoes, and hit the streets!

This excursion involves walking but is also wheelchair- and stroller-accessible. 

Book the Knoxville Scavenger Hunt Here 🔎

3. Knoxville’s Country Music Heritage: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

Nashville may be more closely associated with music, but Knoxville boasts its own vibrant heritage.

Performers like Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton have done noteworthy performances in Knoxville! To get an authentic taste of this rich history, embark on a self-guided walking tour through the heart of the city .

For just $6, this low-commitment activity vividly tells the remarkable stories of various venues and historic buildings in pleasant downtown Knoxville.

It touches on how the city contributed to country music, through home-grown talent and performers who accelerated their careers here.

This Knoxville tour lasts up to 1.5 hours and weaves through several downtown blocks. Make sure to wear appropriate, comfortable footwear and check the forecast.

Book the Country Music Heritage Tour Here 🤠

4. Knoxville Food Tours

We couldn’t talk about the best tours in Knoxville without including Knoxville Food Tours !

In just a few hours on this fun and flavorful experience, you’ll get a literal taste of The South.

The diverse sampling of Knoxville’s best restaurants includes Southern and Appalachian classics, plus some surprises.

This is a walking tour (about one mile total), so it also presents an excellent way to get the lay of the land of downtown Knoxville.

Local historian and author Paula Johnson leads the tours through Market Square and Gay Street. You’ll visit 4-6 establishments, depending on the time of year and itinerary.

Tours are held Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and last 2.5-3 hours.

Please note that alcoholic beverages are available but not included in the tour price. Be sure to bring some extra money to cover that, as well as gratuity for your guide! However, tips for individual restaurant servers are included.

Other Tours Near Knoxville (Within an Hour’s Drive)

5. sharing nature with children.

Traveling with little ones and not quite sure how best to dive into Knoxville’s beautiful natural surroundings? This immersive tour pairs families with experienced, child-oriented guides!

The activities are hands-on and intuitive, leading to smiles from the kiddos and adults alike.

From face-painting with rocks to learning about settler history and salamander hunting, participants consistently comment that these tours thoroughly entertain everyone .

4-hour tours start at a highly-rated cafe (perfect for an adult caffeine fix!) and continue on to Great Smoky Mountains National Park . The guide does an incredible job selecting a trail that feels like an adventure but is also approachable for all ages and experience levels.

Keep in mind that getting a bit muddy is part of the fun (one of the things that makes this one of the most memorable tours in Knoxville!), so bring a change of clothes.

Book the Sharing Nature with Children Tour Here 🌱

6. Family-Friendly Floating Tour at the Smokies

When the infamous East Tennessee heat sets in, it’s time to hit the river! This rafting tour, led by a knowledgeable guide, combines just enough adrenaline to get the heart pumping with some excellent calm swimming holes.

Safety is paramount, as this tour near Knoxville is specifically for families with children three and older , so you can rest assured the trip isn’t too intense. The rafts each accommodate up to eight people, so they’re large enough for the entire family.

In addition to expertly navigating through class I and II rapids (gentle), the tour stops at a small island with games, nature trails, and excellent spots to kick back and relax. The entire float spans six miles of the river, plenty to see amazing scenery but also very manageable!

Many participants note they love the guides, who add a personable twist that makes the experience even more entertaining.

The tour departs from a launch point along the Pigeon River, just under an hour’s drive from Knoxville . Rafts go out rain or shine, but if the forecast looks especially bad, you can take advantage of free cancellation up to 24 hours prior.

Book this Floating Tour in the Smokies Here 🚣

7. Tickets to Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Show

Want to witness a truly unique cultural attraction? Book a ticket to watch a lively event filled with talented lumberjacks sawing, hacking, climbing, and even jousting in front of a live audience!

The family-friendly show features 13 individual events over 90 minutes. Audience interaction is strongly encouraged and oftentimes, kids get to join in on the fun!

The show is in Pigeon Forge , a charming town 40 minutes from Knoxville. It’s filled with excellent options for dining and drinking, so you can make a whole night of it and hit the town before or after.

Like many other tours in or near Knoxville, there’s free cancellation up to 24 hours beforehand, so book your preferred date and time ASAP — tickets do often sell out.

Book Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Show Here 🪓

8. Ridge Runner Helicopter Tour

Most tours hit the road…but how about one that flies the skies? This helicopter flight soars over the treetops of the Smokies, offering excellent vistas and adrenaline-inducing fun .

Referred to as the “Ridge Runner,” this 15-minute flight traverses the Chilhowee mountain range and offers a birds-eye view of Pigeon Forge and Sevierville.

In addition to flying the helicopter, the pilot points out fascinating details about the region, both in historical and natural aspects.

Although many people think sunny weather is best, misty days offer an unforgettable experience! Similar to other Knoxville tours, free cancellation means rescheduling is easy when the forecast is grim!

Book the Ridge Runner Helicopter Tour Here 🚁

9. Pigeon Forge Wine and Moonshine Tour

Knoxville may be known for its craft beer scene, but outside the city, it’s all about moonshine !

The Brewery Hop organizers, one of the tours in Knoxville mentioned earlier, also offer this highly-rated excursion to Pigeon Forge.

The bus stops at two wineries and two distilleries (so it’s especially handy that transportation is taken care of!). Between all four tasting rooms, you’ll try red and white wines, plus nearly a dozen varieties of locally-produced moonshine. 

After sampling a variety of beverages, the tour even includes a behind-the-scenes look at production. So while the experience involves a fair amount of tipsy fun, it’s also culturally enriching!

In addition to the personable bar staff, you’ll have an outgoing driver/guide who gives background on each stop.

Book this Pigeon Forge Wine & Moonshine Tour Here 🍷

10. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Self-Driving Tour

A trip to Knoxville simply isn’t complete without a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

In an expansive park with many sections, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to see first. Instead, book a self-guided tour with a pre-planned route to take care of the details!

This Knoxville “tour” is actually an app with an itinerary and accompanying audio narration for a relaxing drive.

It even downloads offline, so there’s no need to worry about cell signal! Simply drive to the starting point and hit play. Best of all, it’s only $15 per vehicle! 

The narration covers Cherokee history, with added immersion through animated clips in the app. It also includes wildlife descriptions and stops at some of the park’s most breathtaking sights.

Think of iconic Clingman’s Dome and Rainbow Falls. With a starting point less than an hour from Knoxville, this tour is a totally doable day trip!

Book the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tour Here 🚙

Which of these best tours in Knoxville intrigues you the most? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: Brew Bus Knoxville

Knoxville Tours & Travel Center

Location & hours.

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4910 Clinton Hwy

Knoxville, TN 37912

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About the Business

Travel with a view across America's highways. Knoxville Tours is one of the most respected tour and charter operations in the travel industry today. We have proudly served you for 54 years and have traveled millions of miles and have given thousands of people an opportunity to enjoy traveling. Our catalog gives you expert planning at your fingertips including expert planning, day-by-day itineraries and prices that offer you the best value for your vacation time and money. We also plan group charters to suit your needs. …

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Love traveling with Knoxville Tours! You leave a customer and you return as family! There were so many additions to the itinerary like Standing on the corner in Winslow AZ, The Santa Monica Pier, Santa Barbara and more.... Our accommodations are excellent and the bus is equipped with tv screens, Wi-Fi, outlets, usb ports and the all important cup holders so you can build a nest for your trip. Where else do you get dropped off your coach near a door and picked back up in your AC cooled coach to travel on to your next excursion or adventure. Highly recommend Knoxville Tours and the Pacific Coast Tour!!

We traveled with Knoxville Tours and Travel for 20 years throughout the United States and Canada. The drivers and tour directors were always excellent. This company is exceptional.

This was a terrible experience!! The first bus driver we had do not tell us that are bus had some problems with over heating! When we got our new bus driver she didn't know that it had some problems. We had to pull over about 3 times on our way to the first stop. Then our second stop to our hotel it kept over heating! She went to 3 different places and known could fix it!! We had to get a new bus, just because of ONE PERSON! I do not recommend this tour center!

I've done several trips with Knoxville Tours (two of them were 9+ hour drives) and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Going down the road to New Orleans, driving through Charleston, even the mountains of Tennessee. The drivers have always been friendly and courteous, and it's a great value for the money. This is a really great way to travel and see the country. Stewart, the owner, really gives you a lot of attention to detail to make sure thee experience is great.

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2024 Official Knoxville Visitors Guide

In this one, unique location, mountains meet music… art meets adventure… culture meets cuisine… and no one meets a stranger. The 2024 guide features original content, beautiful photography and layouts, maps and neighborhood profiles – with an emphasis on pet-friendly places to go. Outdoor adventure, live music and local makers are also included along with Knoxville’s incredible dining and brewery scene... everything you need to know to start planning your visit.

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Knoxville police shoot and kill man at a Fountain City gas station

Knoxville police shot a man after they were called to a disturbance at a gas station on Broadway Street on the city's north side, according to a release from the Knoxville Police Department. The man died from his injuries.

KPD spokesman Scott Erland said officers were called about 5 p.m. for a man causing a disturbance at a gas station across from the Fountain City Duck Pond.

"There was a report about a man inside the store acting erratically and potentially aggressively," Erland told reporters.

Erland said an officer was confronted by the man, who had a knife. The officer shot the man, who was taken to a hospital and died there.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will take over the case, which is the standard practice in police shootings. KPD will conduct its own internal review.