Knoxville Attraction: The University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee has its roots in Blount College, a nonsectarian institution that was established in 1794 near what is now Knoxville’s business district. The school became East Tennessee College in 1807, then East Tennessee University in 1840, before finally becoming its current incarnation in 1879. It has been a land-grant university since 1869. The University has campuses in Memphis, Martin, Tullahoma and Chattanooga, but Knoxville is the school’s home.

UT is attended by about 20,000 undergraduate students, 6,000 graduate students and employs 8,000 faculty and staff members. Campus is 550 acres in size and is comprised of 220 buildings. It is located just west of downtown Knoxville, and can be reached either via Kingston Pike or by Interstate 40.

As such a large university, there is plenty to see and do on campus. There are public lectures, parties, sporting events, concerts, films and a range of other activities guaranteed to entertain students, parents and those just passing through town.

The Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center is a good place to orient oneself to the campus. The University Center is at 1502 W. Cumberland Avenue, right in the heart of the university. Inside there’s a post office, ticket office, a sweet shop, dining facilities, not to mention a bazillion posters detailing university events. Films are screened several times a month in the auditorium, usually for $3 or less. Public lectures are held in the University Center as well. The basement is home to Down Under, at which you’ll find 12 bowling lanes, billiard tables, table tennis, air hockey, foosball, darts, board games, TV lounges, refreshments and more.

Cumberland Avenue, better known as “the Strip,” is the campus’s main thoroughfare. There you’ll find several bars, clubs, restaurants and parties going on into the wee hours of the night. If you’re young, tipsy or trying to reconnect with your youth, you’ll fit in well there.

Theatre aficionados can take in a show at the 576-seat Clarence Brown Theatre, which opened in 1970. The proscenium theatre hosts a variety of theatrical and dance performances. The theatre is located at 1714 Andy Holt Boulevard.

The UT Gardens at 2431 Joe Johnson Drive are an “outdoor laboratory” on which you’ll find plants, trees and shrubs ranging from annuals and perennials to grasses and aquatic plants. The nationally recognized garden was established in 1983 by the university’s Department of Plant Sciences. The garden is open seven days a week from sunup to sunset. There is no admission fee. Visitor parking is located directly across the street from the garden’s entrance.

If you’re a football fan, you’ll want to visit the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. The 120,000-square-foot, two-level, $11 million center was completed in 1989. It is named in honor of former Vol head football coach General Robert R. Neyland and Knoxville businessman B. Ray Thompson. The main floor of the building includes a 100-yard All-Pro football field with 10-yard end zones and a baseball infield with inlaid bases and a pitcher’s mound. Near the front entrance you’ll find the Tennessee Football Hall of Fame Exhibit. The museum pays tribute to 100 years of Tennessee football history.

UT also hosts sporting events all year around. There’s the football team, which plays at the 102,037 seat Neyland Stadium near the Tennessee River. There are men’s and women’s basketball teams, both of which play at Thompson-Boling Arena, also located on campus. Other sports you can watch include baseball, cross country, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field. Visit visit www.utsports.com for schedules and tickets.

Visit visit www.utk.edu/maps for several maps of the University of Tennessee campus.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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