Visitor directory
Knox County directory
Knoxville and the county around it: Tennessee’s first capital, Market Square and the Old City, the riverfront greenways, and Farragut out west.
Cities: Knoxville (county seat) · Farragut (also Loudon)
Communities: Powell (also Anderson) · Halls · Karns · Hardin Valley · Corryton · Mascot · Gibbs · Carter · Concord · Heiskell (also Anderson) · Strawberry Plains (also Jefferson & Sevier)
Official tourism, parks & attractions
Tourism
- Visit Knoxville (official visitors bureau) ↗Things to do, events and the Visitor Center at 301 S. Gay St.
- Visit Farragut (Town of Farragut) ↗The town’s events site, home of Light the Park and the Campbell Station Inn.
Parks & outdoors
- Ijams Nature Center ↗South Knoxville nature center with trails, quarries and river access.
- Seven Islands State Birding Park (TN State Parks) ↗416 acres on the French Broad River in east Knox County, open sunrise to sunset.
- House Mountain Park (Knox County) ↗Trails to the county’s highest point, near Corryton.
- Knox County Parks & Recreation ↗County parks, greenways and shelter reservations.
- Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum ↗Gardens and stone walls in East Knoxville.
Attractions
- Blount Mansion ↗The 1792 home of Gov. William Blount, a National Historic Landmark downtown.
- James White’s Fort ↗The 1786 frontier fort where Knoxville began.
- Marble Springs State Historic Site ↗Gov. John Sevier’s farm in South Knox County.
- Historic Ramsey House ↗A 1797 stone house on Thorn Grove Pike in East Knox County.
- Museum of East Tennessee History ↗East Tennessee Historical Society museum at 601 S. Gay St.
- Beck Cultural Exchange Center ↗Knoxville’s Black history museum and archive.
- Knoxville Museum of Art ↗East Tennessee art at World’s Fair Park.
- Zoo Knoxville ↗Zoo in East Knoxville, with Smoky Night Lights on select winter nights.
Government
- Knox County government ↗Official county site: offices, parks, health department and elections.
- City of Knoxville ↗County seat: city services, Christmas in the City and the city calendar.
- Town of Farragut ↗Town hall, parks and the town calendar.
Local resources
- Emergency (police · fire · EMS)911Call 911 for any emergency.
- Knox County Sheriff’s Office (non-emergency)(865) 215-2444City-County Building, 400 W. Main St · Sheriff Brent Gibson ⓘ source
- Knox County Sheriff — Teleserve (non-emergency reports)(865) 215-2243Report by phone ⓘ source
- Knoxville Police Department (non-emergency)(865) 215-4010Teleserve reports (865) 215-7268 · Public Safety Complex, 1650 Huron St ⓘ source
- Knox County 911 (Knox 911)865-215-1179Non-emergency line for the consolidated 911 center ⓘ source
- Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management (KEMA)865-215-11661630 Huron St · storm and disaster info ⓘ source
- Knoxville Fire Department(865) 595-4480Business office · 19 fire halls ⓘ source
- Rural Metro Fire — Knox County(865) 321-8613Fire service for unincorporated Knox County and Farragut (membership) ⓘ source
- University of Tennessee Medical Center865-305-90001924 Alcoa Hwy, Level I Trauma Center ⓘ source
- Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center(865) 331-11111901 Clinch Ave (Covenant Health) ⓘ source
- Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital(865) 541-80002018 W. Clinch Ave (formerly East Tennessee Children’s Hospital) ⓘ source
- Knox County Health Department865-215-5000140 Dameron Ave ⓘ source
- Knox County Schools865-594-1800400 W. Summit Hill Dr, with calendars and closings ⓘ source
- Knox County Public Library(865) 215-8750Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave ⓘ source
- Knox County Election Commission865-215-2480Old Court House, 300 Main St, Suite 229 ⓘ source
- Highway emergency (cell)*THP (*847)Tennessee Highway Patrol ⓘ source
Checked Oct 28, 2026 · official sites only · phone numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. In an emergency, call 911.
Area news
Headlines from local outlets · Knox County
The FIA World Rally Championship returns to the U.S. in 2027 for the first time since 1988, with Knoxville as the drivers' base; routes come out in early 2027.
Read at WBIR 10News →Winter Jam 2027 comes to Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on March 5 with Crowder, Anne Wilson and more. Admission is a $15 donation at the door.
Read at WBIR 10News →City Council backed a $5 million package led by energy-saving lighting at city facilities and solar at five sites, plus sidewalk repairs and litter cleanup.
Read at City of Knoxville →Two Rural Metro firefighters are being honored for the quick care that saved a Carter-community man after a serious saw accident.
Read at Knox TN Today →More than 45,000 Knox County voters had cast ballots by the halfway point of early voting. Early voting ends Thursday, Oct. 29, and polls are open 8 a.m.–8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Read at WVLT 8 →Farragut's Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously picked Earle Lawrence Segrest to fill the open North Ward seat through August 2028.
Read at Farragut Press →KCDC and the City are asking East Knoxville neighbors what should go on the 14-acre former Public Safety Building site on Hill Avenue. Early ideas include housing, restaurants and open space.
Read at WBIR 10News →The James White Greenway along the Knoxville riverfront is open again after crews rebuilt an erosion-damaged stretch of the path.
Read at WATE 6 On Your Side →
Short summaries in our words — tap through to read the full story at the outlet. All area news → · Outlet requests: [email protected]
A short history
In 1786 James White built a fort a few miles below the point where the French Broad and Holston Rivers meet to form the Tennessee. In 1791 territorial governor William Blount chose White’s Fort as the capital of the Territory South of the River Ohio and named it Knoxville, for Secretary of War Henry Knox. Knox County, also named for Knox, was created on June 11, 1792 — one of only eight counties created under territorial government. Parts of it were later carved off to form Blount (1795), Anderson and Roane (1801), and Union (1850) counties.
Knoxville was Tennessee’s capital from statehood in 1796 until 1812 — except for one day in 1807, when the legislature met in Kingston — and again briefly in 1817–18. John Sevier, a Knox County resident, was governor for most of those years. Blount Mansion (1792), Governor Blount’s home, is the county’s only National Historic Landmark. Tennessee’s first newspaper, the Knoxville Gazette, began here in 1791, and the University of Tennessee grew out of Blount College, founded in 1794.
Two railroads met in Knoxville in 1855, which made the city a prize in the Civil War; the Union victory at Fort Sanders in 1863 kept it in Federal hands. In 1933 the new Tennessee Valley Authority made Knoxville its headquarters, and Knoxvillians led by Col. David Chapman were central to the campaign that created Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The city hosted the 1982 World’s Fair.
Towns & communities
- Knoxville — county seat; Market Square, the Old City and the riverfront
- Farragut — the county’s fast-growing west end, named for Admiral David Farragut, born in Knox County
- Powell & Halls — north Knox communities on the way to Norris
- Karns & Hardin Valley — west Knox communities
- Concord — old lakeside village on Fort Loudoun Lake
- Corryton & Mascot — farm and quarry country in the east
Our place stories in and near Knox County
- Townsend — about 45 minutes south — the quiet-side base camp
- Look Rock — sunrise tower on the Foothills Parkway
- Norris Lake — TVA’s first dam, north of the county line
Go deeper
Neighboring counties: Blount County · Sevier County · Anderson County · Loudon County · Roane County · Union County · Grainger County · All counties →
Official visitor links
Checked Oct 27, 2026 · hours, fees and events live on these pages.
Videos
Sources
Checked Oct 27, 2026 · We summarize; follow these for the full history. No hours or fees on this page — check official sites before you go.