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Maynardville, Tennessee

Union County’s seat, just north of Knoxville: the courthouse on Main Street, the county museum’s country-music stars and a strip of hometown restaurants on Maynardville Highway, with Big Ridge State Park and Norris Lake a short drive away.

City · county seatSeat of Union County →Pop. 2,456 (2020)Eastern time (ET)Things to do ↓Eat & drink ↓Places to stay ↓Events ↓A short history ↓City offices & resources ↓

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · all times Eastern (ET) · sources at the bottom

In 30 seconds
  • Why stop: see the Union County Historical Society Museum’s country-music room and genealogy library, have barbecue on Maynardville Highway, then drive out to Big Ridge State Park on Norris Lake.
  • Before you go: Maynardville is on Eastern time (ET). Early voting ends today, Oct 29, at the Paulette Community Center; Election Day is Tue Nov 3, with no city races on the ballot. Veterans Appreciation Day is Sat Nov 7 at Wilson Park (12–4 PM ET), and the Christmas Tree Lighting is Sat Nov 28 at the courthouse (3–7 PM ET).
  • Good to know: Big Ridge State Park has a Maynardville address but is outside the city limits, and its cabins are closed until April 1, 2027. Loyston Point and the Chuck Swan forest are also out of town.

Visitor directory

Things to do in and around Maynardville

In town

  • Union County Courthouse & Main Street ↗901 Main St. · the county seat’s Main Street, with the courthouse, the public library and the senior center. On Sat Nov 28, 3–7 PM ET, the courthouse hosts the Union County Christmas Tree Lighting. ⓘ source
  • Union County Historical Society Museum ↗3824 Maynardville Hwy. · the county museum and genealogical library, with family-history books, cemetery and TVA records, and the story of Union County’s country-music stars Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Carl Smith, Lois Johnson and Kenny Chesney · Mon–Tue 10 AM–4 PM ET, Sun 1–5 PM ET · (865) 992-2136. ⓘ source
  • Maynardville Public Library ↗296 Main St. · books, e-books, computers, printing and faxing · Mon and Wed–Fri 9 AM–6 PM ET, Sat 9 AM–1 PM ET; closed Sunday and Tuesday · (865) 992-7106. ⓘ source
  • Wilson Park ↗The city park that hosts Veterans Appreciation Day, with free barbecue and live music for veterans and their families on Sat Nov 7, 12–4 PM ET. ⓘ source
  • Union County Farmers Market ↗Farmers Pavilion, 115 Durham Dr. · Saturdays 9 AM–1 PM ET from May through October, so this season is ending; it returns in May. ⓘ source

Eat & drink

  • Li’l Jo’s BBQ ↗2805 Maynardville Hwy. · Memphis-style barbecue, pizza, steaks and catfish, with a full bar and live music on Thursday nights · Tue–Thu 11 AM–9 PM ET, Fri–Sat 11 AM–10 PM ET, Sun 11 AM–3 PM ET; closed Monday · 865-992-7171. ⓘ source
  • Pete’s Place Restaurant & Grill ↗3905 Maynardville Hwy. · grilled steaks and shrimp, and the game on the big screen · Mon–Sat 5–10 PM ET; the grill closes at 9:30 PM ET · 865-992-3698. Source conflict: an older Pete’s Place website lists different hours and a different phone number; we print the hours and number on the restaurant’s current site. Call ahead. ⓘ source
  • China One ↗4358 Maynardville Hwy. · Chinese and Japanese dishes to eat in or take out · Tue–Sun 4–9 PM ET; closed Monday · (865) 992-8882. ⓘ source

Small-town hours change, so call ahead.

Places to stay

We could not confirm a hotel or inn inside the city limits from a first-party listing; the nearest official lodging is at Big Ridge State Park.

Nearby: Big Ridge, Norris Lake & the Sharps Chapel peninsula

  • Big Ridge State Park ↗Not in Maynardville — 1015 Big Ridge Park Rd. · the address says Maynardville, but the park is outside the city limits · 3,687 acres near Norris Lake with a lake for swimming, more than 15 miles of trails and a grist mill. It was one of TVA’s first tourism demonstration parks, and its buildings date from the 1930s · 865-992-5523. ⓘ source
  • Norris Lake ↗Not in Maynardville — Union County has 263.6 miles of Norris Lake shoreline (Tennessee Encyclopedia). Former residents of the communities flooded by Norris Reservoir still gather each year and visit old homesites when the lake is low. ⓘ source
  • Loyston Point ↗Not in Maynardville — a lakeside recreation area with mountain-bike trails on Norris Lake. Its mailing address is Andersonville, but it is in Union County. ⓘ source
  • Chuck Swan State Forest & Wildlife Management Area ↗Not in Maynardville — on the Sharps Chapel peninsula · state forest land with hunting, fishing and a firing range. Check TWRA’s hunt dates before you go, because quota hunts limit access. ⓘ source
  • Powell River Blueway: Union County Boat Dock ↗Not in Maynardville — a concrete ramp onto a slack-water stretch of the Powell River, where you can paddle out and back. ⓘ source

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · in or out of town checked against Census city limits. Call ahead — hours change. All hours Eastern (ET).

Coming up in and around Maynardville

  • Thu Oct 29 — Last day of early votingAt the Paulette Community Center, 105 Beech St., Union County’s single early-voting site. Hours are not posted on the Election Commission’s pages; call (865) 992-3471. ⓘ source
  • Fri Oct 30 — S’mores & Riddles at Big RidgeNot in Maynardville — Big Ridge State Park, overflow parking area · 5–6 PM ET · ranger-led riddles and campfire stories; riddles are free, and unlimited s’mores are $3. ⓘ source
  • Fri Oct 30 — Ghost House Hike at Big RidgeNot in Maynardville — Big Ridge State Park · 7:30 PM ET and 8 PM ET · a 1-mile guided hike with costumed storytellers around an old family homestead. Not for children under 7; under 16 with an adult. Registration is on the park’s page. ⓘ source
  • Tue Nov 3 — Election DayThe state and federal general election. Maynardville has no city races on this ballot: city elections are held in June, and MTAS lists the next one as June 6, 2028. Find your polling place on the Election Commission’s site · (865) 992-3471. ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 7 — Veterans Appreciation Day12–4 PM ET at Wilson Park · free barbecue and live music for veterans, their families and friends, from American Legion Post 212. ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 7 — Veterans Appreciation Motorcycle RideFrom Wilson Park: registration opens at 11 AM ET and kickstands go up at 1 PM ET for the ride to the Veterans Overlook on Clinch Mountain · $20 per rider, $30 with a passenger. ⓘ source
  • Mon Nov 9 — Maynardville Planning CommissionWorkshop 6 PM ET, meeting 7 PM ET. ⓘ source
  • Tue Nov 10 — Maynardville City CommissionWorkshop 6:30 PM ET and meeting 7 PM ET at City Hall, 125 Johnson Rd. ⓘ source
  • Wed Nov 11 — Veterans DayMaynardville city offices are closed. ⓘ source
  • Fri Nov 13 — Navy JROTC spaghetti dinner & silent auction5–7 PM ET at Union County High School · $5 meal tickets (cash or check); children under 2 eat free. ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 14 — Loyston Point Lost City EscapeNot in Maynardville — Loyston Point Trails on Norris Lake · a 55K mountain-bike race; mass start at 10 AM ET. Spectators are welcome. ⓘ source
  • Mon Nov 23 — Union County Commission7 PM ET at the Union County Courthouse, 901 Main St. ⓘ source
  • Thu–Fri Nov 26–27 — ThanksgivingMaynardville city offices are closed Thanksgiving Day and the day after. ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 28 — Union County Christmas Tree Lighting3–7 PM ET at the Union County Courthouse · a free Christmas car cruise-in, local choirs, Santa and an “Under the Tree” toy drive (bring a new, unwrapped toy), ending with the tree lighting. ⓘ source

More happenings are on Historic Union County ↗, the City of Maynardville site ↗ and Big Ridge State Park ↗. We’ll refresh this list after the Nov 28 tree lighting.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · times Eastern (ET) · dates from the City of Maynardville, the Union County Election Commission, Union County government, Tennessee State Parks, Knox Bike Racing and Historic Union County. More Union County events are on the county guide.

Area news

Headlines · Maynardville & Union County

  • Historic Union County · Oct 28, 2026

    The Union County Christmas Tree Lighting returns Nov 28 at the courthouse in Maynardville, with a car cruise-in, choirs, Santa and a toy drive.

    Read at Historic Union County →
  • WBIR 10 · Oct 21, 2026

    The Union County Jail is housing inmates again after an August staffing crisis sent them to neighboring counties; the closure was used to redo floors, plumbing, lighting and fire alarms.

    Read at WBIR 10 →
  • Historic Union County · Oct 20, 2026

    Union County 4-H Grill Masters’ senior team won the regional championship after a strong county competition.

    Read at Historic Union County →
  • WVLT 8 · Sep 8, 2026

    Students moved into the new Horace Maynard Middle School in Maynardville, with a secure entrance, new cafeteria, library, media rooms and band room.

    Read at WVLT 8 →

Short summaries in our words — tap through to read the full story at the source. All area news → · Outlet requests: [email protected]

A short history

Tennessee’s legislature passed the act creating Union County on Jan. 3, 1850, from parts of Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger and Knox counties, but legal challenges held up the county until Jan. 23, 1856. Some historians say the name marks the union of five counties’ land; others say it reflects the area’s support for the federal Union (Tennessee Encyclopedia).

A small community called Liberty, near the middle of the new county, became the county seat in 1850. It was renamed Maynardville for Horace Maynard, the young lawyer who successfully defended the county’s creation in court (Tennessee Encyclopedia). Source conflict: the Tennessee Encyclopedia says the county high school “bears the name Horace Maynard High School.” That is out of date: the high school is now Union County High School, and the name lives on at Horace Maynard Middle School, whose new building in Maynardville opened in September 2026 (WVLT).

The Norris Dam project changed Union County more than anything else. It brought jobs and training, but it also displaced many families whose homes lay below the new lake’s pool level. Big Ridge State Park, on Norris Lake, was one of TVA’s first tourism demonstration projects (Tennessee Encyclopedia).

Union County is known for its music: Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Carl Smith and Kenny Chesney all came from here, and Lois Johnson is among its best-known women entertainers (Tennessee Encyclopedia; Union County Historical Society).

Today Maynardville is a city with a general law manager-commission charter. The City Commission meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7 PM ET, and the city runs police, a volunteer fire department, parks, and water and wastewater service. City offices at 125 Johnson Rd. are open Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM ET, and the city has no city property tax (MTAS; City of Maynardville). Source conflict: the 2020 Census counted 2,456 people in Maynardville; the state’s certified 2026 estimate is 2,723 (MTAS), and the 2010 Census counted 2,413. MTAS dates the city’s incorporation to Feb. 1, 1870, under the Private Acts of 1869–70, two decades after Liberty became the county seat.

Read more: Union County (Tennessee Encyclopedia) ↗ · Union County Historical Society ↗

Union County’s history → · East Tennessee history hub →

City offices & local resources

City of Maynardville ↗ — departments, boards, notices and online payments · MTAS directory ↗. Maynardville has a mayor and city commissioners under a general law manager-commission charter. The City Commission meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7 PM ET at City Hall, after a 6:30 PM ET workshop; the Planning Commission meets the second Monday at 7 PM ET, after a 6 PM ET workshop. City Court is held the first Wednesday of each month at 1 PM ET. Union County offices are in the Courthouse, 901 Main St., and the County Commission meets the fourth Monday at 7 PM ET (none in July or December).

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · official sites only · numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. Times Eastern (ET). Emergencies: call 911.

Around Union County

← Union County guide — Big Ridge, Norris Lake, Chuck Swan, the Powell River and county resources.

Other Union County places: Luttrell · Plainview · Sharps Chapel · Paulette · Braden · Alder Springs · New Loyston · Cedar Grove · Brock. Census places: Maynardville city (2,456) · Plainview city (2,060) · Luttrell town (1,017). Next door: Anderson · Campbell · Claiborne · Grainger · Knox county guides.

Other county-seat guides: Wartburg (Morgan County) · Kingston (Roane County) · Huntsville (Scott County) · Jamestown (Fentress County) · Crossville (Cumberland County) · Clinton (Anderson County) · Dayton (Rhea County) · Decatur (Meigs County) · Athens (McMinn County) · Cleveland (Bradley County) · Madisonville (Monroe County) · Loudon (Loudon County) · Maryville (Blount County) · Sevierville (Sevier County) · Knoxville (Knox County) · Newport (Cocke County) · Tazewell (Claiborne County) · Benton (Polk County) · Greeneville (Greene County) · Morristown (Hamblen County) · Rogersville (Hawkins County) · Jacksboro (Campbell County). Nearest seats: Knoxville (Knox), Clinton (Anderson), Jacksboro (Campbell) and Tazewell (Claiborne).

Sources

Checked Oct 29, 2026