Things to Do in Cleveland

Thirty-two lanes with electronic scoring conduct a thunderous symphony of crashing pins and cheers of victory at Oak Ridge Bowling Center. After completing frames, bowlers mingle in Spare Time Lounge to toss darts or watch sports on one of three LCD TVs. Hungry guests can grab a table and a burger at Ten Pin Grille, while gamers test hand-eye-coordination at billiards, skee ball, and air hockey tables in the arcade. Organized league play and private parties are offered as well.

At Wheat Union Station, volunteers restore and maintain the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum's four diesel engines. Authentically outfitted conductors and staff keep one shiny shoe firmly in the past as air-conditioned coach cars and an open-air baggage car rumble past Poplar Creek, Watts Bar Lake, and Highway 327. The museum conducts seasonal rides and theme rides, including dinner trains and murder mysteries. Secret City Scenic Excursion train rides chug along rail lines that stretch out from K-25, a site of World War II's Manhattan Project.

As part of the National Premier Soccer League, both teams of the Knoxville Force showcase top amateur players from high school, college, and around the world as they prepare for professional careers. Since its founding in 2011, the Force organization has thrilled local soccer fans with teams built around some of the region's best athletes as well as imports from other national and international teams. Both the men's and women's teams scurry across the pitch at University of Tennessee's Regal Soccer Stadium, and each holds tryouts prior to each season to make sure top recruits aren't actually kids stacked on each other's shoulders, as those cleats would probably dig in pretty hard.

The Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum sprawls across 44 ridge-top acres crisscrossed by walking paths, dotted with display gardens, and ornamented by more than two miles of stone walls. Open from sunrise until sunset, the gardens—formerly Howell Nurseries—showcase local flora and fauna, inviting visitors to capture their beauty on camera or via their own personal sketch artist. Patrons can call ahead for guided tours of the premises, or attend events such as galas and educational workshops. Guests hosting upcoming events can also rent the facility for special occasions, such as outdoor weddings and corporate getaways.

The energetic pastors and staff at Friendship Church seek to help others discover their spiritual faith in an atmosphere reminiscent of a nondenominational church. They reach out to community members of all ages through youth and adult ministries and small discussion groups, constantly working to place theological debates within a modern context. For nearly a decade, they've augmented their main mission with a range of summer camps for children of all ages. Staffers of the church’s tech camps, which build appreciation for the outdoors and technology more effectively than challenging a bear to a game of Super Mario Bros., educate children through the use of robotics, video production, and video games and immerse them in outdoor games and activities such as waterslides and trampolines. They also hold competitive gaming weekends for all experience levels.

Built in 1786, James White's Fort affords glimpses into the frontier lifestyles of America's forefathers while providing education on Knoxville founder and the fort's creator, James White. Each year, more than 10,000 visitors explore the residence, which was restored and opened to the public in 1970. Six cabins and a stockade wall surround the main two-story log house, where guests can experience hands-on interpretations of life as a pioneer by cooking on an open hearth or spinning retro cell-phone-charger cords on an antique loom. Special events held throughout the year keep a continuous line of visitors waltzing across the land of Tennessee's first capital, including an annual celebration of Cherokee heritage.