Things to Do in Knoxville

Larry Schmittou, a renowned minor-league coach, executive, and overall baseball legend, traded diamonds for lanes to become president and co-owner of Strike & Spare Family Entertainment. Bowlers, gamers, and bar-goers can convene at locations across four states, each booming with the thundering sound of balls clashing against pins and confused children tap-dancing down the alley. The center is open 365 days per year, with lights and music enticing adults into the bar for a drink or snack, all while the arcade’s bells and whistles distract young ones until the lanes close. A bowling-rewards card incentivizes trips to the alley with credits for future purchases.

In 2011, WBIR-TV reported that local racecar driver Trevor Bayne dropped by Oakes Farm to see his face carved into the corn. The farm had adopted Bayne as that year's maze theme, plotting its pathways to shape the corn into his portrait and an image of his racecar when viewed from above. On the ground, however, the maze was a tangle of curves and dead ends that often took guests up to 90 minutes to traverse on foot, or 10 minutes on the warpath.

This year, the corn maze has chosen to celebrate Extreme Makeover Home Edition. The farm updates its agricultural labyrinth annually to reflect a new motif but never fails to entertain explorers with its routes and their interactive games. Just as entertaining are the hayrides that ferry visitors to and from the pumpkin patch, the smell of autumnal sweets from the Cornfections stand, and the echoes of laughter from inside the Mine Shaft—a giant slide in the farm's Back 40 entertainment area. These attractions, alongside animal exhibits, pedal karts, and open zones for freeform play, draw families and reporters alike to the seasonal hotspot. In the days approaching Halloween, however, the farm endeavors to make patrons flee.

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.