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Restaurant patios and string lights along Knoxville's Market Square beneath the Four Market Square building

Visit Knoxville · Itinerary builder

48 hours in Knoxville, built for your dates.

Tell us when you land and what you like. The builder lays out two days of downtown stops with verified hours, skips anything closed that day, and flags the farmers market when it is on.

Build my 48 hours

Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

For 48 hours in Knoxville, stay downtown: it is 14.5 miles (32 minutes) from TYS, and the main sights are within about half a mile of Market Square. Spend days on Market Square, the Sunsphere, World's Fair Park, the free Knoxville Museum of Art and Blount Mansion, and nights in the Old City or at the Tennessee Theatre. Note that the museum and Blount Mansion close Mondays.

Checked October 19, 2026
32minutes from TYS to downtown, no traffic.
11verified stops the builder chooses from.
2farmers market days a week, May to October.
1792the year construction began on Blount Mansion.

Interactive

Your two days, planned.

48-hour itinerary builderRespects posted closed days

What you're into

  1. Market SquareCalled Market Square since the 1850s. The farmers market runs Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May through October.
  2. Sunsphere observation deckThe 1982 World's Fair landmark, 266 feet tall. Deck hours Mon to Fri 10 to 5, Sat 9 to 5, Sun 12 to 4 (closed 12:30 to 1:30 except Sundays). $10, kids 12 and under $5.
  3. World's Fair ParkThe Sunsphere and the Tennessee Amphitheater are the two structures left from the 1982 fair.
  4. Knoxville Museum of ArtAdmission is always free. Tue to Sat 10 to 5, Sun 1 to 5, closed Monday.
  5. Blount MansionBuilt starting in 1792; it served as the capital of the Southwest Territory. Tue to Sat 10 to 4, Sun 12 to 4, last tour at 3. Adults $15.
  6. Tennessee TheatreOpened October 1, 1928, and now the Official State Theatre of Tennessee. See a show: check the calendar for your dates.

Built from verified hours: the Knoxville Museum of Art and Blount Mansion close on Mondays, Sunday mornings skip venues that open at noon or later, and Market Square gets a farmers market flag on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May to October. Walking times are straight-line estimates. Confirm hours and show times before you go.

The Sunsphere's gold-glass ball atop its steel tower in World's Fair Park, with downtown Knoxville behind

Day one

Start at the Sunsphere.

The 1982 World's Fair tower anchors World's Fair Park, with the free Knoxville Museum of Art steps away. The deck is closed 12:30 to 1:30 on weekdays and Saturdays, so go in the morning or mid-afternoon.

Photo: David Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

The stops

What the builder picks from.

Market Square
Day and nightMarket SquareThe center of downtown since the 1850s.
Sunsphere
ViewsSunsphere$10 deck tickets, $5 for kids 12 and under.
Tennessee Theatre
EveningTennessee TheatreCheck the show calendar for your dates.
Riverfront
OutdoorsRiverfrontVolunteer Landing on the Neyland Greenway.
The Old City
Night outThe Old CityBrick-paved Jackson Avenue and its warehouses.
The tall vertical TENNESSEE sign and marquee of the Tennessee Theatre on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville

Night two

Catch a show on Gay Street.

The Tennessee Theatre has hosted audiences since October 1, 1928. If nothing is on, the Old City is a few blocks north.

More of Knoxville

Photo: Wikionright, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Plan more

Questions

What can you do in Knoxville in 48 hours?
Walk downtown: Market Square, the Sunsphere and World's Fair Park, the Knoxville Museum of Art (free), Blount Mansion and the riverfront by day, then the Old City or a show at the Tennessee Theatre at night. Add Ijams Nature Center or Zoo Knoxville if you have a car.
How far is downtown Knoxville from the airport?
14.5 miles, about 32 minutes with no traffic (OSRM).
What is closed on Mondays in Knoxville?
Among the stops here, the Knoxville Museum of Art and Blount Mansion are closed on Mondays, per their official sites.
Is downtown Knoxville walkable?
The core is compact: Market Square, the Sunsphere, the Knoxville Museum of Art, Blount Mansion, the Old City and Volunteer Landing all sit within about half a mile of Market Square in a straight line.
When should I leave downtown for my flight?
Allow 32 minutes of driving plus traffic, and the airport's guidance of arriving 2.5 hours before your flight.

Sources

  1. Knoxville Museum of Art: Museum information
  2. Blount Mansion: Visit
  3. Visit Knoxville: Sunsphere tickets and hours
  4. Nourish Knoxville: Farmers' markets
  5. Tennessee Theatre: About
  6. Visit Knoxville: Old City itinerary
  7. Zoo Knoxville: Admission and parking
  8. Ijams Nature Center: Visit
  9. McGhee Tyson Airport: Security wait times guidance (Jun 12, 2026)
  10. OSRM driving routes on OpenStreetMap data (free-flow, fetched Oct 19, 2026)