KnoxWhat Scruffy little calendar for a scruffy little city

Field guide · Knoxville

Free in Knoxville

Knoxville does free well. A free art museum, a free view from the top of a giant gold sphere, 60 miles of free trails, a free live-radio concert every weekday at noon, and a monthly art walk that costs nothing. Here is the best of it, all verified free (though some have paid extras).

The spots, by neighborhood

Knoxville Museum of Art
Admission is always free. A real collection (the Thorne Rooms, the Richard Jolley glass wall) overlooking World's Fair Park. Closed Mondays.
Downtown
The Sunsphere observation deck
The 4th-floor observation deck of the 1982 World's Fair icon is free, with a 360-degree view of downtown, the river, and the Smokies. First come, first served.
Downtown
The Urban Wilderness & greenways
Over 60 miles of free trails inside the city: Ijams Nature Center grounds, the quarries, and the paved greenways are all free to walk, run, or ride.
South Knoxville
First Friday ArtWalk
The first Friday evening of every month, galleries and studios across downtown open their doors free of charge.
Downtown · monthly
WDVX Blue Plate Special
A free live-radio concert at noon, Monday through Thursday and Saturday at the Visitor Center on Gay Street. Bring your lunch.
Downtown · weekdays + Sat
Old Gray Cemetery
Free to walk: an 1850 Victorian cemetery with congressmen, Tennessee Williams' family, and the principals of the 1882 shootout Mark Twain wrote about.
North Knoxville
Market Square
Free to wander, with the farmers market Wednesdays and Saturdays in season and fountains the kids run through in summer.
Downtown
McClung Museum (UT)
The University of Tennessee's free museum: archaeology, ancient Egypt, and regional natural and cultural history.
UT Campus

"The Knoxville Museum of Art is free, every day it's open. So is the view from the Sunsphere."

Good to know

What is the single best free thing to do?

If it's open, the Knoxville Museum of Art (free, downtown) paired with the free Sunsphere observation deck next door is a great free afternoon. If the weather is good, swap in a walk in the Urban Wilderness from Ijams.

Is there free live music?

Yes. The WDVX Blue Plate Special is a free live-radio concert at noon (Monday through Thursday and Saturday at the Visitor Center, Fridays at Barley's), and the Market Square bars run free shows many nights.

Is the Sunsphere really free?

The 4th-floor observation deck is free to the public, with a cap of 40 people every 30 minutes; it's first come, first served. The event decks above it are paid rentals.

Knoxville Museum of Art (free admission) per knoxart.org; the Sunsphere observation deck (free) per worldsfairpark.org; trails per Legacy Parks; WDVX per WDVX; First Friday per Downtown Knoxville. Verified June 2026.