Norris Lake and/or Knoxville, TN . . .
 

My inlaws have a house on Norris Lake so we vacation there fairly often. Dh and the kids love to fish and we always have a picnic on the boat and spend time relaxing, but we've had trouble finding things to do in the surrounding area.

The things we have done (since we've been several times) include visiting the Norris Dam, Knoxville Zoo and Appalachian Museum. I would love to get some new ideas for an outing one day in this general area. Any ideas?

I think you've pretty much covered it. We go up there for R & R, & little else. It is funny how many people from Cincy have cabins in that area.

If you have anyone interested, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is in downtown Knoxville, along with the Sunsphere and the World's Fair Park. But yeah, the area isn't really geared for tourists until you get to the mountains/Pigeon Forge/etc. Downtown Knoxville has some good restaurants and a couple of good theater/music venues, if you're looking for a night out.

I remember going to the Museum of Appalachia on school field trips and loved it... I wonder if I'd like it as much as an adult!

SanParis - There is a group on Facebook of Tennesseeans who are anti-Yankees vacationing on their lake. I guess as an Ohioan I am a Yankee to someone in TN!

We may just go into Knoxville for a lunch one day. Is there much to do/see at the Sunsphere or World's Fair Park? We've considered both of those in the past.

snowrooster - yes, technically you are a Yankee. But most of us don't dislike you. You just talk funny.

(That was sarcasm/attempt at humor. Just in case.)

You can go up into the Sunsphere (the gold ball thing) and see the rest of the city. There's not much at the World's Fair Park itself unless there's an event going on. The Candy Factory is nearby, though I'm not sure if the whole thing is loft apartments now or just part of it. (I live in Nashville now after growing up in Knoxville, so I'm a tad out of the loop.) Market Square and the surrounding area is a good place to spend a few hours; downtown has undergone a lot of renovations in the past few years, largely around the Market Square/Gay Street area.

If you're there during April, the Dogwood Arts Festival will be going on (dogwoodarts.com). There are a lot of events associated with that, and "dogwood trails" in different parts of the city.

Sr - Actually you are just a Yankee as you just visit, I am a dam* Yankee, as I stayed. I actually went to that World's Fair but know nothing about the Park. When we go over that way we are usually just out on the Lake.