Discover Knoxville’s rich Black artistic legacy on this engaging walking tour through downtown. Uncover powerful stories, vibrant murals, and historic sites that highlight the city’s cultural impact.
More ways to explore the area's outdoor wonders
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Difficulty
easy
Duration
1.5 hours
Fitness Level
Suitable for all fitness levels, walking at a leisurely pace.
Wildlife
History
Knoxville’s African American community played a vital role in shaping the city’s cultural landscape, especially during the early 20th century.
Conservation
The tour emphasizes respect for historic sites and encourages visitors to support local community efforts in preserving Knoxville’s cultural heritage.
Knoxville Walking Tours
Discover Knoxville’s rich Black artistic legacy on this engaging walking tour through downtown. Uncover powerful stories, vibrant murals, and historic sites that highlight the city’s cultural impact.
Knoxville Walking Tours offers guided, on-foot experiences that explore the city’s history, culture, and hidden stories. Operating in Knoxville, Tennessee, the company leads themed tours across downtown, the Old City, and other notable neighborhoods. Guides present a mix of historical facts, local lore, literary connections, and ghost stories drawn from documented events and well-known local figures.
Tours vary in length and focus: several experiences run approximately 1.5 hours (90 minutes), while select walks extend to two hours for deeper historical context. Popular itineraries include literary-focused walks highlighting authors such as Cormac McCarthy and Nikki Giovanni, ghost tours that cover historic hotels and haunted streets, Civil War–era walks that include vantage points like the Sunsphere observation deck, and neighborhood tours of sites such as the First Presbyterian Graveyard, Blount Mansion Gardens, and the Old Courthouse.
Knoxville Walking Tours also offers specialized themes including Black history, music history, suffrage and women’s history, cemetery walks, criminal-history narratives, and botanical explorations. The Literary Heritage Tour can be tailored to emphasize particular writers or works when requested. All descriptions are grounded in the documented history and local records referenced during each walk.
Visitors should review individual tour summaries and select the experience that best matches interests in history, literature, the supernatural, or local culture. Tours are conducted on foot and navigate historic streets and public sites throughout Knoxville.
Tours Offered
13
Guided walks across Knoxville
Typical Length
1.5 hours
Most tours last 90 minutes
Location
Knoxville, Tennessee
Historic downtown and Old City routes
Themes Covered
History & Ghosts
Literary, Civil War, Black history
Choose a themed walk — history, ghosts, literature, or local culture — and secure a spot on an upcoming departure.
Wear comfortable shoes
The tour involves walking on city streets, so comfortable footwear is essential.
Bring water and sunscreen
Stay hydrated and protected from the sun during the outdoor walk.
Plan for weather
Check the weather forecast and dress accordingly for rain or shine.
Arrive early
Arrive a few minutes before your scheduled start to ensure a timely start.
Comfortable walking shoes
Necessary for a comfortable stroll through downtown streets.
Water bottle
Keeps you hydrated during the walk.
Sunscreen
Protects your skin from sun exposure.
summer
Hat or sunglasses
Provides additional sun protection and comfort.
summer