Knoxvillegateway to the smokies

The elegant historic homes of Knoxville's southern gentry are also good fun to visit, including the Craighead-Jackson house, the Blount Mansion, the Ramsay house and the Armstrong-Lockett house—also known as Crescent Bend for its location in a curve of the river. All give a rich sense of the past and Knoxville's efforts to preserve the slow and stately culture of East Tennessee in the face of changing times. Centrally located Blount Mansion is a good place to start, and you can pick up a map there to follow the historic route.