Knoxville, Tennessee, has become a beacon for culture buffs seeking new experiences in the South. Read Culture Trip’s definitive guide to the best hotels to stay at in Knoxville.
This charming boutique hotel lies in the heart of downtown Knoxville, within a restored bakery dating from 1876. Rustic and spacious, the historical architecture of The Oliver Hotel is perfectly complimented by the building’s sophisticated interior design, which combines urban minimalism with five star comfort to create a bright and chic space to relax in. Guests can enjoy a wide range of facilities here including a speakeasy style bar, The Peter Kern Library and the Tupelo Honey Café, a culinary gem serving traditional Southern comfort food with a modern twist.
For those on a budget, the Hampton Inn and Suites is a central hotel in Downtown Knoxville providing an affordable and welcoming lodging option. The place is conveniently only minutes from the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville Convention Center. With venues throughout the USA, the Hampton brand use their extensive experience and expertise in the hotel trade to provide guests with an excellent service. Pleasant and unpretentious, the rooms provide a sound night’s sleep, and the various amenities such as the indoor swimming pool and gym ensure that guests are never bored during their leisure time.
Crowne Plaza Knoxville Downtown University, Knoxville | Photo Courtesy of Crowne Plaza Knoxville
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Ideally situated just blocks away from the main streets, popular restaurants and bustling attractions of Knoxville, Crowne Plaza Hotel is a sizeable venue providing an array of services, including an indoor swimming pool, an upmarket restaurant and a business center. The vast, elegantly decorated lobby and the spacious, comfortable rooms infuse the hotel with elegance, and the attentive staff are amiable and provide a friendly and efficient service. An affordable and satisfying place to stay in Knoxville.
This luxury hotel and resort lies just outside of Knoxville, in Walland, Tennessee, at the foot of the stunning Great Smoky Mountains. Surrounded by forestry and lush greenery, Blackberry Farm is an intimate, family-run establishment. It offers a number of activities including yoga classes, paddle boarding and horse riding, the hotel commits itself to catering to the travel needs of guests in a first-class fashion. Be sure to dine in the restaurant here, which serves home-cooked, locally sourced fare and unique craft beers created in the hotel’s own brewery. With a handsome 4200-acre estate, this is a charming and peaceful place in which to unwind in Knoxville.
Specialising in luxury comfort, the Hilton brand is renowned internationally for its outstanding service and modern, stylish accommodation. With several hotels in Knoxville, visitors are never far from the splendor of a Hilton, and their main hotel here, The Hilton Knoxville, upholds their reputation in spectacular fashion. One of the city’s best and most popular hotels, the venue offers first-class services including a dazzling rooftop swimming pool, a sauna, a gym and a Starbucks. Diners can enjoy an extensive menu at their Market Café restaurant, which serves traditional home-cooked American cuisine in a casual, laid-back environment.
The Grace Hill Bed and Breakfast is another fantastic inn bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just outside of Knoxville. Having received a number of awards including ‘Most Scenic View’ from Inn Traveller Magazine, and ‘Best Bed and Breakfast in East Tennessee’ from the viewers of WBIR, guests are assured their stay here will be beautiful and unforgettable. The hotel provides an excellent service against a stunning Tennessee backdrop, an idyllic spot found personally by owner Kathleen Janke when she hiked the mountain trail.
As the name suggests, this charming countryside bed and breakfast boasts incredible views over the French Broad River and the neighbouring Great Smoky Mountains. Just minutes from Knoxville Airport, The River Overlook is a retreat that prides itself on providing a first-rate hotel experience whilst still being affordable. Snug, cozy and serene, the place compels its guests to instantly feel at home and unwind in its comfortable atmosphere. Enjoy the jaw-dropping views from their traditional, Southern style porch which lines the building.
Another ideally situated, centrally located hotel is the Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park, which is within walking distance of the Knoxville Museum of Art, the historic Market Square and all of the city’s popular restaurants and night spots. Affordable and immaculately well-kept, the staff here are attentive and happy to dispense expert advice about Knoxville. The restaurant here provides a tasty breakfast including full cooked and continental varieties, and the dinner menu is sizeable.
Not to be confused with the Mapel Grove Inn, the Maplehurst Inn has its own signature style, situated in a beautiful, old mansion amid the lush greenery of Mapelhurst park. This small, family-run bed and breakfast combines it’s 18th century roots with the contemporary needs of its guests, and is an intimate and hospitable venue in which to stay in Knoxville. Sit by the crackling fire in the wintertime, or use the venue as a base to explore the city during the long, hot summers; all of Knoxville’s museums, bars and restaurants are within walking distance from Maplehurst. The breakfast buffet is unmissable, offering a variety of fresh fruits, cakes and coffee, as well as traditional hot spiced cider for a taste of the South.
