The Splendor of Alcoa Highway and Highway 321

As much as I love Knoxville, I have a secret. Every month I get a little antsy and have to leave our wonderful city for a moment. Thankfully, I don't have to go very far to take that much needed, deep breath.

Almost every month for the past seven years, I've taken Alcoa Highway to Hwy 321 through Maryville and Townsend to The Great Smoky Mountains. Just thinking about it now makes me want to blow off work and head that direction.

I've grown accustomed to driving this route, and I know it by heart. Besides the natural beauty that you come across along the way, there are numerous other gems at which I stop from time to time. There are also others I've never been to, but my goal this summer is to take: "An Alcoa Highway/ 321 Vacation"

Here are some hot spots:

1) Green Acres Flea Market (Alcoa Highway) - I'm going for the first time this Saturday and am so very excited. Not that I'm in the market for one, but I hear they have a lot of belt buckles.

2) Foothills Milling Company (Maryville) - Get your Mr. or Mrs. (or in my case, my parents) to take you here for dinner sometime. It expensive, but delectable.

3) The Drive-In (Maryville)- This is the best place to go for some redneck culture shock. It's fabulous, really. I think on Saturdays, they even set up a little flea market on the premises.


4) Various flea markets, thrift stores, craft stands, and antique malls (between Maryville and Townsend) You could spend a whole day stopping in places like this along the way. There are a couple of quaint places where the locals sell wood carvings, mountain honey (mmm) and boiled peanuts. You run into some very interesting people to talk to as well.






(A word of advice: if you see a handwritten sign on the side of the road that says "hot boiled peanuts," you should pull over.)


5) Nawger Nob (Townsend) Local arts and crafts and good people to talk to

6) Deadbeat Pete's (Townsend) Sometimes the food is hit or miss, but this is one of my favorite places to eat. They have a backporch that overlooks the Little River, they serve drinks in mason jars, and their signature burger "The Deadbeat Pete" has guacamole on it. This is the best place to go after, say, tubing down the river.

7) The Dulcimer Shop (Townsend) Beautiful, handcrafted dulcimers. Oh, baby. I could die happy in this store.

8) And finally, the Collosus of Clout, The Great Smoky Mountains.

Now I'm wondering if they'd notice my absence from work today...

All photos by the illustrious Tracy Jackson