Knoxville: Taking that Leap

I went to Knoxville for the weekend, finally went to one of the many places on my list to explore one day. With the help of a friend, I was able to check it off my list and do some thing that terrifies me, like jumping off a cliff.

This weekend, I took the much- needed time away from South Carolina and traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee to visit a friend (shoutout Adam). The drive alone was therapeutic enough after working over 40-hour weeks back-to-back. Podcasts are definitely the way to go when you have a long time to think and listen. When all else fails, that go to summer playlist going through the car speakers loudly also keeps the energy high. The views were very beautiful; the drive was mainly going through the mountains. It provides a very real sense of how majestic Creation is and how big our God is. Traffic hit hard on a Friday evening, so the start to the trip took longer than desired, but the balance of the gorgeous climbs and descent from the mountains made it better.

Weekend Adventures

If you have never been to Knoxville, the only thing you need to know is that the University of Tennessee takes over majority of the city, if not all of it. Bright orange can be seen throughout every store and street. The best thing about visiting friends in cities that are new to you is that they know the actually good spots and not the over-hyped restaurants.

Here is a list of the places we went:

The Bluffs: this is a spot where you can see all of downtown Knoxville. Note to self, go when there are no clouds in the sky so you can actually see a beautiful sunset mirrored off the river.

Nic & J's: a cute family owned diner. Same vibe as a Waffle House, but there is something different about the vibes there. Highly recommend the French toast, splurge on the strawberries too.

McKay's: need to kill a few hours? Definitely a place to get lost in all the used books, records, CDs, and games. I had a list in mind of the books I would like to read eventually and this was definitely the place to get them all at. I highly recommend getting a cart even if you do not believe you'll be getting much- you do end up getting more than you think. Also, dig around because if there are multiple copies of a book, chances are they will be priced low. I found two books from under one dollar!

Double Dogs: although we only went here for a small bite, the entire menu looked very good! The decor was very up to theme as it was a sports bar, but with pictures of dogs instead of humans. We ordered the buffalo chicken mac & cheese- will not be sharing it next time. SO good!

Karm Store: I love going thrifting so I wanted to check out some thrift stores in the city. My one mission in mind was to get a University of Tennessee shirt as I love collecting university shirts/ locations of the places I visit. The store was pretty well organized, and if I was not deep cleaning my closet out, I would have left with plenty of clothes. I did in fact get my shirt if you were wondering.

Also, would like to note that we did go to a lake where I did indeed jump off a cliff, multiple times. Was I terrified? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I forgot that the higher you are up, the longer the air time is.

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Overall, it was a great getaway from the constant work that I have been dealing with lately. Exhausting as it may have been each day, my heart was very full in all the events that happened. Do yourself a favor and plan that trip away to a new place. You will find out that it was exactly what your heart needed.