Productions of Shakespeare’s work have a deep history in Knoxville. First launched as Shakespeare in the Park in 1991, at World’s Fair Park’s Tennessee Amphitheatre, the Tennessee Stage Company’s month-long Shakespeare production consists of two rotating plays, usually faster, livelier […]

The ancient name Palmyra is unexpectedly in the news. Two months ago, the roving street gang that likes to call itself the Islamic State seized the old Syrian ghost town and destroyed some of its pagan statues. They staged some […]

Every Wednesday and Saturday in the warmer months, Knoxville witnesses a 161-year tradition. It began in 1854, when ambitious young developers William Swan and Joseph Mabry donated land to the city for a public market. The city built a small […]

At 45 mph, the suggested speed on Kingston Pike, Bearden can look almost ordinary, a modern commercial corridor of strip centers with lots of billboards. It’s not designed to be looked at. But slow down a little, and you might […]

The three Victorian houses on the 1300 block of White Avenue, the subject of years of concern on the part of preservationists, will soon be gone, though it’s still likely one will be moved. The one at 1312, which was […]

In the 1790s, Knoxville attracted French noblemen and other travelers seeking the thrills of the wild frontier. But for most of he 1800s, Knoxville was mostly a practical place, and not much of a tourist destination. It had lots of […]

“Damn I’m glad festival season’s over,” said my friend, who’s a professional musician. He said that with a mild curse and a heavy sigh, as if it had been a real ordeal. He’d been obliged to play for several of […]

Knoxville has been celebrating the Fourth of July longer than any other holiday. The first known celebration of Independence Day in Knoxville was on July 4, 1793, before Tennessee was even a state, and just 17 years after the signing […]

In a city that already has more than its share of world-class jazz saxophonists, Jason Thompson makes his own way. His five-piece band, Frog & Toad’s Dixie Quartet, has been playing free live shows twice a week at the Crown […]