Blessed with natural wonders and studded with unique sights and experiences, East Tennessee tempts attendees to extend their stays and bring their families along for the fun. Best yet, nearly every attraction presents an opportunity for a memorable off-site event.
“Tennessee is a collection of affordable destinations that provide a magnificent array of meeting and leisure experiences,” says Dave Jones, East Tennessee regional manager at the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “And when the day is over, groups find plenty to enjoy in the vibrant cities that make East Tennessee a leader in leisure tourism.”
Chattanooga
Chattanooga’s abundant attractions run a wider gamut than those in most cities. In how many towns can you host a board meeting in a Victorian railcar and then go spelunking? What other cities give you a choice between holding a reception at a top-rated aquarium or atop a mountain overlooking a Civil War battlefield?
Tennessee Aquarium is frequently ranked as one of the country’s best aquariums. In May, the facility opened its new River Giants exhibit to showcase freshwater fish capable of attaining incredible size. The aquarium offers rentals of various sections, the largest of which can welcome 400.
If your group can’t get enough critters, the Chattanooga Zoo also opened a new exhibit this year. Deserts and Forests of the World comprises two new buildings housing more than 30 species, including sloths, meerkats, fennec foxes and rare snakes. The zoo can host events of nearly any size.
Lookout Mountain, which straddles the border with Georgia, boasts several major draws. The caves of Ruby Falls are beneath the mountain, and Rock City is near the peak. The Battle of Lookout Mountain during the Civil War is commemorated in parts of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Groups can also take a steep—72 percent grade—ride on Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Group discounts are available for 20 or more.
The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a popular destination featuring the Model Railroad Museum, formal gardens, shops and restaurants. Event spaces range from a 24-person authentic railcar to the 16,000-square-foot Grand Central Station.
In addition to its array of attractions, Chattanooga has the capacity without the complications. The city can welcome groups as large as 11,000 indoors or 20,000 outdoors, but with lower prices and less traffic than larger cities. Moreover, both planners and attendees are made to feel appreciated at every turn.
“Genuine Southern hospitality is a staple of the Chattanooga community,” says Jennye Miller, director of religious accounts at the Chattanooga CVB. “Our CVB constantly hears from planners before, during and after their events how friendly facility staff and locals are. Attendees make these same comments to planners during the events.”
This year, Chattanooga gained a new nickname when it became home to the fastest Internet access in the Western hemisphere. The “Gig City” installed a fiber optic network that provides Internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second to all homes and businesses.
The 185,000-square-foot Chattanooga Convention Center, which adjoins the 342-room Chattanooga Marriott Hotel, is celebrated for its many green initiatives. McKenzie Arena has 27,000 square feet of unobstructed space and can seat 12,000. The 3,866-seat Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium and the 1,762-seat Tivoli Theatre, home to the Chattanooga Symphony, are two more of the larger meeting spaces in town. Both of the latter are historic properties built in the 1920s.
Among Chattanooga’s top meetings properties are the Chattanoogan Hotel, Sheraton Read House Hotel Chattanooga and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chattanooga Downtown.
Knoxville
Think of Knoxville as a city oasis set within an enormous playground for grown-ups filled with outdoor recreational opportunities.
“A 1,000-acre Urban Wilderness Corridor along Knoxville’s downtown waterfront contains 10 parks, 20 miles of recreational trails, three Civil War forts, historic settlement sites and diverse ecological features and recreational amenities,” says Kim Bumpas, president of Visit Knoxville. “Planners looking for an outdoor component or needing a little adventure and scenic beauty added to the itinerary enjoy all we have to offer.”
Other outdoor group offerings include sightseeing cruises on the Tennessee River or a golf tournament at one of three city-owned golf courses. Team-building ideas include rock-climbing adventures in the river canyons near the city and paddling excursions, either on a calm, scenic lake or an exciting stretch of whitewater. In the winter, groups can go cross-country skiing on Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak of the Great Smokies, or snowshoe a portion of the legendary Appalachian Trail.
However, if your group is the indoor type, they won’t be disappointed. Built in 1828, the 28,000-square-foot Emporium Center for Arts & Culture presents galleries of local and regional artists. It can host events as large as 500. Knoxville Museum of Art focuses its exhibitions on visual pieces created by East Tennessee artists, and can welcome 200. Two historic theaters, the Bijou and the Tennessee, are available for rental as well.
In addition to its 250,000 square feet of flexible space, 185,000 square feet of exhibit space and the largest ballroom in the region, with 27,000 square feet, Knoxville Convention Center is greener than ever. Last year the center installed solar panels and planted an herb and vegetable garden to provide farm-to-table food for events.
Other major event venues include the 18,390-square-foot Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee and the Civic Coliseum, with a 2,500-seat auditorium and a 7,141-seat arena. Spaces at the 81-acre Chilhowee Park & Exposition Center include a 57,100-square-foot exhibition hall and an amphitheater seating more than 4,500.
Some of the largest meetings hotels in Knoxville are Knoxville Marriott, Holiday Inn Downtown Worlds Fair Park, Hilton Knoxville, Crowne Plaza Hotel Knoxville and Hilton Knoxville Airport.
Smoky Mountains Region
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of America’s treasures, but it’s not the only gem in this region. One-of-a-kind attractions are never far from ample meeting space in the principal towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville.
“The Gatlinburg Convention Center is located right in the middle of Gatlinburg’s bustling downtown district,” says Vicki Simms, interim executive director at the Gatlinburg CVB. “Groups can step out the front entrance and find themselves amid hundreds of shops, restaurants and attractions. They can explore the 1.4-million-gallon Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, ride the country’s largest aerial tram to the top of Mt. Harrison and visit Tennessee’s only ski resort, Ober Gatlinburg, or browse at over 400 shops, galleries and boutiques.”
The convention center offers 148,000 square feet of flexible space.
Groups can now get a true taste of the Smokies at Gatlinburg’s Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Distillery, the state’s first legal moonshine distillery. The town is also home to several other distilleries, a brewery and numerous wineries.
Dollywood and Dolly’s Splash Country in Pigeon Forge offer 180 acres of rides and shows as well as two pavilions that can seat 400 and 500, respectively. This year, Dollywood has added the $20 million Wild Eagle roller coaster, the first wing coaster in the U.S.
Pigeon Forge also welcomed new balloon ride attraction WonderWorks in 2012. A tethered 72-foot helium balloon will loft a 30-passenger gondola 500 feet above the ground for grand views of the town.
Large meeting spaces in the resort town of Pigeon Forge include Grand Resort Hotel & Convention Center, Smoky Mountain Convention Center and Holiday Inn Pigeon Forge.
In nearby Sevierville, Sevierville Events Center offers a 108,000-square-foot exhibition hall and a 19,000-square-foot ballroom.
Tri-Cities Region
Known as the cradle of country and bluegrass music as well as for storytelling, the tri-cities of Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol and the smaller towns of Greeneville and Jonesborough invite groups to bask in the region’s cultural heritage and sample some local excitement.
“Where else can you take a trip around the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” oval, dig up bones, conquer the Hawk’s Nest and Flying Squirrel and howl with the wolves all as part of your meeting?” asks Lara Unick, director of sales at the Kingsport CVB.
One of NASCAR’s most popular racetracks, Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol offers customized group packages for 30 or more. Gray Fossil Museum, part of the Natural History Museum at East Tennessee State University, curates 15,000 fossils and offers event rentals. At Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium in Kingsport, groups can build teamwork on the adventure course ropes and zip line, learn about wolves and other native creatures, or take a barge ride.
When it is completed in 2013, the Kingsport Aquatic Center will offer several pools, a water park with slides and outdoor activity areas across from the MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort and Convention Center. The Marriott offers 304 guest rooms and 88,000 square feet of meeting space.
In Bristol, just across the Virginia border, the 1,024-seat Paramount Center for the Arts and Viking Hall Civic Center, with 20,000 square feet of exhibit space, are among the largest event spaces. Meetings hotels include Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites and Courtyard by Marriott.
In Johnson City, the elegant Carnegie Hotel & Spa offers 10,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Best Western Hotel & Conference Center offers 6,000 square feet.
Kelly Crumrin is a travel writer and frequent contributor to Meetings Focus South. Her favorite Dolly Parton song is Jolene.
