KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — More free things to do in East Tennessee as the weather is still deciding whether we are still in winter or transitioning into springtime. The weekend is going to be filled with fun, including some St. Patrick’s events.
Do not forget to wear your green on Friday!
See the St. Patrick’s Parade
On Friday, the City of Knoxville is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a parade in the downtown area. The parade begins near Market Square, going down Walnut (then Crooked Street), and preceding through East Knoxville and North Knoxville. The parade will end at the corner of Gay Street and West Magnolia. See the full map of the parade’s route.
The parade will be led by a Knoxville native, the University of Tennessee grad and comedian, Leanne Morgan. For those watching the parade, view from Hall of Fame Drive to Jackson Avenue. WATE will also be live-streaming the parade online.
• Location: S. Hall of Fame Drive, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Date: Friday, March 17
• Time: 7 p.m.
Family Fun Day with Art
Do you like art, food and music? Then come out to the Knoxville Museum of Art for a free day of arts activities and family entertainment. The activities will be inspired by innovations in artmaking and the works in the Tennessee Triennial and Landfall Press: Five Decades of Printmaking exhibitions, according to the Knoxville Museum of Art’s website.
The website shared a list of people who will be helping with the event: Royal Magic Events will have face painting and balloon twisting, California Dreamin’ will play music and The Dog House will cater the food.
• Location: Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Date: Saturday, March 18
• Time: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Knox Shamrock Fest
Usually held on Saturday, this St. Patrick’s Day festival will be held on Sunday to allow more dialysis clinic staff and patients to have an opportunity to attend.
The Knox Shamrock Fest will feature Irish musical performances, cultural activities and entertainment, children’s games, balloon animals, face painting, bounce houses, food, drink and more.
After the festival, the Lucky Kidney Run will start at 3 p.m.
• Location: World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn, 720 11th St., Knoxville, Tenn.
• Date: Sunday, March 19
• Time: 1-5 p.m.
McClung Collection
Come see what’s in the McClung Collection of the history and genealogy department of the Knox County Public Library which is on the third floor of the East Tennessee History Center.
The collection has over 75,000 books, 3,000 printed genealogies, 19,000 rolls of microfilm and more. Anyone wanting to find out more about themselves through history can access the national databases.
McClung Collection provides parking options for the public.
Places to park: City of Knoxville Garages has one-hour of free parking at Locust Street Parking Garage. The City of Knoxville garages also offer free parking when entering after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.
Check out Downtown Knoxville’s parking map.
• Location: Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Date: March 17-19
• Time: Friday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
The Smoky Mountain Relic Room
Inside the Smoky Mountain Knifeworks, there is a section filled with artifacts from Romans, Vikings, Native Americans, World War I, the Civil War and more. The section also has fossils and prehistoric tools.
According to Visit Sevierville’s website, there are treasures like the Megalodon tooth, Civil War soldier tintypes, early man hand axe, pieces of a meteorite and sardonyx globes.
• Location: Smoky Mountain Knifeworks, 2320 Winfield Dunn Pkwy., Sevierville, Tenn.
• Date: March 17-19
• Time: Friday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
Oak Ridge Art Center
A small group of participants came together to create a place where people could socialize, entertain and provide intellectual and creative stimulation.
The Oak Ridge Art Center was created to create a formal structure and lasting presence for the visual arts in the community. Since 1952, the center has been a vital part of the cultural life of Oak Ridge and the surrounding communities.
• Location: Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Ave., Oak Ridge, Tenn.
• Date: March 17-19
• Time: Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 1-4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m.
