Brand New Buzz

I’m a park enthusiast, so while visiting with a very old friend of mine who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, I asked her what she would consider the best parks for me to check out while I was here. She told me there were several and that she’d pick me up where I was staying, at one of the best hotels Knoxville has in my opinion. I took her up on her offer and let her be my personal guide. She told me that she was a park enthusiast also, so no wonder we are still friends after all these years. She offered to put me up in her spare bedroom, but I told her that I much prefer a hotel where I can get pampered and also, so I don’t where out my welcome anywhere I go.

The first place she took me to was the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum. The Garden is located on a ridge top just about 8 minutes from downtown Knoxville. So, we didn’t have to travel far at all. The place is surrounded by an urban community. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was established on a former nursery, so because of this, the Garden featured some very distinctive stone walls and buildings which were constructed by the nursery staff. It was big too, approximately 44 acres which was restored for the enjoyment of the locals and is constantly being expanded. We had a very lovely time.

The next day, she picked me up and took me to a Skatepark, which is located at Tyson Park. I had no idea there was even such a thing. I guess that’s what I get for being old. This park is a combination of being publicly and privately owned. When we arrived, there were dozens of skateboard enthusiasts taking full advantage of all the designed skateboard tracks and ramps. What a wonderful way to keep kids busy, and boy were they busy working very diligently by honing in their skills. We still had some time to check out another park, so she took me to Ijams Nature Center. It’s a wildlife sanctuary. It also has an educational center to help make the locals aware of their environment. It’s about 160 acres of protected woodlands, and what I liked the most, meadows. They reclaimed a quarry site and opened up seven miles of nature trails, which includes a boardwalk along the Tennessee River. I had an exceptional time there. I’m so glad my old old friend and I shared the love of parks, gardens and anything nature.

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