Oak Ridge
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2026 11:31 pm
Oak Ridge
I’ve been wanting to take a trip to Oak Ridge for a while. Last part of October things aligned.
When I was finalizing the trip, I noticed Great Smoky Mountain National Park was nearby, so I added a two day stop in Gatlinburg. It’s a tourist trap, but I wanted to spend some time hiking in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Before checking into my hotel, I stopped at Smoky Mountain Knife Works. https://smkw.com/. I’m not a big knife nut, but it was an interesting place to spend a few hours.
Next door is Workshop Tools, aka The Man Cave Store, https://workshoptools.com/. My Honda was full, so I didn’t stock up.
I went hiking on Monday at Sugarlands Visitor Center. I wasn’t expecting a crowd, but the crowd is what I would expect during the summer. I found out October is busy with people coming to look at the leaves turning. They weren’t yet. I spent about 90 minutes hiking. The trek pole I had helped quite a bit.
It was also fun watching people carrying baby carriages over the rough spots.
They want you to park three deep. You’re stuck if you’re the first or second, and there’s someone behind you. When I was leaving, there was a mile long lineup of cars wanting to get in. There are a few overlooks on the road, so you stop and look at the valley. I stopped on one on the way down, since that made more sense to me.
Twice a year is Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair https://craftsmenfair.com/. Given the time of year, this one was heavy with Christmas stuff.
Manhattan Project National Historical Park is pretty much the entire city of Oak Ridge. https://www.nps.gov/mapr/planyourvisit/oakridge-tn.htm.
The area is beautiful. The trees weren’t turning yet.
I went to see American Museum of Science & Energy. It’s basic, but interesting. The K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant when it was finished was the largest building in the world. It was over 30 US football fields big. While it was torn down in 2013, they left the site vacant, so you have some idea how big it was. https://amse.org/k-25-history-center/.
A must stop is the Oak Ridge History Museum https://www.nps.gov/places/oak-ridge-history-museum.htm. It’s in one of the original Manhattan Project buildings. While I was there, part of it was being used for early voting.
I also went to International Friendship Bell. I didn’t ring it since someone just rang it before.
The oddest site is the Manhattan Project Oak Ridge Visitor Center located within the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge.
Nearby is the University of Tennessee Arboretum. I spent about 45 minutes hiking.
I’ve been wanting to take a trip to Oak Ridge for a while. Last part of October things aligned.
When I was finalizing the trip, I noticed Great Smoky Mountain National Park was nearby, so I added a two day stop in Gatlinburg. It’s a tourist trap, but I wanted to spend some time hiking in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Before checking into my hotel, I stopped at Smoky Mountain Knife Works. https://smkw.com/. I’m not a big knife nut, but it was an interesting place to spend a few hours.
Next door is Workshop Tools, aka The Man Cave Store, https://workshoptools.com/. My Honda was full, so I didn’t stock up.
I went hiking on Monday at Sugarlands Visitor Center. I wasn’t expecting a crowd, but the crowd is what I would expect during the summer. I found out October is busy with people coming to look at the leaves turning. They weren’t yet. I spent about 90 minutes hiking. The trek pole I had helped quite a bit.
It was also fun watching people carrying baby carriages over the rough spots.
They want you to park three deep. You’re stuck if you’re the first or second, and there’s someone behind you. When I was leaving, there was a mile long lineup of cars wanting to get in. There are a few overlooks on the road, so you stop and look at the valley. I stopped on one on the way down, since that made more sense to me.
Twice a year is Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair https://craftsmenfair.com/. Given the time of year, this one was heavy with Christmas stuff.
Manhattan Project National Historical Park is pretty much the entire city of Oak Ridge. https://www.nps.gov/mapr/planyourvisit/oakridge-tn.htm.
The area is beautiful. The trees weren’t turning yet.
I went to see American Museum of Science & Energy. It’s basic, but interesting. The K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant when it was finished was the largest building in the world. It was over 30 US football fields big. While it was torn down in 2013, they left the site vacant, so you have some idea how big it was. https://amse.org/k-25-history-center/.
A must stop is the Oak Ridge History Museum https://www.nps.gov/places/oak-ridge-history-museum.htm. It’s in one of the original Manhattan Project buildings. While I was there, part of it was being used for early voting.
I also went to International Friendship Bell. I didn’t ring it since someone just rang it before.
The oddest site is the Manhattan Project Oak Ridge Visitor Center located within the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge.
Nearby is the University of Tennessee Arboretum. I spent about 45 minutes hiking.