The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is the flagship institution of the University of Tennessee system. As a university on the rise, it is an exciting place to host the next NAPC. Located at the base of the Great Smokey Mountains, Knoxville is a vibrant city with an outstanding array of restaurants, microbreweries, and cultural activities. Its location in the valley and ridge ideally places it centrally to several field trip areas including numerous classic Paleozoic fossil localities as well as the Gray Fossil Site famed for its vertebrate and plant fossils. Tourist opportunities abound with the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park and adjacent Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
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Travel to Knoxville
Knoxville is easy to reach via the Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport located only 15 minutes from campus. TYS offers non-stop service to more than 30 destinations and is well connected to major airline hubs.
Housing
There are a number of large hotels in downtown Knoxville that are adjacent to the University of Tennessee campus and the conference center. Furthermore, there are opportunities for dorm housing for the conference as a low-cost alternative. Several campus dorms recently have been built or updated, making this option highly attractive.
Family and tourist opportunities
Knoxville and the surrounding area offer many opportunities for family fun and tourism. Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg offer numerous opportunities for a family vacation.
Downtown Knoxville has numerous historical museums and landmarks that speak to the early days of Tennessee as well as local art and history museums, the Sunsphere (centerpiece of the 1982 World’s Fair) and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Zoo Knoxville features a recently renovated reptile house and a world-class red panda breeding program.
Further afield venues include the Dollywood theme park (discount tickets available), Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokeys, and a variety of family-oriented game and entertainment venues. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a biodiversity spot spot and offers thousands of miles of hiking and includes a large section of the Appalachian trail. Various points throughout the Tennessee River watershed provide world class opportunities for white water kayaking/rafting as well as other boating related recreational activities.
