Explore Gay Street in One Afternoon on the Peppermint Trail

Before I started this blog, I avoided downtown Knoxville like the plague. I only went downtown for the movies and a stop at Cruze Farm. It’s only recently that I’ve spent some time on Market Square and at the World’s Fair Site. And I enjoyed myself, so I thought I’d check out what else Downtown Knoxville had to offer. Since it was the Christmas season, I decided to explore Gay Street in one afternoon with the Peppermint Trail.

I can hear you now; what the heck is the Peppermint Trail? Here’s the explanation. The city of Knoxville painted a trail of peppermints on the sidewalks of Downtown Knoxville in front of various businesses during the Christmas season. Those businesses offer treats and gift selections featuring peppermints for purchase.  We’re talking peppermint flavored coffees, ice creams, cookies, and more. In addition, you might find peppermint scented soaps, candles, and festive clothing.

Let me be honest. I’m OK with these red and white flavored candies. In fact, they bring up fond memories of my childhood. But I am not a fan of peppermint in my coffee, tea, ice cream or (usually) my cookies. But I figured, why not use the Peppermint Trail to explore Gay Street. It didn’t mean I had to have peppermint flavored coffee.

To make it easier to locate these peppermint-vending businesses, Downtown Knoxville’s website provides you with an alphabetized list of all the businesses that are participating. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, head downtown and just look for the peppermints on the sidewalks.

Since I only had one afternoon, I decided to do my research up front and make a plan. I wish Downtown Knoxville had divided the businesses into areas…..Market Square, the Old City, Gay Street and the World’s Fair Park. That would have made it so much easier to have narrowed the list down. Who knows, maybe they’ll read this blog and decide to do it next year.

Anyway, I sat down with my laptop to figure out which businesses were on Gay Street. Then, with my list clutched firmly in my hand, I made my way downtown.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, Downtown Knoxville has the neatest feature on their website. It’s a pull-down menu at the top right of each page labeled “Live Parking Availability”. Click on that and you can see how many parking spaces are available in four of the downtown lots. I like parking at the State Street Garage. It seems to me that there is more room in this garage…the corners don’t seem as tight as other garages. Now, I’m not saying that is a fact…it’s just my observation and it may all be in my mind.

Before I started this adventure, I needed some caffeine. While Gay Street has several coffee shops to choose from, I decided on Status Dough because I figured I also needed some major sugar before beginning my Christmas shopping and Status Dough was one of the businesses participating in the Peppermint Trail.

I decided on a white chocolate raspberry latte instead of the peppermint offering. As I looked over the doughnut choices, the Boston Cream was calling my name; it looked delicious with it’s heavy coating of luscious chocolate. But it was huge, and since I’m supposed to be cutting back (yeah, right), I chose the old-fashioned cruller.

Rather than try to juggle a cup of coffee and a doughnut while walking, I sat down to enjoy a few minutes of people watching. I gotta say, that cruller was worth every single calorie. It had just the right amount of crisp on the outside while maintaining a soft inside and still managed to be light without being greasy. And the barista blended my latte perfectly without it being too sweet or too bitter.

I was tempted to remain in Status Dough and continue watching the shoppers as they sauntered down the street. But sitting here wasn’t getting my Christmas shopping done, so I reluctantly left and made my way to my first stop: Mast General Store.

If you haven’t been to Mast General Store,  my one question is, Why Not? Knoxville’s Mast General Store opened in 2006. It occupies a building that was constructed following the “Million Dollar Fire” in 1897.  The building housed several businesses including a grocery store before Mast moved in.

Today, Mast General Stores are so synonymous with the South that Charles Kuralt once said, “Where should I send you to know the soul of the South? I think I’ll send you to Mast General Store.”

And Knoxville’s store embodies the whole “general store” idea. You can find honey, jams, popcorn, tea and spices on the main floor. Additionally, they have a good clothing selection, and a selection of socks that will “knock your own socks off” (I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.) And if you’re a UT fan, you’ll definitely want to get your credit card ready.

One word of warning – don’t go to Mast General Store when you’re hungry. Their barrels of candy are just waiting for you to dive into them. And, where else can you find Dr. Pepper flavored cotton candy? What more could you want?

You’re sure to be overwhelmed by the selection, but make sure to visit the bottom floor which houses their hiking and camping supplies in addition to a great selection of outdoor footwear. If you’re not careful, you’ll walk out completely kitted up for hiking, even if you’ve never set foot on a hiking trail before. They just have the neatest stuff.

It was hard, but I finally forced myself to walk away from Mast General and headed to Kilwins. I decided some handcrafted chocolate goodies might just be the thing for stocking stuffers for my sons. (I hope they don’t read this.)

It’s a good thing I was still full from eating that kruller because Kilwins had some very tempting candy. And I had no idea they had ice cream too. I wasn’t there for me, so I grabbed my stocking stuffers and escaped out the door.  But I’ll be back to try that Mackinac Island Fudge or maybe the Tuttle Nut Caramels. Yikes, I can see I need to take up jogging.

What I love about Exploring Knoxville is discovering shops and restaurants that I’ve never seen before. And the Art Market Gallery is one of those places.

According to their website, “The Art Market Gallery is a juried cooperative of over 50 East Tennessee artists dedicated to providing a vibrant marketplace for original art and fine crafts.” In a previous post, I visited Knoxville’s Maker Exchange and was disappointed because it wasn’t what I expected. In visiting The Art Market Gallery, I found what I was looking for.

When I walked in the door, I was entranced by the craftsmanship and selection. It’s easy to see why Art Market Gallery has been voted “Best Gallery”, and “Best Place to Buy Art”. As I walked through the gallery, I was amazed at the talent seen in the paintings, photography, glass works, and metal works.

And because it is owned and operated by artists, they give the kind of individualized attention that is lacking in so many shops. They feature two different artists each month. You can meet those artists and listen to live music at their First Friday reception from 5-9pm.

While I love my lattes, sometimes I need something with a little less sugar, so I was excited to browse the selection of teas at the Spice and Tea Exchange. If you’re a tea lover, their diverse selection will enthrall you. And oh, my goodness, you won’t believe their sugar and salt choices. I didn’t know there were so many different sugars and salts.

In addition, according to their website, they have over 85 handcrafted seasonings. And if you’re looking for something for the tea lover in your life, they’ve got a great selection of tea paraphernalia that your tea lover will absolutely fall for.

While I don’t have a tea lover to buy for, I decided it was time to get something for me. I strolled out of the Spice and Tea Exchange with a package of Crème Brulee Green Tea and Butterscotch Crème Sugar. Can you say yummmm?

I had just a few minutes left before I needed to go home, so I made one final stop on the Gay Street section of the Peppermint Trail.  Quickly cruising through Bliss and Tori Mason Shoes, I couldn’t help but notice their great selection of UT clothing and novelties.

But what really caught my eye was their collection of Book Nooks. These miniature scenes are designed to fit on bookshelves and contribute to your home’s decor. I had never seen these before and was absolutely fascinated by them. This is why I started blogging…to find the unusual and absolutely cool places that I wouldn’t find otherwise.

I ran out of time to visit the rest of the shops on the Gay Street section of the Peppermint Trail. If you’re looking for ice cream, make sure and stop at Phoenix Pharmacy or Cruze Farm. While I haven’t been to Phoenix Pharmacy, I can tell you Cruze Farm has some awesome ice cream, and you can even pick up some of their yummy milk at their downtown shop. I promise you their milk will totally elevate your morning coffee. If it weren’t for the calories, I’d make my morning latte with Cruze Farm milk every morning.

I guess I’ll have to make a point to visit the rest of the shops on the Gay Street section of the Peppermint Trail some other time because next blog post will be visiting a different section of the Downtown Peppermint Trail.

What about you?   Have you visited any of these shops? Have you tried any of the peppermint treats on the Peppermint Trail?  If you have, please comment below.