The Sunsphere: Knoxville’s Most Unique Landmark

Look at almost any skyline picture of Knoxville and you’re sure to see the Sunsphere, Knoxville’s most unique landmark. It’s what makes our skyline readily distinguishable from any other.

In fact, recently the Sunsphere featured prominently in an article listing some of the reasons Knoxville made CNN Travel’s list of American’s Best Towns to Visit 2024. (Spoiler alert – We were number 9. Depending on your opinion of tourists…that could be a good or a bad thing) But here’s the question: is it worth the time to visit the Sunsphere? Or is it just one of those things you either admire or hate from afar?

In case you’re new to Knoxville the Sunsphere is that gold ball that rests on a blue “hexagonal steel truss tower” in the center of Knoxville. It was originally constructed in 1981 for the 1982 World’s Fair which was held in Knoxville (much to the chagrin of one obnoxious reporter from the Wall Street Journal who called our sweet town a “scruffy little city”).

The Sunsphere is 266 feet high and 26 stories tall. When it was originally built, it was believed to be the first climate-controlled spherical building in the world.

The globe itself is 5 stories tall. It is made up of 360 energy-efficient panes tinted with 24-karat gold dust and manufactured in, of all places, New Jersey. Believe it or not, those panes cost around a thousand dollars each at the time of construction. You can find more information here.

A while back, I was at a meeting at the Convention Center downtown. While walking back to my car, a couple began asking me about the Sunsphere. I hated to admit it, but I couldn’t answer their questions. I felt totally stupid…after all I had lived in this town for over 35 years, and the Sunsphere was Knoxville’s most unique landmark….and I couldn’t answer their questions.

As I slunk back to my car, I determined that I would learn more about this city I called home. I would never again be in that position. And that was what gave birth to this blog.

I’ve debated whether to write about the Sunsphere because it’s such a famous landmark in Knoxville…I thought maybe everyone already knew everything there was to know about it. I finally decided if I didn’t know much about it, then maybe you didn’t either.

So, the other day, I decided it was time to visit the Sunsphere. Since I’d done some preliminary research, I knew the only way to get tickets to the Sunsphere was online or by using the QR code at the base.

The cost was $5 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under. After reading through three different sections that you have to acknowledge that you understand, I finally purchased my ticket. In fact, I purchased it on the day I wanted to go.

The Sunsphere is open Monday-Friday from 10-5, Saturday from 9a-5pm, and Sunday from 12-4. They are closed from 130-230 for an employee lunch hour (excluding Sundays). And they are open every day except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, but they operate on different hours on certain holidays. You can find those days here.

Just to make you aware, it does state on the website that “operating dates, hours, prices and policies are subject to change without notice.”  For me, that is just a little concerning.

There is no designated parking lot for the Sunsphere. I considered parking at the Locust Street Garage but decided to park at Fort Kid because I wanted to look around the World’s Fair site. One word of warning – according to Visit Knoxville’s website….do not park in the Knoxville Museum of Art visitor parking lot.

From the parking lot at Fort Kid, I turned onto Clinch and took the stairs down to the World’s Fair Site. There is an elevator there, so you don’t have to take the stairs if you have mobility issues. All of that to say that if you do have problems with mobility, I would suggest you have someone drop you off at the base of the Sunsphere and then go park.  **

I got to the World’s Fair Park a little early because I wanted to look around and I didn’t want to be late and miss my time slot.  As I walked around, it was hard to imagine that over 11 million people from around the world traveled to Knoxville to visit this site. In fact, if you’d like a look back at what the World’s Fair site looked like at that time, here’s a cool video.

While walking around, I stumbled upon the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial. This peaceful plaza contains granite pillars that have the names of more than 6000 heroes from 35 East Tennessee counties who died in named conflicts beginning in World War 1.

As I walked through the pillars and read some of the names, I could hear children’s laughter from the splash pad and the playground. That laughter served as a reminder of why over 6000 men and women were willing to give their lives in military service to their country.

Leaving behind the Veteran’s Memorial, I headed to the Sunsphere. Those of us who had purchased tickets gathered under an awning to wait. Currently they are doing construction to add a welcome center that will enable visitors to purchase tickets at the center in addition to online.

We all patiently waited in line for our trip up the elevator to the 4^th level which holds the observation deck. (The 6^th and 8^th levels are event floors and the 5^th and 7^th levels are occupied by private businesses.) Bear in mind, if you brought your grand kids…no jumping on the elevator. Why? Because you could get stuck in there for over an hour. At least that’s what the sign says.

Once we reached the observation deck, we piled out of the elevator and began our walk around the Sunsphere. The Observation Deck provides a 360-degree view of the Knoxville area. As I walked around, I could see the Tennessee River, the University, Downtown Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains.

On my second time around, I looked at the interior walls which highlighted places and events of the 1982 World’s Fair. There were pictures of the opening ceremony with Ronald Reagan, interesting facts about the Fair, and different portrayals of the Sunsphere. Of course, there was also a very small gift shop area. The planned welcome center will also include retail space for a more substantial gift shop. In addition, there was a photo booth for pictures, and a working Pac-man game. I didn’t get to try it…maybe next time.

After about only 20 minutes, I had seen everything, so I nabbed the only chair that I saw and took a few minutes to sit and enjoy the view and listen to the reactions of the tourists. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and I even heard one man exclaim, “I love this place.”

I agreed with him. Sitting there, I was reminded why I love this city. We live in a beautiful setting, and are blessed with a city that has plenty of outdoor space and hasn’t reached a size that makes it too crowded. We are located within an hours drive to the Smoky Mountains (well, depending on traffic). Knoxville is a beautiful city and the Sunsphere highlights that beauty.

1. It’s kind of cool to be able to have such a great view of the city and surrounding countryside.
2. It’s relatively inexpensive to access the Observation Deck of the Sunsphere.
3. If you’ve got grandkids, consider bringing them here on December 6-8 to get their picture made with Santa. You can get more information here.

1. All in all, this isn’t something that I would go out of my way to do again. But if your Aunt Matilda is coming and probably won’t ever be back, I would definitely take her to see the Sunsphere. After all, how many cities in American can lay claim to having hosted a World’s Fair. And the Sunsphere is one of only two buildings remaining from the Fair. So, yeah, it’s an interesting thing to go do.
2. If you live here, I would wait until the Welcome Center is completed (tentatively this fall). According to the employee I spoke with, in addition to added retail space, they will also have some memorabilia from the Fair, and that would be really cool to see. You could combine this with a Saturday morning trip to the Market Square Farmers Market.
3. If you’re a photographer don’t come expecting to get awesome photos. The glass is not clear…probably something to do with that 24-Karat gold. So don’t expect the greatest photos, although you can edit your photos to get rid of some of the coloring.

All in all, I enjoyed my trip to the Sunsphere and now I can answer the questions that couple asked me months ago. If you’ve been to the Sunsphere, drop a comment in the section below. I’d love to hear what you think about this unique landmark.

** My opinions about the accessibility of a business, park, or any other place mentioned on my website are strictly my opinions. Only you are aware of any and all of your accessibility issues, and only you can safely make decisions on what is right for you.