A couple of months ago, I celebrated my birthday with a staycation in Knoxville, Tenn., with my favorite person – my husband, Mike. We took in the downtown vibes, walked around Market Square, ate some great food, and then saw my favorite Broadway show at the Tennessee Theatre on Sunday afternoon. What a weekend!
Our overnight staycation began on Saturday afternoon, when we checked into The Oliver Hotel, a boutique hotel located in downtown Knoxville.
“The hotel is the only boutique property in Knoxville with a style that pays tribute to downtown’s colorful history, while offering guest rooms and suites with charm, sophistication and modern amenities.”
The Oliver Hotel
Making a reservation for our staycation at The Oliver Hotel was easy. I made them online and verified them via email correspondence. And when we walked in, the staff were wonderful and friendly. The lobby was warm and welcoming, and our room was pristine and modern.
Even though we could hear some faint street noise from late-night revelers enjoying the downtown Market Square area, our room was quite impressive!
As a special birthday treat, they gifted me two complimentary cocktail vouchers to The Peter Kern Library. I don’t drink alcohol, but on this special occasion, I enjoyed my special birthday cocktail. But first we ate at a restaurant on Market Square.
Mike had worked on Broncos all morning and so when we got to the hotel, we took a quick power nap before heading down to Market Square to find a place to eat.
Because I’ve been going out to eat with my friend, Marcy, I was already familiar with a couple of the restaurants on Market Square. Mike and I chose Myrtle’s Chicken & Beer. I didn’t make a reservation, but that was ok. Within minutes, we were seated at the bar and ordering our food.
Mike ordered a beer and I ordered a Diet Coke. We chatted with the bartender and I watched him make drink after drink, including one made with bacon grease {the Benton’s Old Fashioned}.
For dinner, I ordered Myrtle’s Original Fried Chicken Sandwich with a side of fries, while Mike ordered Cheddar Drop Biscuits and Chicks in a Blanket. Everything was delicious and I recommend this restaurant to EVERYONE!
After dinner, we walked around Market Square. We perused several of the local shops, like Earth to Old City, Earthbound Trading Co., and Tailgate 23, and we watched the ice skaters glide around the ice rink. I’d never been downtown during the holidays, and the winter weather was perfect {not too cold and not raining or snowing}.
After walking around for a bit, we headed back to The Oliver Hotel. We decided to have a nightcap at The Peter Kern Library, which serves up drinks named for your favorite literary characters. In true literary fashion, I chose a drink with the essence of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
After we finished our drinks {I actually only drank about half of mine}, we headed back upstairs to our room for the night.
The next morning, while Mike was still sleeping, I made reservations for breakfast at Tupelo Honey Cafe, which is located below The Oliver Hotel, directly on Market Square.
We enjoyed a delicious meal of bacon, eggs, sweet potato pancakes, grits, and homemade biscuits and jam. Afterwards, we headed to the Tennessee Theatre to see Les Miserables!
Tupelo Honey Cafe, Downtown Knoxville
Following breakfast, we took a leisurely stroll through Charles Krutch Park to Gay Street, and then made our way to the Tennessee Theatre.
My friend, Vanessa Bell, first introduced me to Les Miserables in 1992 when she played the soundtrack on cassette tape {yes, I’m THAT old!} and she made me read the book {which I still have to this day}. Then, for her birthday, she received tickets to Les Miserables at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and she invited me to go with her.
Les Miserables, Tennessee Theatre
After a thrilling afternoon watching my favorite Broadway show at the Tennessee Theatre, Mike and I walked back to Market Square and to our car.
First of all, I cannot thank the wonderful staff at The Oliver Hotel and The Peter Kern Library for making our stay so memorable and enjoyable. Secondly, I want to give a shout-out to Myrtle’s Chicken + Beer and Tupelo Honey Cafe for the delicious food and drinks. And finally, to the staff of the Tennessee Theatre, for being lovers of the theatre, and for bringing Les Miserables to Knoxville.
And just so you know, this is not a sponsored post and I was not comped by any of the businesses for this post. I genuinely enjoyed every little detail and minute of this staycation in the lovely downtown Knoxville area.
If you’ve not been to Knoxville, then I would like to invite you to visit and experience some of that good ol’ Southern hospitality.
Yours Truly,
Vanessa