The Knox County Scenic Drive, a self-guided tour with stops across the county, runs Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4, and again Oct. 10-11.
New stops are opening around Knoxville, and about 20% of vendors change each year, board member Tom Collopy said.
Tom Collopy joined Galesburg’s Morning News on Friday, Oct. 2. Listen to the full interview below.
Most stops stay the same from year to year, he said, and people come back for the same things. Collopy said the second weekend will likely be better for fall color.
“It was our ancestors that started it to showcase the area to people, but also to have things that you could buy to take home,” Collopy said.
Stops Collopy highlighted:
- Uptown Knoxville: The park has historic buildings, including the old jail, and the historical society will be open this year. Vendors fill the park.
- Walnut Grove Farm: An 1840s livestock barn turned event center that Collopy said is on a national barn registry. It is a juried stop, so vendors can sell only what they make.
- Dahinda: Collopy called it the most scenic part of the drive. A repurposed general store sells handmade items and old-style glass bottles of pop.
- St. Augustine: Pumpkins raised to benefit St. Jude, he said.
- Maquon: One of the original stops, with vendors in the park and around town, and plenty of ironwork.
- Galva: The Farmgate Market stop, added two years ago, is geared toward children, with a petting zoo, pedal cars and a pumpkin catapult.
- Wolf covered bridge: A photo-op stop.
Food varies by stop, but Collopy said visitors can count on staples like apple dumplings, butterfly pork chops, ribeyes and kettle corn.
Collopy said demonstrators, such as rug and broom makers, are getting harder to find because younger people haven’t been replacing them as they age.
His advice for visitors is to take their time, map out stops and allow plenty of time. Farm machinery will be on the roads during harvest, he said, so drive carefully.
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