KNOXVILLE, Tenn — A new trail project in South Knoxville is in the works by Legacy Parks Foundation. The SoKno Art Trail now joins the other public and private projects in the area like the South Waterfront improvements, Urban Wilderness park and the proposed pedestrian bridge project over the Tennessee River.
Carol Evans, the Executive Director of Legacy Parks Foundation, said this plan is meant to connect neighbors to South Knoxville's outdoor destinations, just steps from their homes.
This is described as a project of beatification, that will transform an old rusty railroad track into an outdoor trail with art.
"People aren't one-dimensional, you can like art and bike rides and hike. So it's really kind of merging sort of those options," Evans said. "We always say it'd be great if someone goes to look at art and accidentally takes a walk and gets exercise, or if someone goes to get exercise and discovers art."
SoKno Art will be a mile-and-a-half trail to trail that will run behind businesses like the Hi-Wire Brewery on Sevier Avenue. The trail will combine four big factors that South Knoxville offers: businesses, nature, neighborhoods and art.
"South Knoxville became a really wonderful model for making those connections, neighborhoods, to nature to the river, to the shops to the restaurants," she said.
Legacy Parks Foundation is the face behind this million-dollar project. It will sit in the heart of their Urban Wilderness area that already offers neighbors access to nature.
City council member Tommy Smith, who represents the area, says the trail was used to transport marbles from quarries and would connect neighbors to each other.
"South Knoxville I think is a bit of a Mecca right now. You can you could spend all day in the woods and still not cover all of the opportunities that you have for getting outdoors," Evans said.
Creativity is at the center of this development. Some of the art shown includes handmade creations by elementary school kids, and South Knoxville Elementary students will be the first ones in it.
"We also love the idea of this beautiful art sort of juxtaposed against this really rugged industrial part of town with the rail and warehouses," Evans said, "And so it'll make such an interesting contrast."