Lexington KY to Knoxville TN drive: Distance, time & best stop
The distance from Lexington KY to Knoxville TN is 170 miles, with a 2h38m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Lexington KY to Knoxville TN drive are the Kentucky Splash Water Park, the Coal Creek Miners Museum and the Museum of Appalachia.
Planning a Lexington KY to Knoxville TN road trip itinerary
The Lexington KY to Knoxville TN drive takes you from the horse-breeding hub of Kentucky to the gateway for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
Interesting Lexington experiences include downtown food tours, guided art walks, zipline tours through the Kentucky River Palisades. You can also try bluegrass cocktail tours, visiting a thoroughbred horse farm and visiting Mary Todd Lincoln House.
Highlights of Knoxville include World’s Fair Park, which hosted the 1982 World’s Fair. The often-dazzling Sunsphere is the major landmark, here. You can also visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and Knoxville Museum of Art.
Other Knoxville experiences include ghost tours and downtown walking tours that pick out local secret spots, while serving up coffee and ice cream.
Top Knoxville accommodation options include the handily-located Graduate Knoxville, the affordable Hampton Inn and Suites Knoxville Downtown and the character-packed Oliver Hotel. To compare prices, search here.
Lexington KY to Knoxville TN distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Lexington KY to Knoxville TN is 170 miles. That makes for a driving time of approximately two hours and 38 minutes. The quickest route is down the I-75.
The best stops on a Lexington KY to Knoxville TN road trip are the Kentucky Splash Water Park, the Coal Creek Miners Museum and the Museum of Appalachia.
Lexington to Knoxville drive: Kentucky Splash Water Park
The Kentucky Splash Water Park in Williamsburg KY is part of the Hal Rogers Family Entertainment Center. It’s by no means the biggest water park in the world, but there’s a massive wave pool, several slides and a lazy river.
There’s also an 18 hole mini golf course, arcade and campground on-site.
Things to do between Lexington KY and Knoxville TN: Coal Creek Miners Museum
The Coal Creek Miners Museum in Rocky Top TN is much stronger on stories than it is on exhibits. It focuses on two tragic mining disasters – the Fraterville Mine Disaster and the Cross Mountain Mine Disaster
Most fascinating of all, however, is the section on the Convict Lease System. This was where mostly African-American prison labourers were leased to mining companies, with conditions akin to slavery.
Lexington KY to Knoxville KY road trip attractions: Museum of Appalachia
The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee, offers an evocative feel for life in a mountain village. More than 250,000 exhibits are stored throughout the site, including musical instruments, quilts and folk arts.
But it’s the whole, rather than the individual, that counts here. The farm and village scene is brought to life with dozens of olde time log buildings.
More Lexington road trips
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More Knoxville road trips
Knoxville to Atlanta | Birmingham to Knoxville | Knoxville to Boston | Knoxville to Chattanooga | Chicago to Knoxville | Cincinnati to Knoxville | Knoxville to Clarksville | Cleveland TN to Knoxville | Cookeville TN to Knoxville | Crossville TN to Knoxvillle | Dallas to Knoxville | Detroit to Knoxville | Knoxville to Gatlinburg | Houston to Knoxville | Indianapolis to Knoxville | Knoxville to Louisville | Memphis to Knoxville | Murfreesboro to Knoxville | Nashville to Knoxville | St Louis to Knoxville | Washington DC to Knoxville.