Sunsphere
The Sunsphere is a 266-foot (81 m) tall hexagonal steel truss structure located in World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States.
A lookout inside Knoxville
You can stay in Knoxville
Sunsphere is inside Knoxville, which has 134 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Sep and Oct
April, May, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 71–82°. When to go ↓
An airport 11 miles away
McGhee Tyson (TYS) has airline service, about 11 miles from Sunsphere.
Established in 1982
Sunsphere dates from 1982. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Weather, month by month
Typical highs and lows in Knoxville. Green months are the mild ones.
Sunsphere
The Sunsphere is a 266-foot (81 m) tall hexagonal steel truss structure located in World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It is topped with the 75-foot (23 m) gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair. Directly across a man-made pond from the Tennessee Amphitheater, they are the only remaining structures from the fair.
- Type
- Lookout
- Established
- 1982
- Wikipedia readers
- 29K a year
Where to stay near Sunsphere
The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are Knoxville (134) and Pigeon Forge (358).
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Sunsphere | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville | in town | — | 134 114 hotels · 8 motels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 6 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds | 202,021 | $240K | D |
| Pigeon Forge | 23 mi southeast | 35 min | 358 140 hotels · 8 motels · 10 inns & B&Bs · 171 lodges & cabins · 20 campgrounds · 9 RV parks | 6,598 | $292K | D− |
| Gatlinburg 34% vacation homes | 29 mi southeast | 45 min | 352 105 hotels · 11 motels · 14 inns & B&Bs · 216 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 4 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 3,715 | $332K | D |
| Sevierville | 20 mi east | 30 min | 95 49 hotels · 4 motels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 28 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds · 6 RV parks | 19,010 | $290K | D |
| Alcoa | 10 mi south | 15 min | 21 18 hotels · 1 motel · 2 lodges & cabins | 13,689 | $277K | C |
| Townsend 29% vacation homes | 22 mi southeast | 35 min | 58 13 hotels · 2 motels · 6 inns & B&Bs · 22 lodges & cabins · 14 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 640 | $371K | — |
| Powell | 8 mi northwest | 10 min | 8 5 hotels · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 13,739 | $299K | — |
| Clinton | 15 mi northwest | 20 min | 12 10 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 campground | 10,466 | $225K | C− |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Also near Sunsphere
Other well-known places within 55 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
Big draw1in town Stadium & arenaNeyland Stadium
Big draw225 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big draw37 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi MountainKuwohi
3in town Stadium & arenaThompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
423 mi MuseumAlcatraz East
35 mi MountainMount Le Conte55 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the SkyPhoto credits
Neyland Stadium: Neomrbungle, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center: TN 66, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alcatraz East: EricaLewHouse, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Le Conte: No machine-readable author provided. Blinutne assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY-SA 3.0
Visiting Sunsphere
Is Sunsphere in Knoxville?
Yes. It’s inside Knoxville, TN.
When is the best time to visit Sunsphere?
April, May, September and October, with highs of 71–82°.
What is the closest airport to Sunsphere?
McGhee Tyson (TYS), about 11 miles away.
Where should I stay near Sunsphere?
Knoxville (in town, 134 places to stay), Pigeon Forge (23 mi, 358 places to stay) and Gatlinburg (29 mi, 352 places to stay).
Tips from people in Knoxville
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in Knoxville’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.