Knoxville's Best Food Tours

Beignets in Market Square: A Knoxville Food Tour With Southern Sweets

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The square first

Market Square has been downtown Knoxville's meeting place since the 1850s, back when farmers sold produce off their wagons here. It's where we meet too. The first stop is Ruby Sunshine for warm beignets dusted in powdered sugar, often with a seasonal beignet topped with fruit and cream alongside.

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Coffee & Chocolate is a short walk away, with coffee and a macaron or a handmade chocolate. After that comes a classic local bakery stop, often Ham 'N Goodys and its bright, buttery lemon cookie.

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Alleys, a park and a gold ball in the sky

Strong Alley is covered in murals, so your guide will give you a minute for photos. Krutch Park comes next, with its sculpture garden and a quiet pond in the middle of downtown. Along Clinch Avenue, look up and you'll catch the Sunsphere, the gold globe left over from the 1982 World's Fair. Then Gay Street and the Tennessee Theatre, a restored movie palace and the official state theater of Tennessee.

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The last sweet stop depends on the time of day. A Nutella crepe, maybe. A scoop of ice cream. Small batch popcorn.

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Why sweets instead of just donuts

Downtown Knoxville is compact and full of independent food businesses, and one donut shop wouldn't do it justice. So this walking tour mixes beignets, cookies and chocolate with the stories behind the brick buildings, from Knoxville's railroad and river days to its downtown revival. Your guide sets the pace to suit the group. On a UT game weekend, when families are in town to see their students, the Knoxville Sweet Treats Tour is a handy way to get your bearings before kickoff. It's still a donut tour at heart. It just has a wider view of what counts.