6 Ways to Spend Rainy Days in Knoxville

1.) Ask Me About Axes 🪓

Have you ever been axe throwing? It’s less terrifying than it sounds (trust us), while still allowing you to feel like a complete boss. You can take your shot at hitting the bullseye or mix it up with a handful of other games. Either way, it’s a unique way to get out of the house, stay out of the rain, and intimidate your enemies, hone your survival skills in the case of zombie apocalypses. Check out Craft Axe Throwing for themed days, leagues, and specials in Cedar Bluff!

2.) Museum Maven

Impress all future visitors with your extensive Knoxville knowledge by spending rainy days at museums! As super fancy folks (clearly), our favorite kind of museum is the freeeee kind which means The Knoxville Art Museum and Beck Cultural Exchange Center easily top the list. We also love catching different displays at the East Tennessee History Museum right in the heart of downtown Knoxville.

3.) Reach for the Skies, er, Ceiling

If you ask us, rain is just an opportunity to bring the outdoors into the air conditioning 😜 Head over to the Climbing Center inside RiverSports in the eclectic Marble City neighborhood to climb in a dry, cool environment all day long. After your rock climbing adventure, pop over to their neighbors Albright Grove Brewing Co. to rehydrate with a beer or The Boocherie for a slew of non-alcoholic cocktails!

4.) Bangin' Basement Bowling

Why simply get out of the rain when you can forget the outdoors entirely by hanging out in Knoxville’s favorite basement? Maple Hall is a trendy basement bowling alley tucked right underneath the heart of Gay St. Enjoy aesthetic lounging areas, delicious drinks & food (the fried pickles and pretzel bites are our faves 😋), and a day full of bowling with your buddies. (PS. Downtown Knoxville has a few other basement bars for you to check out too.)

5.) Brews & Boards

Let’s not overlook the classic (and ohhh-so-cozy) combo of board games and brews! Plenty of local bars and breweries have a stockpile of board games to help you fully take advantage of stormy evenings. We’re talkin’ full on hygge, y’all. Some of our favorites are Schulz Brau Brewing Co (we usually obsess over their biergarten, but the inside castle + fireplace situation is a dreeeam on rainy nights), Pour Taproom (the bevvy options are limitless – or as Cady Heron would say, “the limit does not exist”), and Crafty Bastard Brewery. (We’ve spent many a rainy afternoon playing Sorry with a Hop Candy in hand #memories 🥲)

If you want to advance to the next level, you can hit up the Maple Room (located right above Maple Hall) for larger-than-life board games on the walls. OR go old school and hit up Harrogate’s Lounge connected to Suttree’s Tavern for arcade games (oh HELLOoo Dolly themed pinball!). OOOoor get active at Hi-Wire Brewing Co with games like ping pong, foosball, or soccer pool (yeah, soccer pool is a thing 😂).

6.) Escape the Rain, Literally

If you feel the need to escape the rain quite literally, BOY have we got you covered like an umbrella, Ella! We did our first ever escape room just a few days ago at Escape Game Knoxville and, not to brag, but we totally crushed it. We escaped a country western jail with just over five minutes to spare and by the time we got back outside, the rain had stopped (okay, it had paused, but it was still a nice moment 😆).

Okay, friend, there’s more where that came from, but it’s high time you get off your device to go splash in some puddles and sing in the rain. TOODELOO 👋

PS. If you’re an Enneagram 9 and the idea of spending a rainy day rock climbing is just incomprehensible, don’t you worry. We’ve got a list of the Coziest Coffee Shop Corners where you can curl up with a book and pray the rain never goes away 😉 Happy Hygge-ing!