Sunsphere of the 1982 Worlds Fair (Observation Deck). See Knoxville from a new level! This iconic symbol of Knoxville history from the 1982 World’s Fair holds a nice view of the Knoxville area. a 360°. Plus, you can see artifacts about what you see.
Sunsphere of the 1982 Worlds Fair (Observation Deck)
One of the views allows you to see the University of Tennessee. You can even see parts of downtown Knoxville too. That kind of might be obvious, since the Sunshere is located in Downtown Knoxville. So this weeks Travel Thursday takes us to the Knoxville 1982 World’s Fair site to see the Sunsphere.
I believe I remember my mom worked at the 1982 World’s Fair. Because of that, I even got to go to this event. I may have a picture or two from it. The 1982 World’s Fair lasted from May 1, 1982 – Oct 31, 1982. I was very young during that time. I turned six while the World’s Fair was going.
The Sunsphere was closed after the World’s Fair ended and remained closed until 1999.
I don’t think I got to go into the Sunshere much as a child, but as an adult, I believe I have been in it two to three times. My most recent visit was in July of 2017 where I took Heather of SimplySpokn.
observation deck and other levels
On one of the 4th level and observe Knoxville. You ride an elevator to that level. You can view between 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The great thing is there is no cost to observe. So this would be a free trip, well, may have to pay for parking in Downtown Knoxville. At one time they use to charge $2 to ride the elevator. But, now it is totally free.
Anyways, there use to be a restaurant on one of the floors inside. But, I do know you can rent the sixith and eighth levels for events. It is also said that privately-owned businesses took up residence on the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth levels.
More Info
Learn more at: worldsfairpark.org/
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