Wander Knox

Sometimes you end up exactly where you’re supposed to be — even if it takes a few detours to get there.

For us, one of those detours was the South Carolina coast. For several years we were living and working along the Grand Strand, helping people buy and sell homes near the ocean. It was a great chapter, and the beach will always be part of our story.

But East Tennessee was always home.

After more than two decades of living in the Knoxville area, the mountains, the rivers, the back roads, and the small local places that make this region special never really left us. Like a lot of people around this stage of life, our next chapter was also shaped by something many families experience — aging parents and the pull to be closer to the people who matter most.

So we packed up, headed back toward the mountains, and settled in again here in Knoxville.

Coming back has reminded us of something we always loved about this place: there’s always something new to discover. One weekend it might be a quiet trail tucked into a park you’ve driven past a hundred times. The next it might be a coffee shop you’ve never noticed, a vintage store full of unexpected finds, or a restaurant that somehow stayed off your radar until now.

That’s really what Wander Knox is about.

This site is where we’ll be sharing the places we discover while wandering around Knoxville and the surrounding East Tennessee communities — coffee shops, trails and parks, vintage stores, bookstores, art galleries, and great local spots to grab a bite.

Some of these places will be brand new to us. Others will be old favorites we’ve loved for years and are excited to revisit now that we’re back.

If you already live here, maybe you’ll find a new spot to check out. If you’re thinking about visiting — or even moving here someday — we hope Wander Knox gives you a sense of what it’s like to spend a day exploring this corner of East Tennessee.

Either way, we’re glad you’re here.

Let’s wander.