Biking Third Creek Greenway- A Fun Way To Get The Family Outside For A Few Hours

Knoxville has a pretty good system of greenways, especially if you live near downtown. One of my favorites is Third Creek Greenway, extending west 3.8 miles from the UT Gardens out to Bearden where Kingston Pike and Forest Park Blvd intersect, near the Ice Chalet.

Why I Like Third Creek Greenway

The greenway is a scenic ride along Third Creek, nice because it is far from a road for most of it so it has a little peace and quiet despite being in a busy part of town. It is safe for kiddos for that reason as well, no worrying about them falling off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic. The greenway only has 2 road crossings- somewhat busy Concord Street near Tyson Park and more quiet Tobler Lane near West High School.

Third Creek Greenway is fairly flat, passes by large Tyson Park for a good playground break, and has food options near both ends of the greenway. You can easily make this a whole afternoon or morning outing by adding in lunch at one of the great restaurants nearby or a picnic at the playground. Or stop for frozen yogurt or juice smoothies--there are enough options to make even choosy kiddos happy.

Map Of Third Creek Greenway

The Details

LENGTH

Roughly 3.8 miles from one end to the other ( 7.6 miles round-trip starting from UT Gardens to Bearden)

TIME NEEDED

Totally depends on how fast your kids can bike. With 10 year olds that are occasional bikers, we take about 25-40 minutes to do the 3.8 miles. So about 50-80 minutes roundtrip to bike the whole greenway at a leisurely pace.

If you add in lunch plus a playground break at Tyson Park, expect to spend 3 hours.

PARKING

*marked with blue Ps on the map above

• At UT Gardens - There are a few reserved spots in the lot behind the Vet School during the week; the lot is open to anyone on weekends (except UT Game Day)

• At Tyson Park

• You will find 2 small public lots specifically for the greenway: one is off Neyland Drive between the UT Gardens and the waste treatment plant. The other public lot is off Sutherland Avenue near River Sports.

• At the shopping center at the Bearden end of the greenway, located at the corner of Forest Park Blvd and Kingston Pike. The greenway runs right alongside the parking lot.

BATHROOMS

• At Tyson Park- these are sometimes iffy in terms of cleanliness but generally okay

• At UT Gardens- in the classroom buildings (see map), these are sometimes closed when UT is on break

• At one of the private businesses at the Earth Fare shopping center at the Bearden end of the greenway.

OTHER HELPFUL WEBSITES

• Outdoor Knoxville * note- they have the greenway listed as 5.3 miles long but that is including part of Bearden Village Greenway running all the way out to Bearden Elementary School.

• KGIS Maps - shows many of the parks and greenways in Knoxville, I love these maps

• Tyson Park

BIKES RENTALS IF NEEDED

• RiverSports- Rents adult and kid greenway bikes starting at $20 for 4 hours. Conveniently located near the Third Creek Greenway on Sutherland Avenue. Labeled on the map above.

• Pace Bike Share- Pace bike docks are scattered around Knoxville. I know there is one at the Third Creek Greenway parking lot off of Sutherland. You need to have the app on your phone and it is a one size fits all bike so not good for kids. $1 per 15 minutes to rent.

THE ROUTE

My Preferred Way- I like to start at UT Gardens and bike to the Bearden end of the greenway for lunch or a frozen yogurt before biking back. But starting at the Bearden end is good too, especially if you want to eat somewhere on the Cumberland Avenue Strip for lunch or take a picnic to the UT Gardens.

UT Gardens To The End Of Tyson Park (roughly 1.4 miles)

The beginning (or end) of the Third Creek Greenway starts where Third Creek runs into the Tennessee River, right by Neyland Drive at the eastern edge of UT Gardens. It intersects with Neyland Greenway, which runs along the river and Neyland Drive from Kingston Pike to James White Parkway.

UT Gardens is a wonderful place to spend a little time if you have it. The recently renovated Childrens Garden is pretty nifty, with a little tower and rocks to climb on, plus very large, metal bug sculptures.

The Childrens Garden is probably better for the elementary school crowd but older kids will enjoy walking around the larger gardens. The miniature labyrinth is another fun tradition that you can’t quite help doing each time you visit, at least I can’t even though I have walked it a million times before.

From the gardens, you bike along Third Creek and under Cumberland Avenue. There is a large mural of freshwater mussels painted on the concrete of the Cumberland Ave underpass. The mural was funded by the Center for Biological Diversity to highlight these endangered species. The mural shows the fish populations that eat the mussels as well as how the mussels work to filter contaminants out of the water. It is a neat mural and worth a pause to admire.

Once you pass under Cumberland Avenue, you enter the outskirts of Tyson Park. This is a good sized park that runs along Third Creek, with lots of picnic areas, a large playground, a skate park, 14 tennis courts, and even pickleball courts. It is a great place to stop for a picnic and let the kids play.

If you want to shorten your ride, you can start your from Tyson Park instead of UT Gardens. If you are bringing a picnic, you will find handy parking near the playground as well as a large parking lot off the entrance by Concord Road.

From Tyson Park To Bearden (roughly 2.4 miles)

After you played on the playground, had a picnic, or just cycled through Tyson Park, continue on the greenway until it reaches Concord Road at the edge of the park.

This is the busiest road crossing you will find on the greenway, so you need to be aware of traffic. It is a well marked zebra pedestrian crossing though, so with a little patience sometimes, I find drivers to be pretty good about stopping.

Not long after crossing Concord Road, you will come to a spur heading off to the right going to Safety City. If you have school-aged kids in Knox County, there is a good chance they have already been to Safety City; if not, you should really look into going.

Safety City is a recreated miniature Knoxville with traffic lights and stop signs. It is run by the Knoxville Police Department to help kids learn the rules of the road. Safety City is only open at certain times of the year, so check the website for the most current information. Their Facebook page is also a good source, especially for when they open unexpectedly, like on school in- service days.

Just after you pass the Safety City spur, the greenway turns into a boardwalk to cross Third Creek, which is always fun for the kids. It then returns to a paved trail and remains paved the rest of the way.

This section of greenway is quiet, away from roads, and a great ride. The first part is wooded and has rolling small hills (nothing too bad) while the last bit near the Bearden end is more open and very flat.

You will see the sign for the connection to the Sequoyah Greenway heading off to the left (and up a very big hill) about halfway along this section of the greenway. Then just afterwards, you’ll see the spur leading to the parking lot off of Sutherland Avenue off to the right.

A little bit after you pass the spur out to Sutherland Avenue, you will come to the second road crossing on the greenway. Tobler Lane is a much quieter road than Concord though, unless you happen to be biking when nearby West High School is dismissing.

When you see the UT Intramural Fields on your right, you are nearing the end of the greenway. The shopping center marking the Bearden end of the greenway is straight ahead or you can take the Lebanon Street Connector to the right to come around the intramural fields to Sutherland Avenue and the Bearden Village Greenway. There are some good restaurants on this part of Sutherland as well as at the shopping center at the end of Third Creek.

* Pro Tip- If you have a kid or maybe a military buff with you, connect over to the Bearden Greenway by taking the Lebanon Street connector. Then go right on the Bearden Greenway to the Tennessee National Guard Base where they have several tanks and big guns displayed near the fence. It is not far at all.

Places To Eat Near The Third Creek Greenway

AT THE BEARDEN END

On Sutherland Avenue

• Dead End BBQ- One of my favorite BBQ places in Knoxville. I live for the BBQ Queso. The banana pudding is also a favorite.

• The Burgers- Serves, well, burgers. And does them well. Also has chicken, fish, and hotdogs, plus a $5 kids menu. If it is nice outside, the little beer garden is cute.

• El Charro- Has been around for 30 years and still going strong. Not fancy but good Mexican food for a good price, especially for lunch. Kids eat free on Mondays.

• Gosh Ethiopian- If you are vegetarian or just really like lentils, you will be in heaven here. But they do have carnivore options, especially if you enjoy lamb. Long time, family run restaurant with a kids menu- albeit an Ethiopian one, no chicken nuggets here. So be adventurous and try something new. The kids will enjoy the novelty of eating with their hands without being yelled at. Only open for lunch and dinner on Saturday, otherwise dinner only Wed- Fri.

In the Shopping Center

• Emmy’s Frozen Yogurt- A delicious frozen yogurt shop that prides itself on being fun for everyone- meaning they have gluten-free, dairy free, kosher, and diabetic friendly options. Started by a local Mom who has an autistic son, she makes an effort to employ people of all abilities. It is a feel good, taste good, kind of place.

• El Mezcal- A Mexican place, but I have never eaten here. However, it has been in business awhile and has 2 locations so it must be doing something right. Has a pretty large menu and a $4.50 kids menu so I must give it a try. Plus, I like the look of the nice outdoor patio beside the greenway.

• Juice Bar Bearden and Smoothie King- These 2 places are actually across the street from the shopping center but worth a walk over. There is a pedestrian crossing with a light at the corner of North Forest Park Blvd and Kingston Pike. Go for the juice bar if you want your drink more vegetable based and juicy and to Smoothie King if you like it more fruity and milkshakey. I like the Juice Bar but the kids like Smoothie King.

NEAR UT GARDENS AND TYSON PARK

The nearest restaurants to this end of the greenway are on the section of Cumberland Avenue nearest Tyson Park, aka “The Strip.” Our favorites are Sunspot, Mellow Mushroom, and Copper Cellar for tried and true good food. But you will find a bit of everything on The Strip, although heavily skewed towards fast food and fast casual. It is a college place after all.

• Sunspot- Amazing vegetarian, locally sourced food. Do have carnivore options using locally sourced meat. Everything on the menu is good, seriously. And they have a extensive craft beer list plus a really cool interior with reclaimed barn wood paneling. Serves brunch too on Saturday and Sunday.

• Mellow Mushroom- Great pizza always goes well with a bike ride.

• Copper Cellar- Since 1975, this restaurant has been a “go to” for steaks, burgers, wings, and great Sunday brunches.

• Other choices on The Strip include Jason’s Deli, Zaxby’s, Starbucks, Panera, Stefano’s Pizza, Moe’s, and Chipotle, among many others.

To get to the Strip from Third Creek Greenway, just turn left on Cumberland Avenue from the entrance to Tyson Park. It is 0.1 miles to Sunspot, 0.2 miles to Mellow Mushroom, and 0.4 miles to Copper Cellar. Thanks to the recent streetscaping of Cumberland, The Strip now has wide sidewalks and bike racks placed periodically along the avenue. The sidewalks are safe to ride on with kids if it isn’t too busy with pedestrians. Or stash the bikes at the first rack you come to and then walk to your restaurant of choice.

PICNIC PLACES

• UT Gardens has a small covered pavilion with tables available unless it is being used by a class. Otherwise, there are scattered small tables and lots of green space for a blanket.

• Tyson Park has plenty of good picnic areas with tables and most are covered, an added bonus. They also tend to be popular on weekends so arrive early.

• Safety City has a covered picnic area next to its playground.

• I wouldn’t plan spreading a blanket along the greenway itself because, in most places, it only has 10-15 ft wide strip of grass on either side of the paved part.

If You Want A Longer Ride, Continue On To These Greenways

BEARDEN VILLAGE GREENWAY

You can add several more miles by connecting to the Bearden Village Greenway from the Bearden end of the Third Creek Greenway. The Bearden greenway is 1.8 miles long and goes from Bearden Elementary School to West High School along Sutherland Avenue.

Maps and the website says the greenway extends further down Sutherland Avenue than West High School but that part is just a narrow sidewalk along the road and nothing I would take kids on. Even the rest of the Bearden Greenway is right next to Sutherland Avenue so it is not the most scenic ride. I mostly do it when I feel like exploring.

NEYLAND GREENWAY

You can connect to Neyland Greenway at UT Gardens and ride 3 miles along Neyland Drive and the Tennessee River. The greenway extends from the UT Visitor Center at the corner of Kingston Pike and Neyland Drive all the way to Calhoun’s and Ruth’s Chris restaurants at the other end of Neyland.

I like this greenway because it goes along the river and is more scenic than you think (except for the short section thru the waste treatment plant- that is not scenic but it is short). From Neyland Greenway, you can connect to James White Greenway, Second Creek Greenway, and the Knox Blount Greenway so it is a great jumping off point.

Third Creek Greenway makes a fun few hours out with the family, not too long and not too much prep needed. Throw in some good food or a frosty treat in the middle and you have all the ingredients for a day everyone will enjoy!

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