Welcome to the Friendly City, we are so glad that you are here. Nestled in the foothills between the metropolitan cities of Knoxville and Chattanooga along the I-75 corridor, Athens, Tennessee is packed full of history and splendor. Athens has a long-standing reputation as being the Friendly City- people are attracted to the inviting environment that has been created by our citizens. In 2022, Athens celebrated its 200th anniversary.
Athens is a place of access. Within our community, we have an abundance of natural resources and beauty, or if you prefer to explore the world, it is easy to do so from our convenient location. Our citizens and guests enjoy quick access to large city amenities or to nearby mountains and waterways for fishing, hiking, and kayaking. Athens Regional Park, consisting of 165 acres, includes two lakes, miles of hiking/walking trails, one of the largest free splashpads in the state, a large and small playground, baseball, softball, and soccer fields along with a large lake pavilion, the Southeast Tennessee Trade and Conference Center, and the McMinn County Expo Center. The city also maintains Eureka Trail, a Rails-to-Trails initiative that is multipurpose for hikers, bikers, horse riders, and features a 0.5-mile health triangle for novice walkers at the trail head.
Athens is also a Quality-of-Life Community, offering activities that make life good for our residents and their families. The city hosts the annual Athens Soap Box Derby, Fishing Derby, July 4th Fireworks, the annual Easter Egg Hunt of over 12,000 eggs, the annual Mother-Son Dance, and the nationally recognized Daddy-Daughter Dance. Additionally, in honor of our military veterans, semi-annually Athens hosts a Veterans Brick Ceremony at our Veterans Park. The City of Athens is also the final home port for the U.S.S. Ware (DD-865) naval destroyer.
Community partners host additional events like the annual Pumpkintown Festival, Sounds of Summer concert series, and MooFest. The city also hosts seasonal events such as the Downtown Farmers Market through the spring and fall growing seasons, the Downtown Halloween Costume Contest, and the Old Fashioned Downtown Christmas Festival and Tree Lighting. For educational purposes, the city sponsors the Wetlands Festival to raise awareness of the biodiversity within our surrounding ecosystem. The local Main Street program hosts 5th Friday Block Parties downtown and an Historic Downtown Walking Tour that incorporates the story of the Battle of Athens of 1946 and other historical facts.
We are pleased you stopped by to see us, and we hope that you experience the small-town charm that has earned us the reputation as the Friendly City.
To keep up to date information on the city, you can follow it on social media and the Channel 95 Education and Government Channel on Comcast services.
