Knoxville Date Night Ideas

Innovate your date night with one of these suggestions! Some of these ideas are better suited for specific seasons and times, so make sure to check each place’s business hours, and *ALWAYS* check Groupon and LivingSocial for discounts. You might even find something on those sites that we haven’t found out about yet! Also, check out We Still Date for some other great ideas.

{Be sure to check out our other date night post, more about romantic dinner locations}

Contributors Share Their Favorite Knoxville Date Nights

Everyone has different ideas of a fun date night, but we can all agree that food is a universal love language. In the spirit of love and maybe trying a new place, our contributors have shared their favorite date night restaurants.

Walnut Kitchen, Foothills Milling & Blackhorse Brewery – Jordan M.

Emilia – Amanda M.

Bravo & Black Horse Brewery – Missy R.

Harvest – Jamie M.

Adopo – Caitlin D.

Knox Mason, Vida & the Vault, Emilia, Chivo, Nama & Bistro at the Bijou – Ashley G.

Aroma Indian Kitchen and Lemon Grass (in Maryville) – Caitland O.

Simpl on Sevier followed by beers at Alliance Brewing & dessert at South Knox Garage – Kara M.

New & Noteworthy Places to Checkout

Bella – a modern cocktail restaurant concept in Maryville infusing Italian classics with fresh imagination. 

Loco Burro Tex Mex Kitchen and Tequila Bar – a new Mexican restaurant with a rooftop bar and menu packed with tacos, burritos and other Tex-Mex staples.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill – an American restaurant and steakhouse. Signature menu items include hand-cut, aged steaks and fresh seafood or specialty crafted cocktails and select wines.

Space Bar Knoxville – a fully immersive, cyber-punk and space travel themed “geek-easy”

Koyo – a Japanese restaurant in downtown Knoxville

Marble City Market – a food hall with a variety of dining options in downtown Knoxville

Osteria Stella & Brother Wolf – a Italian restaurant and cocktail bar in downtown Knoxville

Zalate Taqueria – a Mexican restaurant in Powell

Cataleya Cantina – a Mexican restaurant in Cedar Bluff

Knoxville Date Night Ideas

Downtown

• Enjoy a relaxing massage or facial with your significant other at Wake Foot Sanctuary
• Now you can take your favorite furry best friend on your date night! Get ready for the new indoor dog park and beer garden to open in Downtown Knoxville, The Bark! (Opening soon!)
• Have a fancy pants picnic at Suttree’s Landing, courtesy of The Poppin’ Picnic Company
• Go bowling (and have a drink) at Maple Hall
• Get crafty at AR Workshop
• Blow Glass and Enjoy a Craft Beer at Pretentious Glass Co.
• Throw an axe at Craft Axe Throwing or East TN Axe Throwing
• Check out some galleries on a First Friday downtown
• Have fun doing an Urban Scavenger Hunt
• Take in a gallery at the Knoxville Museum of Art
• Enjoy an in-town getaway at The Oliver Hotel and have drinks at the Peter Kern Library
• Take a $3 swing dance lesson with Knoxville Swing Dance Association
• Throw and paint some pottery at Mighty Mud
• Paint it up at Painting with a Twist
• UT Football Game anyone?
• Catch a puck at an Ice Bears game
• Go on a food tour of Knoxville
• Take a cooking or dancing class together at UT
• Go indoor rock climbing at The Climbing Center on Sutherland
• Enjoy the show, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Bijou, Clarence Brown Theatre, Tennessee Theatre.
• High gravity beer AND an arcade? Say no more and head to Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern.

South Knoxville

• Go hiking at Ijams Nature Center
• Zipline under the stars at the Navitat Canopy Adventure
• Rent a SUP/kayak/canoe at Ijams
• Go antiquing

North Knoxville

• Take an aerial silks and trapeze class at Elevation Arts & Fitness or Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio
• Have a paw-some date night at Scruffy’s Cafe – Knoxville’s only cat & kitten café!
• Enjoy the wildly fun Zoo Knoxville
• Have a roller-skating throwback date night at Skatetown
• Go indoor rock climbing at Onsight Rock Gym
• Pick out some new fun houseplants at Oglewood Avenue

West Knoxville

• Top Golf opened in 2022 and has been a big hit for parties, fun, and a night out! While it’s not in West Knoxville, you can check out the Top Golf Swing Suite at Embassy downtown.
• Rent a SUP/kayak/canoe at the Cove at Concord from River Sports Outfitters
• Book a cooking class at The Cutting Edge Classroom or Flour Power Knoxville
• Get some energy out at Urban Air Adventure Park, or DEFY
• Make it a double date and see how great your escape skills are Escape Game Knoxville or Breakout Knoxville
• Paint some pottery at Liza Moz Pottery Painting
• Ice skating at the Ice Chalet or Cool Sports
• Mini golf at Farragut Golf & Games or Sir Gooney’s
• Paint it up at Painting with a Twist
• Ready to take a trip down memory lane? Head to Token Game Tavern
• Shout your love from the rooftops (or the ropes course) at Main Event. While you’re there, you can also bowl, play laser tag, or goof off in the arcade area. It’s a blast!

Outside Knoxville

• Rent a pedal boat in Oak Ridge on Melton Lake at Adventures Outdoors
• Go skiing or snow tubing at Ober Gatlinburg
• Go tubing in Townsend or white water rafting in the Smokies
• Ride down the mountain on the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster, The Coaster and then dine with Goats on the Roof, or at the new Skyland Ranch in Sevierville. 
• From camels to kangaroos, enjoy the wildlife at Smoky Mountain Deer Farm & Exotic Petting Zoo
• Zipline in Pigeon Forge
• Saddle up and go horseback riding
• Cook it up at The Cook N Craft Academy in Loudon
• Take a tour of the Lost Sea
• Watch the Hard Knox Roller Derby Girls in action
• Ripley’s Aquarium, or if you don’t mind a little bit extra of a drive, try the Tennessee Aquarium and spend the day in Chattanooga
• Picnic at one of our local parks
• Go to a bed and breakfast, have a picnic, and enjoy the scenery at Whitestone Country Inn
• Book one of many special and romantic packages at Mountain Harbor Inn and rent a jet ski or pontoon boat while you are there

Happy Date Night!