Knoxville Dive Bar Guide

While it can be easy to lump Knoxville into a general “college town” label (as our own headline does), there’s something a little extra going on here. Maybe it’s the river that snakes through the heart of the city, the towering bridges that cross it or the tight integration between campus and city that is not always true of a typical college town.

Regardless, college campuses and dive bars have long been friends, the affordability required to cater to a surging student population the perfect push for dive bar proliferation. Local favorite Back Door Tavern is a good example despite its decidedly off-campus location west of town, the walls covered in photos of locals and yes, a Peyton Manning autograph or two.

From Yacht Club on campus to the rustic Y-Not Tavern a bit further north, all corners of the city offer dive bar options. Take note that Tennessee laws do allow smoking in bars, creating a dive bar divide between those that allow it and those that do not. Our reviews call out the presence of smoking when possible, but be sure to check before rolling up with your decidedly non-smoking drinking partner.