Knoxville's Bike Boat Brew & Bark 2018: What to know before you go
Maggie Jones
Cyclists, boat fans, and beer and dog lovers will have a chance to unite at Knoxville's third annual Bike Boat Brew & Bark.
The event will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday at Volunteer Landing in downtown Knoxville and offer a day filled with activities related to the outdoors, beer, dogs, biking and boating.
Some highlights include the Visit Knoxville Powerboat Nationals, a Volunteer Landing walking tour, slow bike rides from breweries to Volunteer Landing, and talented dogs showcasing their talents.
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Dock Dogs jump in
Smoky Mountain Dock Dogs, the first DockDogs affiliated club in Tennessee, will show their skills and entertain the crowd on Saturday from 11 a.m.-noon.
DockDogs is a canine aquatics competition featuring several events. The long jump involves talented pups who get a running start on a dock and then launch themselves into the air to catch a toy before landing in water. The goal is to get the longest jump.
There's also a speed retrieve and high-jump events, and an Iron Dog contest that features all three DockDogs challenges, according to DockDogs website.
DockDogs will hold its World Championship event in Knoxville from Oct. 9-13.
Info: https://www.visitknoxville.com/bike-boat-brew-bark/activities/smoky-mountain-dock-dogs/.
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Young-Williams pet photo contest
Keeping up with the "bark" theme, Young-Williams Animal Center will present an Instagram pet photo contest during the Bike Boat Brew & Bark from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Event attendees can post a photos of their furry friends on Instagram with the hashtag #knoxfido, and the two photos with the most likes will receive pooch prize packs from CitiFid-O.
Young-Williams will be at the event with props and will take photos of pets for the contest.
Info: https://www.visitknoxville.com/bike-boat-brew-bark/activities/pet-photo-contest/.
Powerboat Nationals
Visit Knoxville's Powerboat Nationals will race on the water throughout Bike Boat Brew & Bark.
This event features powerboat racers from around the country who come to test their skills on the Tennessee River with speeds over 100 miles per hour.
Here's the schedule for the Powerboat Nationals. It is subject to change.
- 8-10:30 a.m. Powerboat Nationals testing
- 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Powerboat Nationals time trials and qualifying heats
- 5-7 p.m. Powerboat Nationals finals
If there's lightning, the Powerboat Nationals will move to Sunday, June 3, according to Visit Knoxville's website.
Info: https://www.visitknoxville.com/bike-boat-brew-bark/activities/visit-knoxville-powerboat-nationals/.
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Volunteer Landing River Walk
Author and Knoxville historian Jack Neely will lead Bike Boat Brew & Bark attendees on a guided tour of Volunteer Landing.
During the tour, Neely will speak about Knoxville's complex history with the Tennessee River.
The guided tour is free, but those interested must register in advance for it here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bike-boat-brew-bark-june-2-2018-tickets-44116940958.
Info: https://www.visitknoxville.com/bike-boat-brew-bark/activities/riverwalk-jack-neely/.
Slow brewery bike rides
Representatives from several Knoxville breweries will lead round-trip, relaxed bike rides from the breweries to Volunteer Landing for Bike Boat Brew & Bark at 11 a.m.
Here's the list of participating breweries, according to Visit Knoxville's website.
- Balter Beerworks, 100 S. Broadway
- Alliance Brewing Company, 1130 Sevier Ave.
- Last Days of Autumn Brewery, 808 E. Magnolia Ave.
- Crafty Bastard Brewery, 6 Emory Place
- Shultz Bräu Brewing Company, 126 Bernard Ave.
- Hexagon Brewing Co., 1002 Dutch Valley Drive, Ste 101
- Pretentious Beer Co., 133 S. Central St.
- Elkmont Exchange Brewery, 745 N. Broadway
- Fanatic Brewing Company, 2735 N. Central St.
- Blackhorse Brewery, 4429 Kingston Pike
- Abridged Beer Company, 100 Lockett Road
- Print Shop Beer Co., 1532 Island Home Ave.
The rides are free, but space is limited, and advance registration is required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bike-boat-brew-bark-june-2-2018-tickets-44116940958.
Info: https://www.visitknoxville.com/bike-boat-brew-bark/activities/guided-brewery-slow-rides/.
Guided hike, bike ride
Bike Boat Brew & Bark will also feature a guided hike and bike ride at 11 a.m.
Alan Sims of Inside of Knoxville will lead the guided urban hike. It will start at the TVA Towers near Market Square, continue to Volunteer Landing for a short stop and then travel over the Tennessee River via the Gay Street bridge, according to Visit Knoxville's website.
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Bike Walk Knoxville Coordinator Amelia Wallace will take cyclists on a round trip guided ride starting at UT Gardens. The ride will make a short stop at Volunteer Landing and then continue to Suttree's Landing, according to Visit Knoxville's website.
The guided bike ride and hike are free, but space is limited, and registration is required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bike-boat-brew-bark-june-2-2018-tickets-44116940958.
Info: https://www.visitknoxville.com/bike-boat-brew-bark/activities/guided-urban-hike/ and https://www.visitknoxville.com/bike-boat-brew-bark/activities/urban-bike-ride-to-suttrees-landing/.
Parking information
Free parking for Bike Boat Brew & Bark is available at several downtown Knoxville areas.
- Outdoor Knoxville, 900 Volunteer Landing Lane
- City County Building Garage, 400 Main St.
- Dwight Kessel Garage, 900 State St.
- Market Square Garage, 406 Walnut St.
- State Street Garage, 500 State St.
Additional parking info: http://www.downtownknoxville.org/parking/?t%5b%5d=37.
Attendees can also ride Knoxville Area Transit buses to KAT's downtown Knoxville station, which is a 10-minute walk from Volunteer Landing. For more information, visit https://katbus.com/.
Other options include biking to the event using Knoxville's greenways and riding a boat and docking it at the event.
Find a map of the greenways here.
If you plan to boat to the event, Calhoun's docks and the boat ramp at Governor Ned McWherter/Riverside Park will be closed from Friday-Sunday, and docking won't be allowed at UT's boathouse. Free docking will be available at city docks and monitored by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, according to a press release from Visit Knoxville.