New Ijams canopy walkway and quarry hangout will come with a small cost: $5 to park

Ryan Wilusz, Knoxville News Sentinel
·4 min read

One of Knoxville's biggest attractions is planning for an upgrade that will help better connect its 620,000 annual visitors with the city's natural beauty.

The 318-acre Ijams Nature Center in South Knoxville is planning an events pavilion, canopy walkway, substantial upgrades to Mead's Quarry and a $5 parking fee that will be used to fund the improvements.

The parking fee goes into effect Feb. 19, though some Ijams members will be able to park for free. Annual parking passes will be available for $50, and Ijams will offer free parking days throughout the year.

The nonprofit educational center provided a glimpse of its master plan in a Jan. 30 news release.

New space for rentals, concessions planned at Mead's Quarry

Multipurpose buildings included in the Ijams Nature Center master plan would replace the trailer and shipping containers used for kayak rentals and concessions. Mead's Quarry was once a huge pit where workers extracted famed Tennessee marble from deep within the earth but is now a popular swimming hole near downtown Knoxville.
Multipurpose buildings included in the Ijams Nature Center master plan would replace the trailer and shipping containers used for kayak rentals and concessions. Mead's Quarry was once a huge pit where workers extracted famed Tennessee marble from deep within the earth but is now a popular swimming hole near downtown Knoxville.

Mead's Quarry at Ijams Nature Center has increased in popularity over the years, especially with its Fort Dickerson counterpart, Augusta Quarry, temporarily closed for renovations.

It's time for the Ijams quarry to get some upgrades of its own.

Kayak rentals and concessions operate out of a trailer and shipping containers at the quarry, but multipurpose buildings replace them in the master plan. The buildings also will have indoor and outdoor seating, as well as outdoor classroom space.

Other upgrades include an ADA-compliant trail leading to the water, improved parking and improved common areas.

Know Your Knox: What's at the bottom of Mead's Quarry and Augusta Quarry?

Homesite at Ijams Nature Center adding an events pavilion

Ijams Nature Center in South Knoxville has shared renderings of its master plan, which includes this events pavilion at the Ijams Homesite. The pavilion would be built at "the current location of the tent pad" and would "address ongoing plumbing and draining issues."
Ijams Nature Center in South Knoxville has shared renderings of its master plan, which includes this events pavilion at the Ijams Homesite. The pavilion would be built at "the current location of the tent pad" and would "address ongoing plumbing and draining issues."

In 1910, illustrator and ornithologist HP Ijams and his wife, Alice Ijams, purchased 20 acres along the Tennessee River to raise their four children.

This area is now known as the Ijams Homesite, and it includes areas for events and space for the center's preschool operations.

An events pavilion is now planned for the Homesite, which "will be critical to the growth of Ijams educational programs and increasing revenue from rentals," according to the master plan website.

Additional parking and trail access also are in the plans, along with upgraded lighting at the Miller Building.

Ijams canopy walkway lets people be among South Knoxville trees

An accessible Canopy Walk will complement Navitat Knoxville, an adventure park among the trees at Ijams Nature Center. The proposed Canopy Walk is part of Ijams' master plan shared with the public Jan. 30.
An accessible Canopy Walk will complement Navitat Knoxville, an adventure park among the trees at Ijams Nature Center. The proposed Canopy Walk is part of Ijams' master plan shared with the public Jan. 30.

You can already walk among the trees at Navitat Knoxville, an adventure park at Ijams comprised of ziplines and wooden bridges. Ijams is looking to add another treetop experience to help people who have trouble navigating the center's terrain still experience the beauty of nature.

The Canopy Walkway will form a loop that starts and ends at the back patio of the Visitor Center, and the path will will move through the treetops and over bluffs.

Island Home Corridor and Ijams Visitor Center will be improved

The Ijams Nature Center Visitor Center will be improved as part of the nonprofit's master plan, which includes substantial upgrades at Mead's Quarry and a new events pavilion. "What was once a small, quiet nature center with approximately 100,000 visitors a year" has grown to attract 620,000 annual visitors from East Tennessee and around the world, according to Ijams.

Ijams' four main entrances are located along a half-mile stretch of Island Home Avenue known in the master plan as the Island Home Corridor.

"This corridor is where visitors get their first impression of the nature center," according to the website. "Currently, pedestrian and vehicular traffic are at slight odds, requiring visitors to cross Island Home Avenue on foot in several locations."

Plans call for aligning the entrances, slowing traffic and improving pedestrian safety to "give a sense of arrival to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to Ijams."

Once on site, guests can make their way to the 14,000-square-foot Visitor Center that houses classrooms, offices, animal exhibits, a gift shop, meeting spaces, storage spaces and a back patio.

The master plan calls for a makeover to "modernize" the Visitor Center, built in 1997. More classrooms and flexible spaces are in the plans.

Improvements to enhance Knoxville Urban Wilderness experience

Ijams is a key part of the Knoxville Urban Wilderness, comprised of nine recreational areas connected by trails. The proximity between the center of the city and natural amenities is one of the many unique things about Knoxville.

The Tennessee Theatre on Gay Street and Ijams Nature Center are just 3.5 miles apart. Upon arriving at Ijams, visitors are met with 14 miles of hiking and mixed-use trails.

The nature center works closely with local government, but only 9% of its annual operating budget comes from the government, Ijams Board President Andy Oakes said in the news release.

"Ijams relies on community support, memberships, donations and grants to hire staff and maintain our programs, facilities and trails," Oakes said.

The parking fee will help with that, and anyone looking to become a member should visit ijams.org/donate.

Memberships include discounts on some programs, as well as access to members-only programs. A membership also gets you benefits at other national nature centers, a 15% discount at Navitat Knoxville and a 10% discount at the gift and on facility rentals.

Parking lot improvements are already underway, according to the release, and Island Home Avenue improvements will start this summer.

For more information, visit ijams.org/master-plan.

Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email [email protected]. Instagram @knoxscruff.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Ijams Nature Center, Mead's Quarry getting major upgrades in Knoxville

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