Wonderful Things to Love About Living in the Kingsport, TN Area

Once known as Salt Lick, and later as King’s Port, the city that became Kingsport, TN was planned out as a Garden City in 1917. Today it has sculpture trails, popular restaurants, a music and arts scene, and more, to offer the resident or visitor. In addition, Kingsport’s proximity to Bays Mountain Park makes outdoor pursuits easily accessible. We’ve put together a few things to love about Kingsport that we think show its special character.

Kingsport Carousel

In the heart of Kingsport, the Carousel is a landmark, with thirty hand-painted animals, some handsome, some whimsical, and all very colorful, mounted on a restored 1950s frame. The project started in 2008 with one person, Kingsport resident Gale Joh, and grew to involve many, including some very dedicated woodcarvers, as each animal took over 700 hours to carve. The results are quite spectacular, and at a dollar for a ride, who wouldn’t want to take a spin!

The Kingsport Carousel is accommodated inside ‘Pal’s Roundhouse’ at Clinchfield St, which provides the structure with a temperature-controlled environment for its preservation. Look out for the twenty-four unique bird paintings, chosen to represent indigenous species, and add yet more color. With rounding-boards also decorated, with scenes of Kingsport history, we don’t know if there is any more cheerful way to celebrate the city.

Bays Mountain

Where the Holston River splits into three tributaries, you can see the termination of Bays Mountain. The mountain is a ridge of the Valley and Ridge Appalachians and runs from Knoxville to Kingsport. Its name comes from the two Bays brothers, who became famous in the region for their hunting prowess in the late eighteenth century. Kingsport is home to Bays Mountain Park.

Bays Mountain Park has 3,650 acres of nature preserve and boasts a 44-acre lake. This habitat is home to reptiles, raptors, wolves, and bobcats. Exploration is almost endless here; of hiking and biking trails there are plenty. Explore the stars, too, at the Planetarium, where you can experience the ultra-modern Carl Zeiss Starmaster ZKP-4 Star Projector.

Pal’s

You can’t miss a Pal’s Sudden Service! The founder of Pal’s, Fred ‘Pal’ Barger opened the first branch here in Kingsport, on Revere St, in 1956. The second arrived on Lynn Garden Drive, four years later. Now firmly established in the fast-food landscape, Pal’s has about 30 locations. Fred introduced novel methods with human resources too, using quiz-style teaching, and increasing the time spent on training for employees.

Fred Barger was an enterprising business operator, and in the 1980’s he engaged the talents of Karen and Tony Barone, who created Pal’s iconic quirky architecture. Notably, they placed giant food sculptures on the roof!  Making Pal’s so easily recognizable was one of the ingredients of the chain’s success.


From ultra-modern stargazing to a vintage-framed carousel, to fast-food innovation, Kingsport is a place where good things happen. See us at Toyota of Kingsport today to buy a brand new Toyota model for a great deal or receive professional and skilled auto services to keep your current vehicle in great shape while driving it around the local Kingsport, TN area!

Image by Lori Robinett from Pixabay

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