Day 2 in Knoxville was a trip to an attraction called the Lost Sea. It’s a set of caves that were discovered in 1905 by a 13 year old boy. But by the time he convinced people of his discovery the entrance was covered with water and they went unexplored until several years later. It’s been discovered to have been used by Cherokee Indians and civil war soldiers.

The cave has a lake 14 stories down that measures 800′ long by 220′ wide. It’s the largest underground lake in the United States and second largest in the world. The water is so clear it looks like there isn’t even water in there. They stock it with rainbow trout. Initially this was to see if the fish could find a way out but that never panned out so now I think it’s just as an added attraction.

Around 1915 it was opened up as an attraction which included a distillery for making moonshine with a band and dance floor. As the legend goes the air pressure down there prevented people from feeling the effects of the alcohol and when they would climb back to the surface they would become drunk and fall down the stairs. This supposedly caused them to shut down that operation. It was also stocked as a bomb shelter during World War II.

After that we hit another restaurant we wanted to try then home.

Day 3 was all day rain so we opted for a down day of laundry and relaxation. Tomorrow we’re exploring downtown Knoxville.