Ijams Nature Center

Ijams Nature Center is a 318-acre nonprofit wildlife sanctuary on Island Home Avenue, about five minutes from downtown Knoxville in South Knoxville's Urban Wilderness. The property offers a dozen distinct rental areas, splitting between outdoor settings and indoor rooms at the visitor center, which includes an auditorium and a library. The outdoor pavilion handles up to 200 guests, and wedding ceremonies take place at the Ijams Home Site, where the Ijams family settled in 1910 — the only part of the grounds designated for wedding-day events.

Wedding packages start at $4,000 for four hours and run to $5,500 for a six-hour ceremony and reception; smaller rentals cover kids' birthday parties, corporate meetings and retreats, and trail races for up to 500 participants. A rentals coordinator works each event, rental fees fund the center's conservation mission, and eco-friendly practices are standard. Ijams is best for outdoor weddings, corporate retreats, and family events that want trails and woods minutes from downtown.