"Food is Essential to Life; Therefore, Make it Good!"--S. Truett Cathy

Welcome to ​East Tennessee's premier tours!

Chef's Table Tour...

Join us on Friday or Saturday afternoons from 2-5pm for an eating adventure curated by some of our best chefs! 
 Special dates always possible upon request, just Contact Us!
*Note:  We will NOT conduct tours on UT football home game Saturday's.  We apologize for the inconvenience, but we do this to assure restaurant participation and continuous high quality tours!

Sunday Stroll and Sip Tour...

Southern hospitality at its best!  Join us on the 1st, 3rd and (when applicable) 5th Sundays of each month from 2:30-5pm for a wide assortment of chef created plates AND specialty drinks!
*Note:  During UT football season, we will ADD AN ADDITIONAL Sunday tour, regardless of the week of the month, if there is a home football game that previous day/day before (Saturday) for your convenience! 

Who We Are...

Learn why we do what we do, how we do it, and why we LOVE doing it!...

Have Questions?...

We've got answers!  Visit our FAQ page...

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**Please click any of the "Book Now" buttons to view our live calendar of availability, as some typical dates may occasionally be unavailable**
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​Are you sick of doing the same old things EVERY time you go visit a city? Are you stuck in the groove of just going to a movie, seeing a play, or even just a boring date night dinner?...

If so, then come try East TN Tours!

--East TN Tours welcomes you to the areas leading and unparalleled culinary experience, where we invite you to join us on our exclusive "Chef's Table" tour where you will dine at some of the city's most renowned kitchens to sample plates unlike any you've had before.
--Our guided walking tours are a great mix of Knoxville history, culture and food all wrapped into one!
--If you have never been on a food tour before, you will soon realize they are one of the most FUN things to do and let you get a taste of the city in a way you never could have before!
--We welcome tourists and locals alike to come spend an afternoon with us strolling around the beautiful city and enjoying delicious food!
--Our tours are unique in that you can come on them multiple times, and never get the same food!  How do we do that, you may ask?!  Well, our business model is designed in that we don't ever tell the chef's what to make for any food tour...they just make whatever is on their heart, mind and soul that day, and serve it to us!  Sometimes (and quite often) we may get to try stuff that's not even on the menu yet, and get to be the "new menu tasters"!  If you'd ask us what you'd be eating on any given food tour, well....we couldn't tell you... because it's a surprise to us too!  So you can literally come on one of our yummy food tours and get something different every single time, even though we go to the same restaurants  :)
--East TN Tours was created by foodie, adventure lover and home chef Lauren Quinn in April 2016, who realized an immense need for a tour like this in Knoxville. Downtown Knoxville is often overlooked by many who think only a "big city" has great food, but deserves to get noticed for its beauty, history and culinary accomplishments. Not originally a Tennessee girl herself, moving here from Wisconsin with her family when she was just 16 to get away from the harsh winters, she would not pick anywhere else to be! Graduating from Bearden High School and then continuing her (additional) passion of taking care of people, she graduated from Tennessee Technology Center in Knoxville with a nursing degree and has been working in the nursing field since 2011. Lauren moved back to Knoxville in June 2016 from Columbia, SC, where she had been living since 2013 for a job, and she cannot wait to start this passion of sharing Knoxville's best local restaurants with visitors and locals, alike! East TN Tours has officially been in business and running tours since September 2016, and looks forward to the many great years to come!

Our philosophy is that it's all about the EXPERIENCE, and our food tours are the best way to get it all! From history lessons, scenery and
the food, our seasoned tour guides will give you the insiders scoop on the best places to eat in Knoxville!

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Thanks to Knoxville Weekend for putting together this great shoot for us!
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We took WBIR on a mini scavenger hunt with our sister business, Seek Knoxville, in October 2018!  Check out more about this other fun activity we offer, and learn more about us and what we do!

​A great interview with WBIR's Live at Five at Four aired Jan. 30th, 2017!

​Check out our interview with Alan Williams on WVLT, aired on Jan. 3rd, 2017!

​So, what are some fun things you'll experience on one of our guided walking food tours, you might ask?...

1) Have you every wanted to taste something from a restaurant but were just too afraid to "waste" your money and do so?  Well, for a great price you'll get to try several different food items from several different restaurants and there's BOUND to be something you'll like!
2) IF you're a local, you will get to meet with other locals who share the same passion for great food and atmosphere and may even live down the block or in your neighborhood...BAM, instant friends!
3) You will capture amazing architecture, delicious plated food and scenery that will be a precious memory forever and keep your photo albums filled!
4) And a little exercise never hurt anyone, right?!  Walking food tours are a great way to get your low-paced, even keel walks in and burn off all those delicious calories we'll be tasting along the way!
5) And lastly, you'll get behind the scenes access to our restaurants wonderful chefs, owners and managers and get interaction and face time with them as they explain the notable history of their building, culinary inspiration and goals and future plans to share their food passion with the world!

​Want to Know More?

Want to know more about our partners?
 Click here to see what locally inspired restaurants, chefs and businesses we collaborate with!

For large groups over 12 people, please contact us for a custom/private tour quote.

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