University of Tennessee Knoxville Dorm Life: The Around-Campus Guide
You unpacked the boxes — now here is where students at University of Tennessee Knoxville (Knoxville, TN) actually eat, shop, bank, and hang out. Bookmark this for your first month.
🍕 Where students actually eat
Gus's Good Times Deli late-night deli
45-year Vol tradition on Melrose Ave, steps from the dorms
Cook Out fast food
Cheap trays and milkshakes on the Strip, open late
Mellow Mushroom pizza
Strip staple and easy group hangout
Sunspot Southern
Eclectic Cumberland Ave menu — parents-weekend favorite
Stock & Barrel burgers
Market Square burger spot — expect a wait
Yassin's Falafel House Mediterranean
Beloved budget-friendly downtown falafel
🛒 Big-box runs and groceries
Walmart (University Commons) big-box / grocery
About a mile from campus
Publix (University Commons) grocery
Same center, about a mile away
Walgreens (Cumberland) pharmacy
On the Strip, walkable
Target (West Town) big-box
Roughly 8 miles west
🏦 Banking near campus
UT Federal Credit Union
Campus-area branches and ATMs, student-friendly
First Horizon
Tennessee-based bank near campus and downtown
Regions
Branches and ATMs around Cumberland and downtown
🩺 Health, mail and services
KAT buses transit
UT students ride free with student ID
The 'T' campus shuttle
Free campus buses plus T-Link night service
Student Health Center student health
On-campus clinic covered by the health fee
UT Medical Center hospital / ER
Full hospital across the river, about 2 miles
🎉 Beyond the books
Neyland game days
Vol Walk, Vol Navy, and checkerboard Saturdays
Market Square
Downtown eats, Saturday farmers market, free events
World's Fair Park
The Sunsphere and lawns a short walk away
The Smokies
National-park hikes about an hour's drive
Ijams Nature Center
Trails and quarry swimming about 4 miles out
Hand-checked August 2026. Hours and locations change — give places a quick look before you head out. Some links on this site earn us a commission at no cost to you.