Oakes Farm in the Gibbs community is celebrating its 25th year of a fall corn maze and each year’s offering is better than the year before. This year’s maze will be open every day during fall break plus every Thursday-Sunday from September 20 through November 2, 2025.

Tickets are available now at this special site. Tickets are restricted by time and date, so it’s best to purchase tickets early to secure the date and time of your choosing.

Town of Farragut to cut ribbon on Phase 4 of McFee Park

The town of Farragut will cut the ribbon on Phase 4 of McFee Park at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10, at the new parking lot just beyond the splash pad.

Phase 4 improvements include a 127-spot permeable paver parking lot and a pavilion that serves as a trailhead for the Adaptive Mountain Bike and Hiking Trail. The parking lot will accommodate trail users as well as visitors to a future dog park that is expected to open in late spring 2026.

Phase 4 improvements were funded through a cost-share arrangement with 65% provided by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation ARP program and 35% contributed by the town of Farragut.

This soft-surface walking trail winds its way through Collier Preserve

Collier Preserve weaves historic preservation, outdoor adventure

Foothills Land Conservancy (FLC) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a series of 40 stories, posted on its website. The stories highlight the work of Foothills in cooperation with other nonprofits such as Legacy Parks Foundation to preserve family farms, historic structures and more.

KnoxTNToday will share a few of these stories to amplify Foothills’ offerings and to spread awareness of local places to “get out and play.”

We’re starting today with the spot that’s closest to my heart: Collier Preserve.

One important aspect of FLC’s work is establishing relationships with landowners to ensure their land conservation wishes are honored in perpetuity, while also partnering with other organizations over several years to turn innovative ideas for properties into real places for public use.

Collier Preserve is this type of project. In 2015, Dr. Robert Collier and his wife, Louise, placed a conservation easement with FLC on 12 acres of their property, in the community of Powell in Knox County.

About six years later in 2021, the “Stella Moore Collier Preserve,” named after Robert’s grandmother, was officially opened. The property was donated for public use to Legacy Parks Foundation, who managed the project to create a low-impact park with walking trails and a connection to Knoxville area greenways.

This public park offers an island of habitat in the middle of an urban setting, adjacent to the Powell branch of the public library and near Emory Road. It is an oasis for wildlife, with mature trees and shrubs offering plentiful seasonal food, nesting sites and cover for animals and both migratory and resident birds.

It also includes access to scenic Beaver Creek, an important year-round water source for fish, waterfowl, amphibians, and aquatic arthropods. For human visitors, Collier Preserve includes a kayak rest stop, an ADA walkway, a storybook trail, a native plants garden, arboretum, and birding platform – all in a tranquil setting that brings people into nature to observe wildlife or simply get outside.

The location complements the larger Beaver Creek Water Trail initiative that aims to protect and restore the naturally functioning ecosystem of the creek. The topography of this park provided a unique challenge as parts of the property can flood with the creek’s rise and fall, so specific designs and materials were chosen to be able to withstand the flooding.

Trees Knoxville (and many volunteers) planted dozens of native trees like redbuds, dogwoods, and sweetgums. Professional staff across organizations (again, with generous volunteer assistance) spent hours removing trash and invasive plants. Today, Knox County Master Gardeners maintain and add native species plantings, while eradicating invasive species.

FLC staff continues to ensure that the conservation value of the property remains intact, while also allowing for park features that coexist seamlessly to enhance the overall experience. Projects like Collier Preserve can take some time to plan, build, and realize – but they’re worth the wait!

It’s been our honor to help conserve special pieces of land that ultimately return to public use.

(Story and art from Foothills Land Conservancy)

Notes and Quotes
  • Walk, run or bike the 11.1-mile Cades Cove loop on Wednesdays as the park service restricts motorized vehicles on that day. This feature runs through September 24, 2025.
  • Grants from $500 to $20,000 are available from the state to help communities increase the tree canopy. Applications must be submitted online by 5 p.m. CT on September 30, 2025, here.  General info here.
  • Outdoor Knoxville: Legacy Parks Foundation and Elle Colquitt’s Outdoor Knoxville events calendar – has hikes, races, kayak floats and more for this week and next. Check it out here.
  • Best Bet: Saturday, September 13 – Townsend 15k and 7k: 8 a.m., Peaceful Side Social, Townsend. Info: Knoxville Track Club. A lovely, scenic and challenging course that runs on back-country roads near the Little River. Race will start and finish at Peaceful Side Social. Register here.
  • “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” – Chief Seattle