KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Dogwood Trails season has started in Knoxville. The neighborhood trails highlight the beauty of Knoxville in the spring.
Weaving through every corner of Knoxville, the pink line-painted streets showcase the city's new beginnings with the Dogwood Arts Trails.
"There's nothing quite as beautiful as springtime in Knoxville when everything is blooming, the birds are singing and we're coming out of winter, it's like we've survived again, and it's really great," said Vicki Baumgartner, the Dogwood Arts Trails and Gardens manager.
The arts and culture initiative started in 1955 after an unsavory review of the Scruffy City.
"As this writer came through Knoxville, he went back to say that it was the ugliest city he'd ever seen in America, except for maybe a few mill towns in New England," Baumgartner said. "Of course, the folks in Knoxville really didn't take that very well, then they were like, 'We're just going to show you!'"
That is exactly what they did.
"They encouraged their neighbors to get out and plant dogwood trees in their front yards and in the front of their property so that as people drove by, they could see," Baumgartner said.
Now, 67 years later, dozens of dogwood trails showcase the beauty of blossoming neighborhoods.
"Today, we have 85 plus miles of blooming trails and 13 trails that are spotted throughout the community," Baumgartner said.
This year, the featured trails are Chapman Highway, Island Home and Lakemoor Hills in South Knoxville.
The neighbors in Lakemoor Hills started an initiative this year to plant thousands of pink tulips along the path as well.
There are maps of each trail on the Dogwood Arts website and ways to virtually experience the different neighborhoods through video.
The trails are officially open now through April 30.
"Mother Nature chooses a whole lot of what happens in the Spring, so we do this for a full month so that we can catch it at least during its peak at some point in time," Baumgartner said.
The whole month is a celebration of spring. Just follow the pink lines.
There are other events planned throughout April to support Dogwood Arts, including the Chalk Walk on April 2.