Knoxville’s Sunsphere is closing for further renovations, here’s what to expect

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -Visit Knoxville announced that the Sunspehre will be closed for steelwork construction from May 28 through June 9.

The construction is part of the buildout for the new Sunsphere Welcome Center project. According to Visit Knoxville, the Observation Deck is planned to reopen to visitors on June 10.

Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas told WVLT News she’s excited for the changes that are coming to one of Knoxville’s most iconic structures.

Previous Coverage: Knoxville’s Sunsphere is changing colors and getting a visitors center

“I look at it like an adventure,” Bumpas said. “A lot of people are looking at it like it’s an inconvenience, but when you’re building something like this it changes the experience of the entire venue.”

For Bumpas, the Sunsphere is an important part of Knoxville’s history.

“This is a great treasure to the history of the destination and to the World’s Fair, but also just a really cool venue,” she said. Adding that the changes will reinvent how people visit the Sunsphere.

“That is something that that Sunsphere has never had,” she said. “So you have never been able to engage at the base with personnel telling you a little bit about that venue and why you may or may not want to buy tickets to go up the elevator to the fourth floor, which is the observation deck.”

The welcome center is expected to open in the fall.