Docked Houseboat · Rooftop Bar · Walk to UT and Downtown

Step off the dock and onto your own private houseboat, where the Tennessee River rocks you gently to sleep and the Gay Street Bridge lights up right outside your window. Sip coffee on the bow as ducks paddle by, then climb to the rooftop deck for sunset over downtown Knoxville — UT campus and Neyland Stadium just a stroll away. This is Rocky Top Retreat: three bedrooms, three decks, and a floating home base for the memories your group came here for.
Walk to UT or Downtown!

ABOUT THIS SPACE

Rocky Top Retreat is a renovated 76' x 16' widebody houseboat with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, permanently moored in a private marina slip on the Tennessee River in downtown Knoxville. Sleeping 6, it's built for friends, families, and Vol fans who want game-day energy and waterfront calm in the same trip.

Step aboard onto the forward deck, where a dining table and cozy seating invite you to linger over coffee with the water at your feet. Inside, the salon is the heart of the boat: plush seating, big windows that flood the room with light, and a 58 Samsung Smart TV ready for your streaming logins. It flows into the galley, a fully equipped kitchen with full-size appliances and a quartz countertop chosen because it moves like flowing water.

The dining area seats the group for board games or a long dinner, and just behind it sits a fully stocked coffee bar — Keurig pods, sweeteners, creamer, tea, and a cabinet of mugs. A full-size stacked washer and dryer in the hallway means multi-day trips pack light.

Three sleeping areas give everyone their own corner: a primary stateroom with a king bed and a river view to the Gay Street Bridge, plus two queen berths on split levels — one up two steps, one down three — each with its own smart TV. The primary connects directly to the aft head; a Jack-and-Jill layout puts two full heads on either side of a central stand-up shower that closes off completely. Towels, soap, shampoo, and hairdryers are stocked.

Outdoor living is where this houseboat sets itself apart. The forward deck is shaded for morning coffee; the aft deck's Adirondack chairs are the spot for evening drinks. Above it all, the rooftop deck is a full outdoor living room: a sectional sofa, lounge chairs, two bar areas, an electric grill, and a 51 LG Smart TV with soundbar for game days and movie nights.

LOCATION & WHAT'S NEARBY

You're not just close to downtown Knoxville — you're floating in it. Neyland Stadium and UT campus are an easy walk from the marina. Here's what's around you:

• Neyland Stadium & UT campus — walkable, no shuttle on gameday
• Gay Street & the Tennessee Theatre — about a 5-minute drive
• Market Square — restaurant and live-music hub, roughly 8 minutes
• World's Fair Park & the Sunsphere — about a 7-minute drive
• Volunteer Landing riverwalk — minutes from the marina
• Kerns Food Hall — a favorite with past guests, a few minutes away
• Covenant Health Park (Smokies baseball) — about a 10-minute drive
• The Old City's bars and live music — roughly 8 minutes away
• Suttree Landing Park, South Knoxville waterfront — about 10 minutes
• Knoxville Museum of Art — approximately 8 minutes
• Ijams Nature Center — roughly 15 minutes for trails and a swim hole
• Zoo Knoxville — about a 15-minute drive, easy half-day with kids

Whether it's a Saturday in Neyland or a weeknight on Gay Street, the boat keeps you close to it all.

WHO THIS HOME IS BEST FOR

• UT football fans and tailgate crews — dock the cooler, walk to Neyland, watch the post-game sunset from the rooftop bar.
• Multigenerational families — three sleeping areas mean grandparents, parents, and kids each get their own space.
• Groups of friends and reunions — game nights at the dining table and a rooftop deck built for the whole crew.
• Couples craving something different — a floating retreat where the Gay Street Bridge lights up outside your window.
• Remote workers and slow-travel guests — fast Wi-Fi and gentle river movement make this an easy place to work mornings, explore afternoons.

If you're chasing a novelty stay you'll still be talking about after checkout, this is it.

GUEST ACCESS

You'll have full, exclusive access to the entire boat and every onboard amenity for your stay — the salon, galley, all sleeping areas, both heads, and all three decks are yours alone. Check-in is self check-in via lockbox, no need to coordinate arrival times. Each vessel in the marina is privately owned; please enjoy access to Rocky Top Retreat only, unless another owner personally invites you aboard their boat.

PARKING

Free parking is provided on-site at the marina and is located under the bridge at the upper end of the parking lot. The marina allows 1 parking pass per boat. Your parking pass can be found in the kitchen of the boat. Please hang this from your mirror. From parking it's a short, 5-7 minute walk to the dock. Walk from the parking area and turn down the sidewalk beside Ruth's Chris (they have an awesome happy hour Monday-Friday 4-6 in the bar area. Dress is very casual in the bar. We often go in shorts and tee shirts.) After you cross the RR tracks, bear left and then cross the metal bridge on your right. After crossing the bridge, you will go to the gate on the left.

HOUSE RULES

This is a real, working marina, so a few rules keep the stay safe. The reserving guest must be 21+ and present, and only registered guests are permitted on dock and boat. No pets, no smoking, vaping, or e-cigarettes inside the boat. The boat stays in its slip — guest operation isn't permitted, and please don't adjust dock lines or shore power. Quiet hours run 10:00 PM to 8:00 AM, and Tennessee law prohibits swimming within 100 yards of any dock. Expect gentle rocking and slippery decks when wet — part of the houseboat experience. Exterior cameras monitor the dock walkways.

Walking distance to all UT sports and downtown Knoxville activities!