The Beach Water Park: Knoxville’s Forgotten Aquatic Playground
Step inside the faded nostalgia of The Beach Water Park—a Knoxville landmark where wave pools once roared and summer crowds chased thrills. Today, its quiet corridors, towering slides, and weathered signage tell a different story: one of abandonment, texture, and time. Urban explorers will appreciate the mix of concrete geometry, peeling paint, and nature starting to reclaim the edges—perfect for studying the afterlife of amusement architecture.
To help you experience the site from a safe distance, we’ve prepared a self-guided 29-image, 360-degree panoramic virtual tour. Use it to trace pathways, examine details you might miss in person, and plan your storytelling with care. Whether you’re drawn to the echoes of family fun or the stark beauty of decay, The Beach Water Park delivers a compelling chapter in Knoxville’s urbex scene.
Click here to view it in fullscreen.
Hidden amid Knoxville’s suburban sprawl lies The Beach Water Park, a once-vibrant pool complex now quietly reclaimed by nature. Built as part of the Court South athletic complex off Alcoa Highway, The Beach Water Park debuted in the 2000s (the gym it belonged to was purchased by National Fitness in 2005). For years it operated as a summer water attraction – essentially a massive pool with beach-style features, volley-ball sand courts and picnic areas – drawing families and clubs in the hot Tennessee summers. The Knoxville Sports & Social Club even rented out “Court South – Alcoa Hwy’s ‘The Beach’” for special pool parties as late as 2013. Today, however, it stands abandoned, a mossy ruin that has captured the curiosity of urban explorers from across the state.
Urban explorers (often called urbex enthusiasts) love The Beach Water Park for exactly this reason. As one Knoxville abandoned-sites blog notes, “these forgotten places have been sitting empty making for an exciting trip for any urban explorer in the area”. Long after its pump and chlorinator fell silent, The Beach remains a perfect Tennessee urbex outing: an abandoned waterpark where the slides (once installed) may rust and vegetation slowly overgrows the decks, inviting adventurous visitors to imagine its heyday.
From Court South Gym to Water Park: Origins of The Beach
The Beach Water Park began life as part of the Court South fitness club on Alcoa Highway. Court South was a local chain of gyms that had operated in Knoxville for decades before being acquired by National Fitness Center (NFC1) in 2005. The NFC1 owners, John and Helen Captain, took over Court South’s clubs and modernized them. Around that era, they added the Beach pool complex to the Alcoa Highway site as a unique selling point. In effect, this was no amusement-park “waterpark” with towering slides, but rather a giant outdoor pool with beach-like amenities – plenty of shallow walk-in areas for kids, lounge areas with sand for volleyball and cornhole, and even diving boards – creating a resort-like vibe in South Knoxville.
By the late 2000s, the Beach had become a known local attraction. School and sports clubs might have day events there; the Knoxville Sports & Social Club, for example, promoted summer parties at “Court South – Alcoa Hwy’s ‘The Beach’” where players could swim, play water polo and relax. Though exact opening dates are hard to pin down (corporate records are sparse), the presence of the Beach is documented in city reports: a 2005 Knoxville Utilities Board inspection lists “Court South (Alcoa Hwy)” with a food concession “during summer pool season,” confirming the facility’s use as a pool by that time. In summary, The Beach Water Park likely opened in the mid-2000s and served Knoxville families and fitness club members for roughly a decade.
Attractions and Activities at The Beach
Unlike sprawling theme-park waterparks, The Beach’s appeal was its laid-back beach vibe. There were no fantastical water rides, but rather features you’d find at a beach resort. The focal point was a large swimming pool, possibly the largest in the area, with zero-entry sections and diving boards (a 2019 video description even calls it “the largest pool in the area with zero entry on one side and diving boards” – though official records focus on the pool itself). Adjacent to the pool was a sand volleyball court and leisure areas. In 2013, the Knoxville Sports Club detailed some of the fun at The Beach: “Inner Tube Water Polo… Sand Volleyball… Bocce… Corn Hole” – all games laid out for guests at that event. The site also included restrooms, picnic shelters, and a small concession stand (snacks during the summer only, according to city health documents). In short, The Beach Water Park offered everything for a fun day in the sun without needing elaborate water slides – just swimming, splashing and beach games.
It was a splashy backyard. Children could run through sprinkler jets, families could bring coolers, and everyone could lounge by the pool under the hot Knoxville sun. Local kids and teens recall it as a “cool place, a really big pool with beach” (even if it wasn’t a full-fledged amusement water park). In its heyday, parents and young adults gathered for daytime swims and 21+ “sports-and-splash” nights alike. With sandy courts and an urban “beach” atmosphere far from the coast, it was an oasis in the city.
From Popular Place to Abandoned Ghost
The Beach Water Park continued operation through the 2010s, but eventually ran into trouble. By late 2019, National Fitness (the corporate parent) was reorganizing. Its lease for Court South’s properties – including The Beach – came up for sale, and the COVID-19 pandemic soon struck in early 2020. The gym and pool closed in March 2020 along with other public swimming venues. Unlike larger destinations, The Beach did not resume business after reopening restrictions eased. According to locals, “They closed shortly after Covid” and never reopened, partly due to pandemic financial strain and even local road construction disrupting access.
No formal announcement came, but the result was clear: by 2021 the Beach Water Park was idle, its buildings locked and pool drained. Yelp and Google map listings now mark the National Fitness Center/Beach site as “Closed” (the Yelp page even reads “CLOSED” for the Alcoa Hwy location). Knoxville planning documents note that the Court South – Alcoa Highway club “has since closed”. In essence, The Beach faded quietly. Where families once played, weeds now grow through cracks.
Many factors likely combined to cause its demise. Urban exploration enthusiasts speculate that declining membership, the expense of maintaining an outdoor pool, and the pandemic’s economic impact sealed its fate. Additionally, major Alcoa Highway roadworks for a new interchange in 2020 made driving to that corner of South Knoxville a hassle. Locals have noted that construction on Alcoa Highway plus gym closures made it unprofitable to keep open. Whatever the precise mix of reasons, by the early 2020s The Beach Water Park was firmly an abandoned facility in Tennessee, a relic of simpler times.
Urban Exploring in Tennessee: Visiting The Beach
Today, The Beach Water Park is a magnet for urban explorers (URBEX) in Tennessee. Urbexers seeking the eerie beauty of decay often list Knoxville’s abandoned sites – malls, schools, factories – and now The Beach joins that roster. The empty pool, water-jet structures, picnic pavilions and empty concession stand offer a time capsule feel. Graffiti tags sometimes appear on the old buildings; rust creeps up old metal ladders; and during rain, the drained basin sometimes fills with rainwater, reflecting overgrown palms and broken umbrellas. Tree roots curl through cracked concrete while sunlight slants over chipped tile. It’s exactly the sort of “forgotten place” that an urbex blogger celebrated: “These forgotten places have been sitting empty making for an exciting trip for any urban explorer in the area”.
For adventurers, visiting The Beach evokes nostalgia and curiosity. Images (shared online by urbex hobbyists) show the main pool empty of water, forlorn plastic chairs strewn about, and the rusted frame of what may have been a slide or shade canopy. The sand volleyball court has grass sprouting through it, and the sidelines hold scattered safety cones and a lonely basketball hoop (another remnant of Court South’s multi-sport design). Though entering private property is dangerous and illegal without permission, those who photograph abandoned places note the spot for its otherworldly contrast: palm-tree murals peeling off concrete walls, for instance, or a solitary flip-flop left on a lifeguard stand.
The Beach’s Place in Local Lore
Locals have their own memories and nicknames for The Beach. Because it was a beach-like pool in Knoxville, some called it the “Knox Beach.” Parent forum posts and social media posts talk about “Knox Beach” closing, and Facebook discussion threads lament “what happened to Knox Beach waterpark”. While official press was silent, South Knoxville residents passed stories. The Chattanooga Times Free Press even reported Knoxville commuters being diverted by rockslides on Alcoa Highway right at Court South. Urban myths about the site abound too: teenagers joking about midnight swims, or how a few adventurers once rigged up a BBQ by the empty pool after hours. (Worth noting: trespassing is dangerous – the site is fenced and cameras may be present. But the lore of “haunted pools” and lost summers adds mystery.)
For Knoxville’s community, The Beach Water Park is a symbol of vanished summers and a vanished gym. Older residents remember it as a rare free-ish spot to let kids splash (unlike the paid theme parks in East Tennessee). Some fondly recount gymnastics teams practicing dives there. Others recall the annual neighborhood pool party thrown by the fitness club. Today, that history is mostly documented in personal photos and social media posts. But it lives on: Urbex groups share coordinates for “the Beach” in Tennessee, and Knoxville’s youth have seen it overgrown.
Exploring The Beach Water Park: URBEX Tips
If you’re into urban exploring in Tennessee, The Beach Water Park is often cited as a must-visit (with caution, of course). Explorers advise respecting the property: it’s technically private and unsafe (empty pools can still have buried hazards). But if one day permission or restoration comes (a redevelopment rumor circulates occasionally), or if simply viewed from the fence line, The Beach is a poignant time capsule. You might spot moss on surfacing cracks, squat in the center of the empty 50-meter pool deck, or run a hand along the old scoreboard.
In Knoxville’s list of defunct attractions, The Beach Water Park joins the mall and the old college as reminders of change. It’s a piece of local heritage now – not one of nightlife or rides, but of family weekends and athletic events. Urban explorers value it not only for eerie photos, but for remembering how communities reshape themselves. As one urbex blogger noted, places like these are “forgotten places” that make an exciting trip for any urban explorer in the area. The Beach, in its stillness, tells the story of leisure and loss in Tennessee.
Visiting Knoxville? If you’re interested in URBEX, The Beach Water Park might not officially allow tours, but it remains famous in explorer circles. Nearby, the Knoxville Sportsplex took over some Court South programs, and the name has changed. Still, many urban explorers simply drive by the old entrance, or peer over the fence. The empty pool reflects the sky; a turned-over deck chair might light your way for a quick snapshot. (Just remember: safety first. Explore responsibly!)
The End of the Line (and After the Splash)
The Beach Water Park may have closed for good, but its story swims on through memory and exploration. From its opening (tied to Court South’s 2005 sale) through to its final summer (post-2019), it served Knoxville as a unique recreation spot. The water’s gone, the buildings are quiet, yet it has gained a second life on Instagram and YouTube as an abandoned treasure.
This hidden site exemplifies abandoned in Tennessee – a once-bustling place turned silent. It invites us to reflect on transience: pools dry up, gyms shutter, but stories remain. As an urbex adventure, The Beach Water Park reminds us of Knoxville’s layered history – one summer day at a time, and one splashy goodbye at a time.
If you enjoyed reading this post, you might be interested in learning about the Lumen Building in Florida, the Volcano Island Mini Golf in Central Florida, or the Appuldurcombe House in the United Kingdom.
A 360-degree panoramic image capturing the pool area at the Beach Water Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photo by the Abandoned in 360 Team
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Equipment used to capture the 360-degree panoramic images:
- Canon DSLR camera
- Canon 8-15mm fisheye
- Manfrotto tripod
- Custom rotating tripod head
Do you have 360-degree panoramic images captured in an abandoned location? Send your images to Abandonedin360@gmail.com. If you choose to go out and do some urban exploring in your town, here are some safety tips before you head out on your Urbex adventure. If you want to start shooting 360-degree panoramic images, you might want to look onto one-click 360-degree action cameras.
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