Making ourselves sick in the Sunsphere

The first thing we noticed as we drove up to the city of Knoxville was the iconic Sunsphere in its skyline.

Welcome to Knoxville, home of the Sunsphere.

We had plans to visit it, but as we walked around downtown, we were surprised to find out how close it was. We walked the handful of blocks to the Knoxville Convention Center, which stands watch over the Sunsphere and World's Fair Park.

The Tennessee Amphitheather sits in the shadow of the Sunsphere.

The Sunsphere has an observation deck that lets tourists look over all of Knoxville, and we were surprised to find out that we could check it out at no charge.

Overlooking part of World's Fair Park and beyond.

The view from inside was as cool as we expected on a clear day, and there were murals and information posted to provide more insight on the city.

We walked up to the angled windows and peered down to get the sensation of floating in place.

Lean over far enough and you feel like you're floating in air.

There were a handful of tourists in there with us when we arrived, but after a few minutes, we had the place to ourselves, and that's when I came up with the brilliant idea that almost got my wife sick.

We were about to head out when I suggested we walk really quickly around the observation deck and take in all of Knoxville in just a couple seconds. Off we went. It turned out to be a trippy experience where it felt like we were walking down a normal corridor as the city spun around us.

Successfully fending off motion sickness for all of our road trip, it was this 30-second lark that nearly put my wife over the edge.

Back on safe ground, a view of the park and its fountains.

Somehow, she kept it together, and we headed out to the nearby World's Fair Park where we played some Frisbee and checked out the beautiful East Tennessee Veterans Memorial, all with our feet firmly planted on solid ground.

The Veterans Memorial honors soldiers who gave their lives from World War I to the present.