KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Remember those ‘See Rock City’ murals on the sides of old-timey barns? That branding drew millions to the tourist destination near Chattanooga. What’s old is new again.
The University of Tennessee is running with the giant billboard idea, including on the top of a large barn off Andrew Johnson Highway in Strawberry Plains. 9,000 cars drive by that barn every day.
“We have 51 murals in 47 counties across East Tennessee,” Ellie Dougherty said. Dougherty is marketing the “Everywhere you Look, UT” campaign for the university.
“It’s been a huge hit. I could be in the grocery store, [and] people will come by me and say ‘Oh, you got that barn that says Everywhere UT,’” said Vols super-fan Steve Nash, who owns the barn off of AJ Highway.
“We’ve got grain bins, water towers, silos, even painted an 18-wheeler that’s used to haul grain across the …