Chronological Tour: Stop 435

The Smokies Return to Knoxville

One of the entrances to Covenant Health Park, Apr-2025.

The seating as seen from rails by the left-field foul pole.

The Smokies are attempting a rally in the fifth inning.

• Location: Jackson Avenue at Humes Street, Knoxville, Tenn. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2025
• Home team: Knoxville Smokies, Southern League (2025-present); One Knoxville SC, USL League One (2025-present)
• Capacity: 7,000 (including standing room)

With the land the newer park sat on becoming more valuable for tourist accommodation (it was just a few miles from places like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg), the Smokies returned to Knoxville for 2025, landing at this facility just eight blocks away from their old park and even closer to downtown.

The park is nestled between an active rail line and the First Creek, and it is also visible from James White Parkway. The walk-around concourse actually takes spectators to the other side of the creek; from that vantage point, fans can see home plate but not the outfielders thanks to the distance and the height of the outfield fence. The city has encouraged, and gotten, residential development in the immediate area; a fan told me that 1,000-square-foot condominium units in one of the buildings are going for about $1 million as of early 2025. There are also a few craft breweries in the neighborhood.

An especially nice feature is the video board, which is roughly in the shape of the state of Tennessee. It joins Sugar Land, Texas, in the realm of parks with a state-shaped scoreboard. The park will also host a soccer team, and the field was designed so that the pitcher’s mound can retract in order to provide a flat pitch.

One drawback is that parking is limited. I found a free space on Magnolia Ave (US 11/70) where it crosses the railroad tracks; most area lots are getting $10 to $20 thanks in part to the short supply. There are free lots about ¾ mile away if one wishes to walk.

I found concession prices to be within the normal range for this level. Ticket prices are higher than usual; a standing room ticket on a fireworks night cost $21. I needed to buy a standee ticket because the entire seating bowl was sold out for the first game I attended, which was the Saturday of the first home series. Fortunately, there are some first-come, first-served railings above the seating bowl behind the plate for folks to stand and consume their purchased concessions.

All in all, they have done a good job bringing the team back to Knoxville. The city is hopeful that the ballpark will anchor a revitalization of the area in which it sits, and from all indications they are on the way.