Explore Knoxville's Covenant Health Park
Welcome to Covenant Health Park, where Knoxville comes out to play in a revitalized neighborhood and Wrigley Field-influenced old-school charm meets state-of-the-art amenities and convenience.
(Note: This Ballpark Guide was written while the ballpark in question was still under construction. It will be updated with additional photos and info during the course of the 2025 season.)
Knoxville Smokies (Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs as Tennessee Smokies since 2007)
Established: 1972 (as the Knoxville Sox)
Ballpark: Covenant Health Park (opens in 2025)
League: Southern League
Notable Alumni: Roy Halladay, Jeff Kent, Yadier Molina, Cecil Fielder, Fred McGriff
Championships: 2023
The Smokies are coming home. Knoxville had a Minor League team called the Smokies -- named for the nearby Great Smoky Mountains -- as early as 1925, and today's franchise opened there in 1993.
After moving about 20 miles east to Kodak prior to the 2000 season, the Tennessee Smokies return to their roots by becoming the Knoxville Smokies in a brand new, publicly owned park in 2025.
Covenant Health Park
Google Maps
Smokies Roster
Smokies Schedule
500 E. Jackson Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37915
865-286-2300
Capacity: 7,448
Dimensions: left field, 325 feet; center field, 400 feet; right field, 335 feet
The state-of-the-art new digs are part of a major revitalization project in downtown Knoxville, connecting the historic and charming Old City and the Magnolia Warehouse District and offering views of the Knoxville skyline and access to urban greenways.
In addition to the ballpark -- which will also host One Knox SC, the city's professional soccer team -- the neighborhood is the site of numerous new restaurants and shops. Even the structure of the stadium itself includes outward-facing business spaces. Multi-family housing is taking off here, too -- there's a 144-unit apartment complex over left field, and a condo building abutting the stadium.
Covenant Health Park will have something for everybody, with seating options that range from picnic areas down the lines, to padded seats on top of the action, to premium options on the third level's ORNL Federal Credit Union Luxury Level Club. Most fans at any given game will be seated in the bowl just above field level, offering as intimate a pro baseball experience as you can get without signing a contract.
If sitting still isn't your thing, you can enjoy the action from a 360-degree walkable concourse. When events (including Smokies games) aren't going on, that concourse is open to the public from dawn to dusk as a walking and jogging path.
While the park will have all the high-tech amenities players, development staff members and fans would expect in a stadium built in 2025, Covenant Health Park will have a throwback feel.
"We're a Cubs affiliate, and when you're here at the ballpark it'll give you that Wrigley Field vibe," team president Chris Allen told MLB.com. "It feels like a Major League park because you've got all these buildings surrounding you."
The team's refreshed logo set is in keeping with that vintage-meets-modern aesthetic, too.
Mascot
Homer the Hound may be smarter than your average bear, but he isn't a bear. He is, as his name implies, the Smokies' top dog. When he's not entertaining fans at the ballpark, this canine cinephile enjoys watching celluloid masterpieces such as Air Bud and Beethoven.
Concessions
The Smokies have announced a partnership with Professional Sports Catering -- a company founded in 2006 with an extensive record of creating exciting, regional-specific, top-quality concession items for Minor League teams around the country. That partnership, coupled with the Smokies' evident commitment to excellence in every aspect of the gameday experience at Covenant Health Park, means fans will be rewarded for showing up both hungry and curious.
Where to Stay
Headed to the stadium and looking for a hotel nearby? Your Wyndham is waiting. As the Official Hotel of Minor League Baseball, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts welcomes baseball fans with a portfolio of 24 trusted brands. Find Hotels by Wyndham closest to the ballpark and book now at wyndhamhotels.com.
Local attractions
The Sunsphere, which is honored in the Smokies' logo set, has a fourth-floor observation deck with astounding views of the area. Built for the 1982 World's Fair, it's the perfect place to scope out spots around town you want to take a closer look at, and to learn about the city's history.
Knoxville is home to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, a must-visit for sports fans passing through. Opened in 1999, the 35,000-square-foot Hall is a vibrant space filled with memorabilia, informative and fun displays and, believe it or not, the world's largest basketball, which is 30 feet tall and weighs 10 tons.
If the length of your stay or the timing of the Smokies games you're going to allows you to catch a performance the Tennessee Theatre, don't pass up the opportunity. It originally opened as a movie palace in 1928, and today hosts not only vintage film screenings, but opera, classical and pop music, touring Broadway shows and more. Whatever you see, you're bound to enjoy the majesty of the venue.
The Ijams Nature Center is the way to beat the heat, especially with a paddle or a swim. Activities abound.
The Farragut Museum -- of interest to naval history and Civil War buffs -- is slated to reopen in 2025 after a closure for renovations.
Food and drink
The area immediately around the ballpark is fast becoming the place to be, but the Old City, blocks away, has been swinging for quite some time.
Boyd's Jig & Reel Whisky Bar accurately bills itself as "a musical pub." It serves both lunch and dinner, specializing in Scottish fare. Show up after a game to see if you can catch some live music.
If the mention of Tennessee whisky got you going, you'll also want to schedule a stop at Knox Whiskey Works.
Check out Brother Wolf and Osteria Stella for upscale cocktails and Italian served with a "traditional vibe with a contemporary edge."
Get your morning fix at Old City Java, Jack's, Awaken Coffee -- or, depending on how your night went, maybe all three.
Moving on
Any direction you turn from Knoxville, you've got a plethora of great Minor League Baseball destinations within a drive of a few hours.
Dipping south, you can easily put together an itinerary that includes, for starters, the Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A CIN), Rocket City Trash Pandas (Double-A LAA) and Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A ATL).
Head west on Interstate 40 and you'll catch the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A MIL), from where you can continue on to the Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A STL) or head north or south on I-65 to hit any of a number of teams.
In an easterly direction, your next logical stop would be the Asheville Tourists (High-A HOU), which lands you in the Carolinas -- arguably the heartland of the Minors.
The Road to Chicago
The Smokies are one of two Cubs affiliates in the Southeast, with the other two being in the Midwest.
Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
High-A: South Bend Cubs
Double-A: Knoxville Smokies
Triple-A: Iowa Cubs
