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A quarter century ago, the Smokies moved from a run-down ballpark in Knoxville to a brand-new park 20 miles to the east. Smokies Park, later called Smokies Stadium, was in Kodak, Tennessee, near the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains. They had tremendous success there, and were always among the leaders in Southern League attendance.

When their lease was up, they moved back to Knoxville less than a mile from the spot they’d left in 2000. Why would they turn their backs on such a successful run in Kodak?

Read our in-depth review of brand-new Covenant Health Park to learn why.

For nearly a century, a spot in the flood plain next to the Chattahoochee River was known as Golden Park. Theodore “Theo” Earnest Golden Sr., co-founder of Goldens’ Foundry and Machine Co. in Columbus, Georgia, is credited with being a patron of the sport of baseball. In fact, his tireless efforts brought the first South Atlantic Baseball League franchise to Columbus in 1926. The park built for the team was named for Theo, and it retained the name of Golden Park until a $50 million rebuilding turned it into Synovus Park, a state-of-the-art facility to house a Double-A franchise.

But not just any Double-A team. The Columbus Clingstones are a farm team of the Atlanta Braves, the MLB franchise that has captivated the hearts of the fans of Braves Nation … which without a doubt includes all of Georgia.

We attended two games during the opening homestand of the Clingstones and can now provide a full report to you about how this lovable-but-inadequate baseball facility has been transformed into a park worthy of the Braves’ top prospects.

Check out our in-depth review of Synovus Park with fascinating insights and 30 photos you won’t see anywhere else!

The players that we go to watch always look cool on the field. How can you look just as stylish while in the stands? From those awesome looking sunglasses and caps to jackets and jerseys, our experts can help you look your best. While this essay zeroes in on three parks (Dodger Stadium, Chase Field and T-Mobile Park), these concepts are applicable to any place where they sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

The Rays and A’s took very different paths to reach a similar destination: playing the 2025 regular season in Minor League ballparks. In the case of the Rays, they are playing at the New York Yankees’ spring training park, which is usually used by the Yanks’ Florida State League team. The A’s are playing in the home of the Sacramento River Cats for at least three seasons while a new stadium is being constructed on the Las Vegas Strip.

Read all about the two different paths.

Seven years ago, I enlisted the help of a tech firm (ReviewTrackers) to research how baseball fans felt about the 23 parks where spring training exhibitions are played. I worked their findings into a four-part series that ran here on Baseballparks.com and a summary in USA TODAY Sports Weekly. ReviewTrackers has since been acquired by InMoment, and the technology they now utilize is other-worldly. I asked them to update their research on spring training facilities, and they came through with flying colors. I wrote two articles from their research, one on Cactus League parks and the other on (of course) the facilities of the Grapefruit League. One stunning finding: fans prefer spring training in Florida over Arizona. And it isn’t even close!

So check out these up-to-date findings in our articles!

There was only one new pro ballpark in the country in 2024, but there were lots of fascinating stories about baseball stadiums this year! That’s why we always produce a feature called The Ballpark Year In Pictures … and this year is no exception. Check out our 2024 pictorial essay to see the stadium stories you might’ve missed … or that you want to live again!