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The Design
The exterior of Covenant Health Park is certainly attractive, if perhaps a little overwhelmed by the condo and apartment buildings that flank it. It’s the interior, though, where the architecture really shines.
Populous took a site that is a little like Nashville’s First Horizon Park and made improvements to the use of the space. This is a big win for the fans … and an even bigger one for the players.
I think the seating bowl is an obvious area where you can see improvement. In Nashville, there was so much emphasis placed on having the upper-deck seats be close to the field that it ended up having the effect of making the field-level seats feel a little claustrophobic, with the underside of the upper deck seemingly just above your head. It was so bad that they added overhead lighting on the underside of the upper deck because the seats basically were in the dark.
Here in Knoxville the seating bowl is wonderfully open to the heavens above, as the photo above attests. But that’s not to say that this feels at all like the big open spaces — too big in my opinion — at Spartanburg’s new park. To the contrary, this feels like just the right size. “It’s hard to do ‘intimate’ with a capacity of 7,500, but we did it,” said GM Tim Volk.
Let’s examine the main level first.
If you come through the entry behind the first-base on-deck circle and come up the stairs, you’ll notice a structure to your right that is concessions and restrooms, a structure to your left that includes batting tunnels and the merch store and right in front of you is something you usually see at Arizona spring training parks: the upper level is freestanding, meaning you can walk underneath it. This is found at the spring homes of the Cubs, Dodgers/White Sox, D-backs/Rockies and others.
If you walk around the 360-degree concourse — something the new parks in Columbus, Georgia and Spartanburg don’t have — you almost never lose sight of the field. The only exception would be when you walk behind the batter’s eye in center field.
Directly behind home plate is one of my favorite features of the ballpark: the Backstop Bar that runs parallel to the concourse (above). It is open to the street at each end, but not in the middle (although there are windows) because, ostensibly, that could create a wind-tunnel that would effect pitched or hit balls.
Farther down the third-base line is a cluster of concession stands near the entry plaza at that end of the park. More on those in The Essentials section.
As you walk toward left field, you are still walking under the suspended upper level. On the field side of the main concourse are several “concourse suites,” which make all the sense in the world to me if you have a wide-enough concourse, and there definitely is. These are more affordable than one of the air-conditioned luxury suites upstairs.
As you continue around the playing field, you’ll be struck by just how close you are to the first-floor apartments in Yardley Flats. Yes, there is iron fencing in between, but I’m not sure I’d want my bedroom to be so close to fans at a baseball game.
The layout of the park is such that the location of the kids playground area (which is for baseball fans, but I have to admit I have no idea if the residents of the apartments will be able to access it when there’s no game going on) is brilliant. The upper levels of the apartments actually cover the playground, making netting over the top of the area unnecessary.
As you wind around the left-field foul pole, the concourse crosses the aforementioned First Creek. Team president Allen is justifiably proud of the sponsorship he was able to procure for the bridge: “I was so pleased that for our first bridge that crosses First Creek, we have First Bank as the sponsor.”
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The creek is clearly visible as it runs (really trickles) through the areas beyond left field and center field. In order to prevent a horrible accident if an outfielder toppled over the wall trying to make a catch — which would result in a serious or perhaps fatal fall down into the creek — the outfield wall in this area is ten-feet tall (above right).
The creek then runs underground from this point, as it has for decades. Why not simply cover the creek during its journey the entire length of the area beyond the outfield? In fact, early renderings of the project have the creek buried under a grass berm. For one thing, it is kind of cool to have a creek there, as batters try to reach it with home-run balls. But not insignificantly, “we calculated that it would cost $3 million to cover it, and we felt that money could be better used in other aspects of the park,” explained Ford.
The area in the right-field corner of Covenant Health Park is certainly one of the facility’s most talked-about spots. Perhaps patterned after the phenomenal vibe at Nashville’s The Band Box, also in the right-field corner, the Modelo Watering Hole has a covered bar and social areas with games like ping-pong and cornhole. There’s seating with wide countertops on top of the right-field wall, called Pioneer K-Jay Corner. Although the food-prep area for this section wasn’t finished in time for opening day, fans will soon be able to order food on their phones and have it delivered to them at their seat.
Another special feature in this right-field corner is likely to be considered the ballpark’s signature element. A huge water tower — more ornamental than functional in recent generations — once stood here. The University of Tennessee used it for years as somewhat of a billboard, as it said “Everywhere You Look, UT.” Remember, there is a lot of vehicular traffic passing by this spot on the adjacent overpasses.
The team wanted to retain this landmark, but the original couldn’t be salvaged. Instead, they built a new water tower that is way more sturdy. It’s prominent from everywhere in ballpark, and if you enter through the Elm Hill entry gate there, it’s the first thing you’ll see.
In many ways, the upper level of the park is even more impressive than the main level. At each end of the structure are party “porches” that can be rented by groups. Both provide wonderful vantage points of the playing field.
Directly behind home plate is the gorgeous ORNL Federal Credit Union Luxury Club (above). The corresponding lounges in Spartanburg and Columbus, the other new parks in the Southeast, are down the first-base line of their upper levels. I prefer to see them behind home plate, and the one in Knoxville is a beauty. It’s very flexible space that can be used for a variety of events.
There are suites down each foul line, and the pressbox and production space are behind the first-base on-deck circle. In anticipation of hosting an event like a conference tournament or the like (where there will be more media members than your typical Smokies game), there is semi-finished space in front of the broadcast and production areas where tables could be set up temporarily for writers or broadcasters to use.
But there is one more area on this upper level that is truly a hidden gem, and it’s a shame that you aren’t likely to be able to view it. The owner’s suite is to die for. It’s better than anything I’ve seen at a Major League park. It’s big, beautifully appointed and has its own seating section in front of it. After all the Boyds have done to bring baseball back to the city, in one of the best venues in the Minors, they deserve this luxurious suite.
As an aside, the evening I was there, the owners of three different franchises were in this suite: the Boyds; the Haslams (Cleveland Browns, who sold the Smokies to the Boyds) and Jason Freier (Chattanooga Lookouts). That’s truly an owners suite!
You should also note that there is another level of sophistication and “nice finishing” to the upper level of Covenant Health Park. The ceilings are laminated yellow pine — over 45,000 square feet of it. And there is beautiful lighting illuminating the underside of the wood (below). It is a stunning, upscale look.
This pine is more than just attractive. The cross laminated timber roof (an architectural phrase abbreviated CLT) is obviously “sustainable,” but it also reduces emissions, sequesters carbon, improves construction time, and “adds a living warmth to the design. The use of mass timber saved 55 tons of steel production,” explained Ford.
The playing surface at Wrigley Field is natural grass (of course), so the Cubs no doubt preferred that their Double-A affiliate play on it as well. The strain of grass in Knoxville is Latitude 36 Bermuda. With a soccer team also playing here, this will keep the groundskeepers busy.
And to accommodate the constant switching of baseball to soccer and back again, the pitchers mound is retractable, so it can sink into the ground and leave a flat surface.
Like the owner’s suite, you’re not likely to be able to catch a glimpse of the clubhouse, but let me tell you that it is as nice as any below the Major League level. Not only is there a lounge where players’ families can wait for them following games, the space for the players is truly impressive. From their lounge (below) to the training space to the workout area to the locker room itself, the players are extremely well taken care of. And compared to Nashville, the player spaces are way closer to the home dugout.
So the players love playing here, but do fans enjoy their experience?
The Essentials
Every effort was made by the Smokies to transfer the title of America’s Friendliest Ballpark from Kodak to the Old City. Did it work?
Let’s look at the gameday experience for a Smokies game.
You’re most likely going to drive, so you should plan where you intend to the park. If your plan is simply to drive to the front door of the stadium and then look around for a parking space, that won’t work due to closed streets on game days and lack of lots adjacent to the ballpark.
As we’ve discussed, the Old City has a number of lots ($10 and $20), plus a few blocks farther away toward Gay Street (one of Knoxville’s most scenic avenues, where the famous Tennessee Theatre is located, as well as more restaurants), there are parking garages. There is even a link on the team’s website where you can pay $5 in advance to park in a satellite lot and be transferred to the park’s entry by a shuttle bus. Those lots are less than a mile from the park, so you could also walk (and pass numerous restaurants) if you didn’t want to take the shuttle.
Let’s now examine the different kinds of seats and their pricing. There are mesh and padded seats with extra legroom right behind the backstop and dugouts, but those are sold out as season tickets. Behind those seats in the infield are the (obviously named) Behind The Plate sections, where adults pay $22 (plus fees) and children are $20 for weeknight games. The prices are $3 higher on Fridays and Saturdays.
Farther down the line, the Baseline seats are $18 for adults and $16 for kids during the week, and $21 and $19 on weekends. Even farther down the lines are the picnic areas for groups of 25 or more, and include a BBQ buffet. The cost is $42 per person.
Groups can also rent out the concourse suites and the party “porches” (at the ends of the upper level). The suites are like mini pubs, and come with a voucher for concessions. The porches are for groups of 50 (first-base side) or 70 (third-base side), and cost $55 or $60 per person, depending on the day of the week. This includes your own buffet.
And it wasn’t ready for the beginning of the season, but the Pioneer K-Jay Corner by the right-field foul pole (below) will soon feature food that you order on your phone.
The Smokies offer a lot of variety in the seating here, far more than at their old park. “A fan can come here six or seven times, and have a completely different experience every time,” noted Volk.
A fan can also eat completely different fare every time they come to Covenant Health Park, too. Here are some of my favorites:
The South Knox Philly, with pork that has been smoked in-house over 14 hours. Available at the Knox Cheesesteak stand behind third base.
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Pulled Brisket Tacos, with brisket that has been smoked ten hours. It includes pickled red onions, homemade honey hot sauce and jalapenos. $11 at the Knox Smoque (love the spelling) stand and the Knoxville Cantina kiosk.
Smokie Mountain Pimento Cheeseburger, with a third-pound Angus beef patty, house-recipe pimento cheese, crispy onions, bacon and BBQ sauce. $11.50 at the Forks On First stand. (I’m not usually a fan of pimentos, but this was utterly delicious.)
Knoxville Hot Chicken Sandwich (you know, because Nashville has their more-famous version), which uses sweet heat and is garnished with slaw and pickles. $9.00 at Coop 865 behind home plate.
Pizza from the aforementioned Barley’s Tap House (but cooked in a pizza oven at the ballpark). There are cheese ($12) and pepperoni ($13) personal pizzas, which struck me as awfully large to be considered “personal” size. You’ll notice smaller-size pepperonis, which ballpark executive chef Aaron Gonnelly (see photo) refers to as being “char-proof,” but that still curl a little bit while baking. Barley’s stand is located near the third-base entry. I’ve read that they run out of pizzas most games, so don’t hesitate!
Other stands you’ll want to try are Sausages and Sodas behind first base, where they sell Italian Sausages and Beer Brats for $7.50, and the Old Forge Distillery down the first-base line, where you’ll find Southern Peach Tea (combines peach moonshine with sweet tea) and a Mountain Mule (Old Forge Vodka mixed with ginger beer). Either is $11.
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I think the award for the best name for a concession item here is Rocky Tots, which are tater tots covered with bacon, queso, ranch and green onion (see photo). They are $9 at the Ballpark Bites stand.
“I’m being asked all the time for my favorite food here,” Gonnelly told me. “It’s so hard to answer that, but I think it’s a tie between the Pimento Cheeseburger and the Hot Chicken Sandwich. Those are both recipes I developed.” And they are both delicious. Many thanks to Aaron for allowing me to sample these delicacies and for taking me on an awesome tour of all of the food-prep areas.
By the way, Gonnelly winding up with a baseball team might be fate, because he said “I grew up in a little town just outside of Cooperstown, New York.”
The Smokies don’t expect to have it all of the time, but a beer you’ll want to try when it’s available is PB&J Mixtape, by local brewery Xul (it’s also sold at Southern Grit in the Old City). It honestly tastes like peanut butter and jelly.
I’ve said for years that I feel that the two best Minor League parks for food are Charlotte and El Paso. I will now include Knoxville in this short list.
I also prefer Pepsi over Coke, and unlike Columbus and Spartanburg, this is a Pepsi place.
As mentioned, there are two separate stores a floor apart. They are operated by a company called GoTeez, which also helped with the design of some of the apparel.
There is an abundance of Cubs colors in the merchandise, and in fact, a lot of Chicago Cubs merch is offered for sale there. Cubs adjustable ballcaps cost from $30 to $36, while fitted caps are $48. Smokies caps are $28 to $35 for adjustable and $40 for fitted.
Smokies adult tee shirts range from $22 to $40, while kids tees are $20. Smokies jerseys are a great price at $75. And they have three styles of lapel pins (I collect them) that are reasonably priced at $7.
The video board in right-center is stunning. Nashville has their guitar-shaped board, and Knoxville has one in the shape of the state of Tennessee. It uses the square-footage of the board really well.
There is a fair amount of features for kids, including the well-protected playground in left field. And kids love mascots, and the Smokies offer three: Knox; Smokie Joe and Jackson. The last is named for the street in front of the park. Knox County school kids submitted names for a new mascot, and Jackson was the winner.
It was a nice touch that the Smokies paid to have fireworks following the first six games at Covenant Health Park. However, after the second night, residents in the neighborhood started a petition to have fireworks shows banned at the park because they were too loud and obtrusive. This might be a problem, considering that a total of 27 games are scheduled to end with fireworks this season.
Overall, I found the gameday atmosphere at Smokies games to be enjoyable — there’s certainly enough to eat, drink and watch — without being overbearing. It helps that the Smokies could bring some of the fun and promotions that worked at Kodak. They certainly brought the friendliness!
Summary
Early in their tenure at Covenant Health Park, the Smokies feel they made a lot of sound decisions in designing their new home … although some neighbors aren’t fond of the decision to have so many fireworks nights!
“The fans seem to love the ballpark,” says Allen. “Even the parking, that we were concerned was going to be an issue, has gone well.”
Team GM Volk reports there are three times as many season tickets this year compared to their previous home. That’s certainly a sign that this was a great move for the team.
When I came to Tennessee during the summer of 2024 to attend one last game at Smokies Stadium, the front office of the team, along with Populous architect Ford, took me on a wonderful tour of the construction site of the new facility.
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It was hot, dusty and crowded with construction equipment that we had to climb around, but I realized two things: this ballpark was going to be a winner; there was an uncommon bond and shared vision between designer and client on this project.
“From the initial site selection, to designing during the pandemic, to Opening Day, this has truly been a rewarding process,” Ford (see photo) told me. “We’ve been eager to see the players and fans experience all the new features of the ballpark. This really feels like a big league ballpark. Working alongside Boyd Sports and with our local partners at BMA and DIA, we’ve incorporated so many great design features into Covenant Health Park, and not just for baseball and soccer. This is a facility that will be a catalyst for a renaissance for this part of Knoxville.
“Walking with the leadership at Boyd Sports during the first couple of games really solidified what we envisioned together. Seeing the fans’ reactions and overhearing their comments as we walked around the Smokies new home, validated that we created something truly special.”
And in a conclusion that doesn’t seem outlandish to me at all, Ford added, “I think this will be like Camden Yards. This will be what everyone measures against. This will be the park everyone visits, not just fans, but other clubs to see how things should be done.”
And to see how to bring the friendliness from one ballpark to another.
Provide a comment below with your thoughts about Covenant Health Park or this review.