Sevierville, TN

Smokies Park 3540 Line Drive Kodak, TN  37764 865-637-9494 Tennessee Smokies AA Toronto BlueJays (at the time I visited; in 2005 the Smokies will be affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks) Southern League

Scroll down to see pictures of Smokies Park.

Directions: From Knoxville:  Take I-40 east to exit 407 (Hwy 66).  Make a left at the light.  Smokies Park is up on your right after going under the interstate. General Area in State: Sevierville is about 20 miles east of Knoxville.  It is in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of the state.  About a 3 hour drive northwest of Greenville, SC; about a 2 hour drive northwest of Asheville, NC.. Host Hotel:   I stayed at the Best Western Dumplin Valley Inn, 3426 Winnfield Dunn Pkwy, Kodak, TN 37764.  865-933-3467..  It was 3 minutes from the ballpark, was reasonably priced, and had adequate facilities.  Check out www.bestwestern.com for more information.

Date Visited: 7/14/00 - 7/16/00 Ease of getting to; getting in and out of: Excellent getting to, right off highway.  Wait 10-15 minutes after the end of the game to leave.  Less traffic that way.  Plenty of folks directing traffic out of the ballpark. Radio Announcer:    Didn't listen. Web site: Poor.  As of 8/2000, a new one is being developed. Official web site: www.tennesseesmokies.com Customer Service: Decent

A look at Smokies Park from the outfield.  I walked around the concourse to take this shot.  You can see the skyboxes on the second level.

Personal Notes: Very nice ballpark.  There was wrap around concourse.  You could stroll along a path behind the outfield before, during and after the game.  A nice feature.  Had not seen that in other ballparks I've been to.  Smokies Park has two levels.  The second level is skyboxes.  They fly the Canadian flag but did not sing the Canadian National Anthem. A nice fireworks display after one of the games.  At one game, the players on the visiting team - Greenville Braves, all wore hi-socks.  Much viewing pleasure.  They looked wonderful.  I like the hi-sock look.  The bullpens were on the field in front of the General Admission seats.  Good announcer, he left time between announcing the starting line up to write the players names on the scorecard.  I find most announcers don't do that.

If you'd prefer camping in Sevierville, there's a KOA beyond the right field.  Up the hill in the trees in this photo.    During the game, I saw several families sitting in their lawn chairs, binoculars in hand, watching the game.  I'm sure there was a radio around somewhere tuned to the game.. The bullpen is in front of the grey bleachers along the first base line.

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