In 2019, the Cherokee bought 122 acres on the north side of I-40 beyond the outfield walls of Smokies Stadium for $7.6 million. It is the major gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains. The tribe has purchased two separate tracts of land at exit 407, one of the busiest interchanges in the state. Regardless if the Smokies end up moving, the resort - which could house a casino if state law were changed - could be a game changer for the area. The tribe’s work could take the sting away if Smokies owner Randy Boyd follows through on proposed plans to move the Double-A baseball team from Sevier County to Knoxville’s Old City.
Over the past year, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians purchased 320 acres in Kodak, land they will soon begin developing for a resort complex. Cherokee tribe plans Kodak resort complexīefore Knoxville leaders began hearing the pitch for a new downtown baseball complex for the Tennessee Smokies this summer, documents had already been signed and land had been swapped on property surrounding the team’s Sevier County home.
