Immersive Smoky Gap theme park Cherokee Rose delayed as focus shifts to Exit 407 resorts

Adventurers visiting the Great Smoky Mountains will have to wait even longer to witness the "spectacular immersive show" that would anchor part of The 407: Gateway to Adventure project along Interstate 40 in Sevier County.

Cherokee Rose, the immersive theme park inspired by the tribe's history of service in World War I, has been delayed indefinitely. The theme park would be the main component of Smoky Gap, the planned entertainment district at The 407, named for the exit that welcomes travelers to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

Kituwah LLC, the development arm of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is behind The 407 project. There's already a Buc-ee's convince store, and a Courtyard by Marriott hotel opens there this fall.

East Tennessee development and consulting firm OE Experiences is working with Kituwah on the project, and OE CEO Matthew Cross told Knox News they're prioritizing resorts before moving on to the theme park.

The resorts, he said, "will add critical mass to support the neighboring businesses."

"It's a change that should be a net positive in the long run," Cross said.

One resort is in the planning process, Kituwah CEO Samuel Owl said Aug. 7, and another is being discussed with a potential partner.

About the Cherokee Rose theme park planned for Smoky Gapy

The 30-45 minute theme park show would put visitors in the middle of the action with Cherokee who fought on European soil despite not having American citizenship. Developers partnered with Puy du Fou, a French theme park company that specializes in storytelling.

"We don't want to bring French vision," Nicolas de Villiers, chairman and artistic director of Puy du Fou, told Knox News in 2022. "We want to bring, on U.S. soil, a Cherokee vision and an American vision through the eyes of the Cherokee."

Much like the rest of The 407, the theme park is hard to put into words, but Cross said it best when describing an early concept for Cherokee Rose to Knox News in August 2023:

"The Cherokee Rose is the story of tribal citizens in World War I going overseas − this is before they're American citizens − as volunteers and then realizing that their language could be an integral part of code talking. This is before the Navajo in World War II that everyone knows about. And so this is really an untold but amazingly patriotic story. So when you go through the Cherokee Rose, you're getting your orders and you're training in camp. You're going overseas on a boat, you're going into Europe ... and then you're learning about trench life, experiencing trench warfare. And then you have a very emotional moment that brings you back to the Smokies."

Owl wouldn't confirm a report that Sports Illustrated Resort was joining the project. North Carolina-based Smoky Mountain News reported Kituwah struck a $324 million deal to bring the resort to the Smokies.

A Sports Illustrated Resort is open in the Dominican Republic, and another is coming to Orlando, Florida.

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Smoky Gap theme park delayed as focus shifts to Exit 407 resorts