Developers plan to turn Gateway to Adventure into a “regional destination” with attractions, retail, restaurants and hotels.
SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — Millions of people use Exit 407 off I-40 to travel to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and recreational areas like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
The exit could soon be subject to change as developers fine-tune plans for the Gateway to Adventure project. Initial plans called for large-scale attractions, retail space, restaurants and a hotel. Developers previously said Gateway to Adventure would be about 200 acres in size and include attractions by European entertainment company Puy du Fou.
On Wednesday, they announced that the plans have been slightly revised, keeping many elements of the original vision but shifting the focus from an entertainment district to a resort area.
“Development of a property like this never stops, and our envisioning is for the resort to help support and sustain the retail, restaurants and attractions that were our initial focus last year,” said Matthew Cross of OE Experiences. “The strategy is to make this a regional destination, so we envision the resort, best-in-class amenities, brands and IP partners.”
Exit 407 is already home to the second-largest Buc-ee’s store in the United States, which drew about 9.3 million visitors last year.
“This has proven to be an incredibly successful establishment and people will stop here on their way to the rest of their Smoky Mountain experience, which is why we named it the ‘Gateway to Adventure,'” Cross said.
The project is expected to bring jobs to the region, employing up to 5,000 people in total.
“One of the things we’re looking at going forward is we have to offer competitive compensation, additional benefits like employee housing, etc. There’s no other way to protect and create workforce,” Cross said.