[sudosteph]

State parks are where it's at.

But love the Gatlinburg aside. It's like Myrtle Beach, but worse. The Blue Ridge mountains have amazing natural beauty for miles in every direction. So many great towns too - Blowing Rock, Boone, Asheville, Maggie Valley, (hopefully Chimney Rock will be back on that list someday). Why anyone would pick Gatlinburg to visit is beyond me.

[pfdietz]

If you want to go to Great Smokies, do it from the east side, not the west. The east side can be charming (I really liked Bryson City). Pigeon Forge? What a tourist trap hellscape.

[maapfin33]

The Rhododendron festival every June on Roan Mountain has always been a favorite for us.

[samdixon]

Gatlinburg is not my thing... but is significantly better than Myrtle Beach.

[sudosteph]

Really? Agree to disagree. At least in MB I can bike around, get in the ocean, and pig out on seafood. It's not classy, but at least it's cheap. I would never fly there, but as a weekend trip from Charlotte, it's not terrible bang-for-buck at all. Though I'm sure nostalgia from going there frequently as a child is coloring my view.

What do you prefer about Gatlinburg?

[samdixon]

Sorry - significantly better was overreaction from my part. My view of Myrtle beach is somewhat muddied by the reason I was there in the first place. Was in GA for a wedding, was going to go to FL, but couldn't due to a hurricane and ended up quickly shuffling to Myrtle Beach. Felt like a memory of a town. I do have a coworker who recommended me some good spots, but not sure if I will ever make it back there https://maps.app.goo.gl/EbWrjJ92qgV3vx598.

Gatlinburg is maybe the ultimate tourist trap. Was hilariously enough also around there for a wedding.

I can't really argue for either as destinations. Both of these places I don't think I would go over other available options.

[maapfin33]

I live in Sevier county about 30 minutes from Gatlinburg. It is indeed a peculiar place, unlike anywhere else I can think of. We almost never go there despite being so close. The best restaurants in the area I recommend to tourists are actually in downtown Sevierville (which is small and quaint), not Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge.

That said, I've been to various theme parks around the world, and Dollywood is probably my overall favorite. We go quite a few times a year; it's great for both kids and adults.

[chasd00]

> But love the Gatlinburg aside. It's like Myrtle Beach, but worse.

Yeah Gatlinburg is a strange place, that one stuck out to me too. I described it in my comment as like a touristy beach town but small and not in a charming way. That main strip with all the t-shirt and other tourist shops haha, it reminds me so much of Daytona Beach when I lived there as a child.

[quercusa]

I haven't been in decades but there seemed to be the world's highest concentration of candle shops. Maybe people are looking for fancy candles.

[nunez]

Gatlinburg for the pancakes; Asheville for the beer. (Asheville is legitimately a beer mecca. Must be the water.)