Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg is the main gateway town to Great Smoky Mountains National Park — the most visited national park in the United States, with more annual visitors than Yellowstone and Grand Canyon combined. The park itself is free to enter, offers 800+ miles of trails, and is one of the most biodiverse temperate forest ecosystems in the world. Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Smokies at 6,643 feet, has a half-mile paved walkthrough to a spiral observation tower with 360-degree views. The town itself is unabashedly commercial — SkyBridge (the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America), an aerial tramway to Ober Mountain, mountain coasters, indoor mini-golf, moonshine distilleries, and taffy-pulling shops running in parallel with the serious hiking access. Ole Smoky and Sugarlands are the best-known distilleries and both offer free tastings. Dollywood is six miles north in Pigeon Forge and deserves more than a footnote — it's legitimately one of the best regional theme parks in the country, particularly for live music and its winter Smoky Mountain Christmas festival. White water rafting on the Pigeon River runs spring through fall. Fall color in the Smokies (mid-October) is exceptional — some of the densest hardwood diversity in North America means an extended, layered color season unlike the West.