Points about Gatlinburg:

* only a mile from the national park
* the town is a tourist trap but go a mile west and it's quiet
* very bad food, poor groceries - we drove to Maryville for better quality shopping
* good accommodation - we rented a three-storey log cabin with hot tub, games room, Christmas tree, fire, very pretty, no neighbours (not in a development) for about $200/night at Christmas

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg towns are like going to Patong (Phuket) or Playa de Las Americas (Tenerife) but unlike those places perhaps the adjoining national park land is properly protected and beautiful.

We would not go back but that's not to say I wouldn't recommend it.