Pigeon Forge is Gatlinburg without the charm. The only thing to do there is shop the outlet stores, go to country music shows, eat at the buffets and sit in traffic. Unless Dollywood is open. But then that's the only place I would go. The rest of that isn't my thing.

I'm good for an hour walking the Parkway in Gatlinburg, an hour browsing in Nantahala Outdoor Center, then off to the National Park for a walk in the woods. Plus there's 3 different distilleries in Gatlinburg. If you like flavored moonshine, you can get snockered on samples. I'm partial to the apple pie flavor. Least favorite is the lemonade - there's undissolved crystals at the bottom for some reason.

We're 9 hours away but manage to get back a couple times a year, since BamaVol Jr #3 still lives in Morristown. In fact, we are planning a long weekend for mid-July.