My daughter and I stumbled upon the area last year on our way back from KS. They are always ads on the TV here for it, so I convinced her to at least drive by and see what it was all about. I was amazed -- a many mile carni!
We ended up spending the night in Gatlinburg and had a gas! She loves mini-golf, so got her fill. It was actually rather interesting experience, if you know what you are getting into. Many grandparents with young children running about and a feeling of a carnival.