Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg sit side by side at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee, the two towns together forming the main tourist corridor into the Smokies. They are very different in character: Pigeon Forge is a strip of outlet malls, go-cart tracks, and the massive Dollywood theme park, built around country music star Dolly Parton's Tennessee heritage. Gatlinburg is older and more compact, with a traditional main street backed by wooded ridges and a gondola system that runs up into the mountain park above town.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which begins immediately behind Gatlinburg, is the most visited national park in the United States. The park is free to enter, covers over 800 square miles of ancient Appalachian ridgeline, and has more tree species than all of northern Europe combined. Hiking, fishing, and wildlife-watching — black bears are commonly sighted — draw millions of visitors each year. The park's Clingmans Dome road and the Newfound Gap are accessible from the Gatlinburg entrance.
The area is emphatically popular and can feel overwhelmed in summer and on autumn leaf-peeping weekends. For those who want to experience the mountains themselves rather than the commercial strip, the park roads and trails offer genuine wilderness within minutes of the town centres. The local whiskey distilleries — moonshine has a long history in these hills — and the arts-and-crafts community east of Gatlinburg provide more authentic regional character than the main strip.