There are going to be some unhappy folks in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for us putting both cities into one guide. Reading literature for each area, you would think the other didn't exist, or was at least 100 miles away. The truth is, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are only 5 miles apart. You probably wouldn't want to visit one and not the other.
What's the draw to these pint size, yet truly popular destinations? There are many nowadays, but the original source of tourism was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With over 9 million visitors a year, it's the most popular park in the National Park Service system, outdrawing even better known parks such as Yellowstone.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have the great good fortune to be nestled against park entrances and serve as a natural base for those exploring the Smokies. Capitalizing on that traffic, the towns have developed other attractions such as shopping, entertainment venues, craft centers, outdoor activities, and of course Dollywood.
Taken together, it wouldn't be far wrong to think of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge as a smaller, quieter, mountainous version of Myrtle Beach.
There are going to be some unhappy folks in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for us putting both cities into one guide. Reading literature for each area, you would think the other didn't exist, or was at least 100 miles away. The truth is, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are only 5 miles apart. You probably wouldn't want to visit one and not the other. 
