Gatlinburg is the gateway to the absolutely incredible Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We rented a timeshare outside Gatlinburg (through http://www.redweek.com) and spent an idyllic week exploring this fantastic park. The brochure said there were over 700 miles of trout streams to fish in, and we hit a bunch! And we cooked up our fresh catch in our timeshare kitchen. There are also hiking trails all over that range from an easy walk (thank heavens) to a back-packing trek. My favorite activity was horseback riding - the glorious vistas were incredible. My husband loved exploring the historic buildings that are preserved in the park - almost 80 (he only saw about 20!) homes, stores, churches, schools, etc. Put this on your bucket list!