We went two summers ago and had a great time. We booked a cabin through Heaven’s Cabins. It was at the perfect location, overlooking Gatlinburg and a short trip to town, but still in the mountains.
We are not too into the touristy stuff, but we did ride a mountain coaster in Pigeon Forge and play mini-golf at Hillbilly Golf. So fun! One of our favorite things was tubing in Townsend with River Rat Tubing. The rest of our trip was spent in the national park. We hiked Alum Cave Trail (my favorite - absolutely beautiful), Laurel Falls, Clingman’s Dome, Grotto Falls. We also drove through Roaring Forks several times. We packed our lunches everyday and ate in the park. Our favorite picnic spot was Chimney Tops.
Have a great time!