great smoky mountains in TN

[cookiedough]

wife and one kid and his group of lifters plan on end of April go to Gaitlinburg TN for national powerlifting meet.   Wife will have 1 day free on Friday to go sight see and maybe on the way there on Thursday for 1/2 a day to sight see, etc.  Would those in TN area just stick to for 1 day a drive thru/short walking thru the GREAT smoky mountain national park nearby?  Anything to see within say 50 mile radius of Gaitlinburg TN or say before get there or after get there on way back thru Knoxville TN heading back NW? 

I could be wrong, but thought I read you can go into GREAT smoky mountain national park for free correct? 

[3fan4life]

Entrance into the park is free.

NOTHING in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge is.

If I could do one thing and one thing only in the National Park, I would go to Cades Cove.

The drive there and back is nice.

Go early morning or late evening and you have a strong chance of seeing some amazing wildlife.

If you have a clear moonless night the view of the sky from Newfound Gap on US 441 is AMAZING!

[Pete]

Foothills parkway out of Gatlinburg, great views. Easy to combine with Cades Cove on the south side.

[Bighead]

+1 on  cades cove.

[Binkie]

Climgmen’s Dome and Cataloochee Valley in NC side of the park.

[..]

If it's a busy day Cades Cove will be more stop than go.

People getting excited about seeing a deer in a field will stop in the one lane, one way road and hold traffic up.......................