re: Gatlinburg Area Do's and Dont's

Dollywood
The old mill for lunch
Paula deans kitchen on the island
Apple barn for lunch
Alamo steakhouse for dinner
Moonshine and wine tasting
Find a place you can ride a horse through the mountains. I can’t describe how much better this made my last trip.
Smokey mountain knife works is a cool place to go.
Mels diner for a milkshake. The food is mediocre but I stopped there several nights to get a chocolate malt.
Any of the alpine slides, they’re pretty much all the same.
Escape rooms are always fun.
Most of this stuff is in pigeon forge. Hope this helps.