Activities around Smoky Mountains? What is there to do on the weekend?|157008

We are planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains. We want to rent a cabin and take our dogs. We were wondering what is there to do besides the cabins in smoky mountains. What type of towns are near by and what type of activities do they hold?

Go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge... There are outlet malls, go karts, museums,,shopping , skiing, anything you could want to do outdoors. Camping, hiking, tubing , swimming. You could try going to Cades Cove. Visit gatlinburg tn chamber of commerce.com for more details.

Just got back from the Smokies after spending a week in a cabin (near Franklin, NC). We found a ton of waterfalls in the area that were incredible! Google has some good lists. We also had a ton of fun _mining_ for gems in the Franklin area (and had a lot of success too, Mason Mt. Mine is the best place to go after trying a few). Highlands, NC is a great little town with an old-timey downtown area, lots of neat shops and hip restaurants.