Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge?

Neither town has a beach, and swimming works differently in each. In Gatlinburg it means wading in the cold, clear rivers of the national park, close to town, or tubing the Little River near Townsend. Pigeon Forge's families mostly use the water park beside Dollywood and hotel pools. Both are a short drive from the lakeshore at Douglas Lake.

Breakfast is the same story in either town: pancake houses along the Parkway, followed by barbecue, Southern comfort cooking, fudge and moonshine tastings. The differences are small. Gatlinburg also has saltwater taffy kitchens, a few wineries alongside its craft breweries, and the odd restaurant serving trout, country ham and stack cake.

Pigeon Forge leans more on all-you-can-eat Southern buffets and national chains, with stone-ground cornmeal treats around the Old Mill. For a serious meal, people from both towns drive to Knoxville or Asheville.

Both are resort strips with little conventional sightseeing, and their best heritage is of different kinds. Gatlinburg's is the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, a loop of studios where weavers, potters and broom-makers work. It also sits nearest to the old cabins and mills along the Roaring Fork and at Elkmont.

Pigeon Forge has one genuine historic building, the Old Mill of 1830, still grinding flour on the Little Pigeon River. Its other attractions are built for fun, such as the half-scale Titanic and the car collections, along with the crafts demonstrations at Dollywood.

Gatlinburg is where adults go for a drink after dark. A handful of bars, rooftop and brewery terraces and tasting rooms stay busy while people stroll the lit Parkway, though the strip empties by late night.

Pigeon Forge's evenings belong to children. Go-kart tracks and lit-up attraction complexes run until about ten, and a few sports bars and brewpubs serve the grown-ups. Many adults staying there drive up the valley to Gatlinburg's bars instead.

Gatlinburg is the front door of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The forest begins where its Parkway ends, so the Roaring Fork, Grotto Falls and Laurel Falls are a short drive away. The Alum Cave climb to Mount LeConte starts on the road towards Newfound Gap, and in winter there is a small ski slope above town.

From Pigeon Forge it takes about half an hour just to reach the park entrance past Gatlinburg. Cades Cove, and the crest at Newfound Gap where the Appalachian Trail crosses, are nearer an hour away. The town sits on a valley floor with no scenery of its own, so every outdoor day starts with a drive.

Gatlinburg has the better spread of outings. Newfound Gap road leads straight over the mountains to Cherokee and on to Bryson City's heritage railway. Asheville and the Biltmore Estate are a little closer, and Pigeon Forge's theme park, outlets and dinner shows are right down the road.

Pigeon Forge's nearest outing is Gatlinburg itself, and Knoxville's Market Square and theatre district are closer, about forty minutes away. Cherokee and Asheville take longer from here. Small towns such as Dandridge and quiet Townsend complete a list that runs out sooner.

Both towns are made for family vacations, and the difference is in what sits on the doorstep. Gatlinburg has the aquarium, mirror mazes and chairlift or gondola rides up to treetop bridges, all along a strip you can walk. The park, with its creek wading and junior ranger badges, starts at the edge of town.

Pigeon Forge has Dollywood, with its rides, water park and seasonal festivals, plus go-karts, zip lines and hotels with indoor water parks. It is spread along a long road, though, so with children you spend more time in the car between stops.

Gatlinburg is much easier to get around. Its downtown is a compact, walkable strip, and from a central hotel you can leave the car for a day or two and use the trolley.

Pigeon Forge is a busy multi-lane road where you can walk only within individual attraction complexes. Its trolley is slow and does not reach the cabins. In both towns, hillside cabins and park trailheads need a car, and traffic stalls in October.

Shopping is much the same in both, with no fashion or luxury, but each has its own speciality. Gatlinburg has the arts and crafts loop in its own hills, where quilts, baskets and woodwork are sold from the studios that make them, plus a few covered malls of small shops. Pigeon Forge has the outlet centres on its Parkway for mid-market brands, and pottery, quilts and stone-ground cornmeal around the Old Mill.

Costs are much the same in the two towns, and they follow the same pattern. A big cabin shared between families is cheap per person, the park costs little, and paid attractions and tips quickly add up. Gatlinburg's savings come from its older motels and from midweek and winter stays. Pigeon Forge has thousands of rooms and cheap breakfast houses and buffets. Both are dearest in October and over Christmas, and Pigeon Forge also in summer.

Pigeon Forge is the place for an evening show. Dozens of theatres on its Parkway run country and gospel revues, magic, comedy and big dinner spectacles every night, and Dollywood has bluegrass and Appalachian music on several stages.

Gatlinburg's live music is more casual: acoustic bluegrass and country players in the moonshine tasting rooms and on the street. Its visitors drive down the road for a proper show. Neither town has opera or serious theatre, which means a trip to Knoxville.

Neither town has a bathing tradition or much beyond a few day spas, so rest comes from a hillside cabin with a hot tub. Gatlinburg does this better. Its cabins look over the forested ridges at the park's edge, and once you are above the Parkway the nights are quiet. Pigeon Forge's cabins offer the same porches and fireplaces, but the neon strip below is louder and busier, so you need to book well up the hills to get the same calm.