When i was a kid we used to go to the Smokies. I remember the candy stores that made taffy, and the little bears coming right up to your car windows.
Taffy still there (and fudge!) but the bears...you pretty much have to go driving/hiking around in the park to see any. And of course, they don’t want any bear feeding!
To me, it’s just way too crowded and built up. When I went over in mid-July last year, even during a pandemic it was more crowded than I like. I wanted to see some things over in Cherokee so one day I drove over to the interstate and crossed over the mountains into North Carolina that way, then came through Maggie Valley and Cherokee back into the Park and Gatlinburg. I decided that if/when I ever go back, I’m staying in Maggie Valley or Cherokee.