Ah. I thought it was more along the lines of something where they hold a gun to your kid’s head until you complete a certain mission or something.
Actually, I was going to post that. http://www.forbiddencavern.com/index.html It’s a nice hike of, IIRC about a mile total with a guide. There is no touching the formations except one area, but it is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Should you want a bit more commercialism and kitch, try Rock City Gardens too. http://www.seerockcity.com/ I’ve been there as a small child, a teen and a couple of times as an adult when in the area on business. If you like cast iron stuff, South Pittsburg (just west of Chattanooga) has the Lodge Factory Outlet (if you were going later in the season, you could attend the cornbread festival there). The liquor laws are a bit wonky there though.
Chattanooga also has the Incline Railroad, several Civil War battle sites and the tow truck museum.
In Tracy City, I would recommend a stop at the Dutch Maid Bakery. http://www.thedutchmaid.com/ If they have zucchini bread made, get some. It won’t last more than a few miles and you may have to stop for coffee or milk to go with it. 
Have fun on your trip and I hope you enjoy our state!
There is SO MUCH to do in the area. We’re going to have to sit and write out an itinerary. Has anyone visited the wineries in the area? I came across a site for one called the Applewood, which makes apple wine, of course, along with other common wines.
I used to go to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge almost every summer with my parents growing up. I second the suggestion of the bicycle ride through Cades Cove. I’ve seen lots of deer there as well as a few bears.
I hadn’t been in a long time until my wife and I went once before we were married and then for our honeymoon a few years ago. We went to this winery:
I don’t really know much about wine, but I liked it. 
We ate at the Applewood restaurant the last time we were there. I seem to remember it was pretty good.
I live outside of Gatlinburg and my best friend and I just went into town on business yesterday.
She wanted to stop to get a Margarita afterwards. So, we went to Dick’s Last Resort. The attitude is deliberately snarky and the bar was filled with amused customers. As locals, we were stunned by the prices, but that is normal in GBurg. It was fun. Recommended.
Cade’s Cove in June is too crowded. That is unfortunate because it is quite lovely.
Downtown GBurg traffic will also be amazingly bad. I suggest that you use the shuttle bus service and not drive downtown. Pigeon Forge is mostly forgettable unless you are into hillbilly shtick. One notable exception is the indoor skydiving facility. You can also get a helicopter tour of the area.
Speaking of traffic, there are back routes that we locals use to avoid the tourons, but I took a blood oath to never reveal any details about them. However, I have a pretty good idea that a map might be of assistance to you in this matter.
Have fun. PM me if you want any other details.
Unless I’m mistaken, I think most of these attractions are about 150 miles from Gatlinburg.
Have you any interest in indoor skydiving (as **Pancake **mentioned above)? You can find the link at flyawayindoorskydiving dot com. I’ve not done it there, but I’ve done it elsewhere. It was fun, but also challenging.
What the other posters have said about the traffic should be heeded. GSMNP is the most-visited National park, and Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg (as well as Cherokee, NC) are the “support cities” for it. There’s also Cherokee museums and crafts over on the eastern side, but I know you didn’t ask about NC.
You’ll not be far from Newport, TN which has a (un-substantiated) reputation for where you can attend a church w/ serpent-handling as part of the Sunday service.
Anyone know of any non-kitschy curiosities unique to the area? Serpent handling church services sounds pretty cool but I’d only be going hoping a snake would bite a stupid human.
I am wondering if there are some out of the ordinary, possibly out of the way, maybe creepy or weird places to visit/things to do.
Oh, also…any Civil War stuff worth hitting?
Touristy but ------- Dollywood is fantastic. We were there for a convention last year and went back for the Christmas thing. I also enjoyed the Titanic Museum and the cable car that runs up the top of the mountain. On the pricey side there are several balloon charters around and I’ve heard nothing but good about them.
Isn’t Dick’s Last Resort the place where they make you wear the paper hat? A friend has been there and she and her husband said it’s a great time.
Yes, that is the place. The bartender writes something sarcastic or snarky on it and puts it on you. You don’t get to see it until you either take it off (not considered cool), or have your friend tell you what it says. Fortunately, there is a mirror behind the bar.
The sarcasm is fun. Weirdly fun. As if the bartender knew you and was just ‘messing’ with you you. My hat said “A Legend In His Own Mind.” My friend and I took our hats to share with our SO’s. Hilarity ensued.
I hope they write “SDMB Warrior” on mine.
It’s about 30 miles away, but how about wrestling held at the local flea market? I’ve never been, but the website is worth the visit just for the html evilness.
Oh, and I should have mentioned the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. It’s the densest concentration of the largest/tallest trees this side of the Mississippi. It’s one of the last pockets of virgin forest on the east coast. There is an easy, 2-mile loop trail that shows-off the matriarchs of the forest, but there’s plenty of opportunity to get away from the tourists, too. It’s in NC, but not too far from the GSMNP.
Out of curiosity, which cabins are you staying in? My husband and I stayed at Brother’s Cove 6 years in a row (haven’t been back in two years on account of job changes & making a baby, but we’re very much looking forward to going again).
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned it yet, but there’s also an artist’s colony area in Gatlinburg that’s pretty cool. I’ll have to ask my husband how to get there, since I’m usually staring out the window, but I’m pretty sure if you’re going down the main road from Pigeon Forge into Gatlinburg, you take a left at the light where the road is in kind of a Y-shape - there should be a shopping center shortly thereafter with a winery, a hot sauce store, and an old salt & pepper museum. Keep going down that road until you run out of stuff to look at, then you’ll see a sign for an artist’s colony. There are a bunch of neat shops and galleries out that way.
Very close to Dollywood is the favorite of not just my son, but also the wife and me, Parrot Mountain - http://www.parrotmountainandgardens.com/
Parrots and their kin live a long time, often outliving their owners, or in many cases are rescued when they cannot be properly taken care of. Parrot Mountain takes them all in and for a small fee you can visit them, hold a few (again, for another small fee), and there is an adoption area where you can play with young ones. I’m not crazy about the idea of them selling birds, but the money goes to help keep the other ones in a home, so it makes it more palatable.
Ignore this line from their website - If you like Thomas Kinkade’s Art work and the beauty of the smoky mountains you’re going to love this place.
I hate his art but still loved the place.
Also, a little bit north is Cirque De Chine. Not quite as cool as Cirque de Soleil, but as we don’t enjoy country music, it was a nice respite. The theater is beautiful and the acts (minus the magician) were great for the area.
Holy angelfire flashbacks, Batman!
We’re staying in a cabin off of a road called Easy Street. It’s not a large group of cabins, the owners only rent three or four if I’m correct.
Is the artist’s colony called “Arts and Crafts”? I saw a ton of cabins for rent in an area named that.