Open to, and will appreciate, all suggestions!
Players: Me and my 13yo daughter // When: 2nd week of August

Just the beginning stages of planning a road trip from NY to the Great Smoky Mtns . Upon doing some research on this forum, I have added a stop off in the Shenandoah Valley (hey, we gotta stop somewhere). Should Shenandoah/Blue Ridge Parkway be a one night or two night thing? Hotel suggestions?

Then we're off to the Great Smoky Mtns. I've read how touristy Gatlinberg is but since I'm travelling with a 13yo, I feel I must visit/stay. We plan go to Dollywood and do a few short hikes. Not avid hikers but we could do 1 or 2 approx 3 mile hikes (Cades Cove perhaps).

Any hotel, restaurant, things to do suggestions?

Thank you in advance.

We visited Cades Cove last year as part of a road trip around Tennessee. We only stopped for the day, since my husband gets uneasy around nature--we were mostly visiting Civil War sites on that trip. The Cades Cove area is basically a one way loop with obvious markers where you can stop. At these sites, you can see old homes that were occupied by actual residents of the mountains. From those points, there are many trails jetting out in different directions, and you can also see some wild life. I think you will enjoy the area.

If you can mange, try and visit Oak Ridge, Tennessee to see the area where the Manhattan Project took place. We enjoyed it immensely--you need to book the two hour bus tour way in advance:

https://www.nps.gov/mapr/oakridge.htm