My family is taking a RV camping trip to the great smoky mountains this summer and I need some advise on campgrounds. We have 3 children, 7,7, and 3. I can't decide if I want to stay in the national park or outside it. I would like something on a river, quaint, doesn't have to have a pool, but hook ups would be nice. Thanks for your help.

There are nice campgrounds inside the park--you can undoubtedly find them online. Just outside the Park is Cherokee which has a nice Jellystone campground on a river. It is on the Indian reservation and the streams are all stocked with trout. There is also tubing on the stream. It would probably be fun for your age kids. I'm pretty sure it has a pool also.

Check into the Cade's Cove area. We aren't campers but I do remember seeing a campground there. And from what I remember they even close the roads to traffic on certain days for bikes. Area is just loaded with wildlife!!!! Our son loved seeing the deer with their HUGE antlers. We also saw black bear.
Only drawback was the traffic - bummper to bummper driving around a loop. Still a beatiful place and if the kids like to see animals do a loop some evening or early morning even if you don't stay there.

This link is a good place to start:

www.nps.gov/grsm/gsmsite/campingandother.html

Note that NONE of the campgrounds within the Park have ANY hookups or hot water.

An out of the way campground inside the park is Deep Creek just outside of Bryson City, NC. A lot of people like to inner tube on Deep Creek. It is about a 3/4-1 mile walk up the trail to where most put in then float back down. Be sure to get an inner tube with a wooden bottom, available from a couple outfitters just outside the park entrance. Saves on your behind. Because you go over two sizable waterfalls be sure your (sun)glasses are secured with a croakie or something else. No hookups in the park. Stayed at a commercial place just down the road some years ago that did have hot showers as well as the tubes for rent.