My review of the are is that is defintely worth seeing. I truly enjoyed it, but it is very expensive. Everything has a high price tag. I spent the last two days fishing just to avoid the tourist attractions that rape you.
Gatlinburg is a really cool town to see and of course the mountains are awesome. Just be prepared to spend if you are going with kids that need entertained.
Quick examples:
Zip Lining? $70 per person
Whitewater rafting? $70 per person
Horseback riding? $25 per person
Needless to say, all I did was the horseback riding.
I didn't get to take the kids tubing because some heavy overnight rains two nights in a row swelled the river and no kids were allowed. Bummer...