Former Michigander here, moved to the area 3 yrs ago and haven't looked back. We love it here. If you have never visited the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area before I highly recommend going to exit 435 and come in from the east. Like others have said there is a Wally world there to get what ever you need and the traffic will be sooooo much better. Depending on the time of summer you are coming here I have seen traffic backed up from the exit (407) on I-40 all the way to Pigeon forge and beyond, some 20+ miles and the possibility of it taking you 2 hours to go that distance, again depending on the day of the week too.
There is so much to see and do here and Dollywood is a great park to visit, with kids or not. Lots of dinner shows, Dixie Stampede is a great one, the Titanic Museum is worth while, the aquarium in G'burg is top notch and there are so many great restaurants you can choose from. Should you have any questions just ask, glad to help out.