Add Wayah Road to the list. It has become one of my favorites.

 

This ^^^^^ A hidden gem---I make sure to ride this every time we go down to the Smokies
Your home base will depend on what the wife likes to do [IMO] --if she,s happy/ you're happy----Gatlinburg /Pigeon Forge are busy and offer plenty to do after riding
Maggie Valley is low key but central to many roads---a little south is Copperhead Lodge in Northwest Ga with lots of nice riding---you need a month to hit all the great riding down there---My Favorite riding destination

 

From Gatlinburg you can head up the mountain towards Cherokee NC, There is a fantastic overlook at the top and a small indian village down the other side with an apparel only HD dealer.
Depending on the time of year you are doing this you may want to book your hotels ahead of time, that area gets really crowded all through the summer and fall.

 

We usually get a cabin somewhere between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and ride from there. Wears Valley is also a great place to stay. Wears Valley is quiet and only a couple miles from Pigeon Forge. Rocky Top Harley in Pigeon Forge is top notch. Had a charging issue on my Ultra Classic, stopped in and talked to Joe in service, got us right in and taken care of in 2 hours. He even walked over to the restaurant where we were eating and told us bike was done and we could pick it up, no hurry. Cant beat that for service.
Last trip we rode from Gatlinburg over the mountain to North Carolina, jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway and rode to Maggie Valley to Wheels Through Time. If you like vintage bikes, you have to check it out. Several nice mom and pop restaurants to eat in Maggie Valley. From there we rode to Cherokee Harley, Cherokee , N.C. and back over the mountain to our cabin. Saw several elk along the way back.
Next day we rode Foothills Parkway to Tail of the Dragon to Cherohala Skyway to Tellico Plains. Stopped at Tellico Plains Bakery for a snack. Foothills Parkway and Cherohala Skyway are both great rides in my opinion. Good leisurely pace and scenic. Come dangerously close to getting T-boned by some *** clown trying to pass me about 80 on a BMW enduro looking thing while making a left hand turn onto a scenic pull off. That was a good days ride with all the stops.
Check out Motorcycling Tennessee Backroads on Facebook.

 

If you are in Gatlinburg Ride the Roaring Forks road. It is like an auto tour road and well worth a little time. Have camera ready and stop along the route to truly enjoy it. You get on it in Town and come back out in Town most of it is a one way road.
I would also recommend booking ahead this year. Storm damage farther east may cause others to come a bit west looking for lodging.

 

Many good recommendations already listed. We stopped at a Harley shop and picked up a ride map like the one pictured above. Lota of great choices to pick from. If you do find yourself going through Hot Springs around lunch time, there's a lil café right on your route that has the BIGGEST piece of meat loaf I've even seen.

 

Great rides out there in the mountains. My buddies and I have a yearly "Tail of the Dragon" ride we do during the late summer/early fall (this past fall was our forth year in a row). We spend the weekend riding the Dragon, C. Sky, Moonshiner, etc. Although the first year we stayed in Maggie Valley. It was a nice town (of course it's a dry county). Since then we normally book a cabin using Air BnB in Robbinsville since it's a lot closer to the dragon and the other roads we ride. Of course, we finish off the last night out our stay with a trip to the Cherokee Casino, for the food, eye-candy, drinks and of course good ol gamblin. :P

 

Smokey Mountain HD in Maryville is a very nice stop. Huge motorclothes section.

 

Live music at The Shed on weekends --fun place to visit,as is the entire area------Cades Cove is a nice slow ride and visit near Townsend I believe

 

Cades Cove on a mc can be rough in the summer during high traffic times. cages will block the road while the stop to take pictures.