Did you by chance take Route 441 from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, NC ? As I remember it's full of beautiful scenery with an observation station at the top of the mountain. To me, the only drawback is that wicked hairpin a little less than halfway to Cherokee, but then the last time I drove it was on the way back to Dayton, Ohio from Florida in 1961.
I'm sure things have changed considerably since then as Gatlinburg wasn't much more than a peek and plum town.
peek and plum= peek around the corner and you're plum out of town.