yeah, pretty much. this is the route i'm taking. i saw online last night the detour is 140 miles! i def want to avoid that! you know what's weird? google maps says 763 miles taking 75 to 40 to 441 and mapquest has another route that says 700 miles???

Driving directions to Gatlinburg, TN
763 mi – about 12 hours 3 mins
Suggested routes
Sarasota, FL
1. Head west on Main St toward S Washington Blvd 112 ft
2. Take the 1st right onto N Washington Blvd 0.2 mi
3. Take the 1st right onto Fruitville Rd 5.2 mi
4. Merge onto I-75 N via the ramp to Tampa
Entering Georgia 419 mi
5. Slight left toward I-475 N (signs for I-475 N/Atlanta) 0.6 mi
6. Continue straight onto I-475 N 15.2 mi
7. Merge onto I-75 N
Entering Tennessee 279 mi
8. Continue onto I-40 E 22.4 mi
9. Take exit 407 toward Winfield Dunn Pkwy 0.3 mi
10. Turn right at Winfield Dunn Pkwy 8.5 mi
11. Continue onto Forks of the River Pkwy/US-441 Scenic S 0.6 mi
12. Turn right at Parkway/TN-71 S/US-441 S/US-441 Scenic S
Continue to follow Parkway/TN-71 S/US-441 S 12.6 mi

Gatlinburg

 

That is a long drive just to go to Gatlinburg! lol
I guess there isn't much else to see in this part of the country though.
If you guys go for a helicopter ride, go see these guys.


I would agree that the spare is best up front if it is not the same size as the others.

 

Taking 441 would cut about 60-70 miles from your trip, but it is a small 2 lane road running through the mountains. If you're worried about bad weather or roadside problems, I'd stick to 75 and 40. 441 is probably a very pretty drive at the right time of year.

- NCSU