What do you think of the Smokies? Worth the drive?

I got a week off in August, and I'm thinking about driving down to Asheville, going thru the Blue Ridge Parkway and visit GSMNP. From the pictures and videos I've seen though, GSMNP doesn't look to be anything out of the world. It looks no different from the state parks we have here in upstate NY to be honest, and I'm not even sure if it's as nice as the ADK.

So for those familiar with ADK, how do you compare the ADK to GSMNP? Is it worth the 12 hour drive going all the way down there or should I just stick to mountains closer to home?