All three very nice...and sharp

I agree that Asheville (1+ hr from Spartanburg, 3.5 hrs. from Atlanta by car) is a good place to focus on with the Biltmore House, a multitude of artists, craftspeople and galleries, over a dozen breweries, a huge "foodie" scene and more (good) live music than you can find in Atlanta, a city 25x the size. Most of the other places mentioned are within a short drive. The Great Smokey Mtns begin just south of Asheville & the Blue Ridge continues north into Virginia. The tallest mountain on the east coast is Mt. Mitchell, just to the northwest of Asheville, accessible by the Blue Ridge Parkway which winds along the ridges of the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mtns. Not a large city, but many amenities of one, walkable to most things and easy to get to beautiful countryside in just minutes. There is public transportation, but the US falls pitifully short on that account compared to most other countries (we just love our cars, don't ya' know). Best of luck in tailoring your trip...enjoy!

Definitely get away from Gatlinburg, unless its tourists you want to shoot (with a camera, of course).

I'd think about going over to the Nantahala gorge (excellent forest, river and whitewater shots, as well as kayakers, raft trippers, etc.), you might stay at the Dillsboro Inn (Dillsboro,NC), which is right on the Chatahoochee River, excellent place with really nice folks and many repeat clients (always a good sign). Between there and Brevard are many waterfalls by Highlands, NC, Lake Toxaway and Toxaway's high falls, then near Brevard is the DuPont State Forest, with great woods, forests and a lot of waterfalls and not crowded at all except summer weekends now, since it was a location for the first Hunger Games movie and has drawn fans. Right now, after all the rain we've gotten is a great time to see all the rivers, gorges and waterfalls!