Of course it is. Aesthetic areas are fine and actually quite cool. Some things to bear in mind.
The key is balance and moderation. Non-interactive areas are a great touch but do not force them on players. For example, don't make players trek through these areas just for the sake of doing so, because it will quickly become boring once they've seen it all. Instead, give them a choice of entering the area (perhaps an alternate route or something) so they are free to visit or see it at will.
If you must force travel through it, make it short and possibly place a reason for the trek even at the end of the area (like a quest NPC at the very outskirts, or an item or something). This way they accomplish a single goal while enjoying the scenery doing so.
Some non-interactive areas can be a welcome change to hack n' slash but don't overdo it. Think of it like admiring an art gallery versus taking part in the picture. Eventually they will want to do something, otherwise they would be viewing screenshots of the game rather than playing it [img]smile.gif[/img] .
This may be not what you were looking for but hey, that's all I got
