Home of the Cherokee

Hence the name-Cherokee North Carolina.  Cherokee is home to a very old Indian reservation of the Eastern band of the Cherokee Indians. It too is surrounded by the Great Smokey Mountains so there are tons of campgrounds and lots of opportunities for hiking, fishing, and other great outdoors activities.

This little area used to be a good representation of the Cherokee Indian culture; however, over the years there has been a shift to a large tourist area. Along the sides of the road you can find indians in traditional old style head-dresses and costumesjust to please the tourists. The biggest shift that occured would be the addition of a casino on the reservation. Don't get me wrong...a little gambling never hurt anyone...it just came as a shock to all of us that remember the old reservation that actually was for indians. Harrahs casino is a great place to visit I suppose, as long as you don't have a problem. They have endless slot machines, blackjack tables, craps and so on. On occasion they have large-scale tournaments---poker and blackjack usually. Apparently the casino is not hurting because they always have large giive-a-ways like cars and trips and stuff. I know I have donated a lot of money to those funds :)

Unto These Hills is an outdoor presentation that tells the story of the migration and Trail of Tears. It is pretty interesting and pretty cheap...well, it was the last time I visited. Oconaluftee Indain Village is another pretty cool site. The living Indain village takes visitors through a typical day and shows  different aspects of life such as making arrowheads, blowguns, and hollowing canoes...you know, the things they don't actually do anymore. This too is average priced I believe. In the same area is the museum of the Cherokee. Here you will find artifacts, hear stories, and see the new Trail of Tears exbition.

So unless you are fascinated with Cherokee culture, then there isn't a whole lot to do besides going gambling. There is an entrance to the Appalachian Trail just outside of the town. It would be a great place to get off the trail and camp for a night or two. I wouldn't recommend any long stays though :)