There are countless things to do in Cherokee, North Carolina. You can waterfall chase, learn all about local Cherokee history, visit a century-old farm and even wander through a bamboo forest. Cherokee is located about 20 minutes northeast of Bryson City, 30 minutes south of Newfound Gap and just 5 minutes drive from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Cherokee offers something for everyone in the family and is a perfect single-day excursion. To really appreciate all of the cool things to do in Cherokee it helps to clear your mind and just take in all the native culture and historical context. All around town there are reminders of the past from the nostalgic business marquis and museums to the shops and shows. Read on to hear about our favorite things to do in Cherokee, NC.
Oconaluftee Visitor Center
The Oconaluftee Visitor Center is located on the US-441 just north of the entrance to the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. As with each of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s visitor centers, the Oconaluftee center is chock full of useful information, helpful personnel, fantastic educational exhibits and a wonderful gift shop all in a single convenient location. The building itself is beautiful with hardwood floors and appointments and a large stone fireplace. Be sure to not miss the amazing tree situated between the back of the center along the path to the Farm Museum.
OCONALUFTEE VISITOR CENTER FAST FACTS
LOCATION: Cherokee, NC
HOURS: 9am-5pm
COST: Free
TIME TO COMPLETE: 20 minutes
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms and gift shop
Mountain Farm Museum
Behind the Oconaluftee Visitor Center is the remarkable Mountain Farm Museum. It is a collection of different structures, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reassembled to replicate how a farm of the time would be laid out. The first structure you see is the 2-story main house, a basic log cabin with a spacious front porch and a meat house, large woodpile and outhouse in the back.
As you move along you’ll find a small area for a garden, a chicken house, an apple house and a large cornfield. Next to the field is the corn crib, the most important and versatile crop most farmers cultivated. Corn fed not only the families but the livestock as well. It could be eaten as is or mushed into cornmeal for cornbread.
The farm features a large all-purpose barn with an abundance of farm equipment, tools and storage space. There are stalls for animals to find shelter from the weather, to stack logs and timber and bales of hay.
As you turn to start your way back to the visitor center there are still a few more areas of interest. The hog pens housed the primary source of meat for most farms, which also produced fat for cooking and soap making. The walk back is framed by the Oconaluftee River to your right and an open field to your left. To round out the self tour is a blacksmith house, a springhouse and a sorghum mill and furnace. If you love history, the Mountain Farm Museum will be one of the more rewarding things to do in Cherokee.
MOUNTAIN FARM MUSEUM FAST FACTS
LOCATION: Cherokee, NC
HOURS: Open all year round
COST: Free
TIME TO COMPLETE: 30 minutes
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms and gift shop
Mingus Mill
About a half-mile (.8 km) north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center is the Mingus Mill, the largest gristmill ever built in the Great Smoky Mountains. The mill, built in 1886, has a 200’ (61 m) wooden flume that feeds water to the mill’s turbine generating the necessary 11-horsepower to operate the machinery. The mill is still operational and you can go inside the main building where the miller will demonstrate the process of grinding the corn into cornmeal. The highlight is the flume. It leaks and certainly shows its age but it’s a wonderful demonstration of man and nature working together to provide. A definite addition to your things to do in Cherokee list.
MINGUS MILL FAST FACTS
LOCATION: Cherokee, NC
HOURS: Open all year round – 9am-5pm (Miller’s hours)
COST: Free
TIME TO COMPLETE: 20 minutes
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot and public restrooms
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is a wonderful, if not a bit idealized, look at the history of local Cherokee Indians of North Carolina. You are greeted by a memorable statue of Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, built from a single giant California Sequoia tree. The museum is filled with murals, artifacts, stories, legends and memorabilia that captures the vibrancy of the Cherokee culture. There are ceremonial masks, arrowheads, awls and other sundry tools and weapons.
There is an emphasis on the cultural and ritualistic emphasis within the Cherokee civilization. Games, in particular stickball or A-ne-tsa (cousin to modern day lacrosse), served an important role in society. It not only provided entertainment but also served as religious rituals and had strong political associations as well. Basket weaving and pottery firing provided not just a practical purpose but also a means of artistic expression. Blowguns, points, blades, bows and long rifles were among the preferred weapons used in warfare.
Different sections of the museum explored various themes from the five civilized tribes – Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, Seminoles and Cherokees – to the impact of colonization and the tragic Trail of Tears. Other sections cover more modern history, a great section focused on Cherokee women and their changing role over the past few millennia as well as an impactful collection of black-and-white photos. The tour finishes with a visit to a rather large gift shop that, in addition to the usual tourist fare, a great deal of very specific Cherokee paraphernalia from blankets and jewelry to custom artwork, baskets and pottery.
MUSEUM OF THE CHEROKEE INDIAN FAST FACTS
LOCATION: Cherokee, NC
HOURS: 9am-5pm
COST: $12 Adults, $7 Children 6-12, & Children 5 & under are FREE
TIME TO COMPLETE: 45 minutes
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms and gift shop
Oconaluftee Indian Village
Top on the list of things to do in Cherokee is a few hours at the 40-acre Oconaluftee Indian Village. Upon entering you are instantly transported back to the late 18th-century through a personalized tour that allows you to experience the daily lives of Cherokee culture and lifestyle. The tour starts with the hand weaving of blankets, baskets, clothing and ceremonial beads. Next you see the sculpting of pottery and masks. My personal favorite part of the tour was the blowgun demonstration.
Along the way you’ll see sweat houses, home dwellings, eating utensils all augmented and explained by your traditionally attired guides who have been trained on Cherokee culture through formal education and the Cherokee oral tradition. One of the more engaging parts of the tour is the 7-sided council house where traditional dances and, if you’re lucky, live performances are conducted with a focus on sacred Cherokee traditions and legends. In the 1950’s a nature trail and botanical gardens were added to the village. If you visit in the summer do try to attend the live Unto These Hills show at the outdoor Mountainside Theater just behind the Museum of the Cherokee. A genuinely unique experience and a highly recommended addition to your list of things to do in Cherokee.
OCONALUFTEE INDIAN VILLAGE FAST FACTS
LOCATION: Cherokee, NC
HOURS: 9:30am-4:30pm – Tuesday-Saturday – Closed in Winter months
COST: $22 Adults, $12 Children 6-11, & Children 5 & under are FREE
TIME TO COMPLETE: 30 minute tours
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms and gift shop
Nostalgic Road Signs
One of the charms driving along the main drag, Tsali Boulevard, is the nostalgic signs in front of many of the businesses. There’s a good mix of signs from the 1950’s and 1960’s mixed in with more modern fare. The older signs feature the single tube neon lights for lettering as well as artwork that reminds one of early Las Vegas strip signage. A nice stroll down memory lane and one of the more unique things to do in Cherokee.
The Painted Bears
Distributed throughout town are life-sized bear sculptures each adorned with unique artwork contributed by local artists. This is becoming more and more popular across the country with the subject of the sculptures usually reflecting the animal most associated with the region. Bears are the common theme that runs throughout the entire Smoky Mountains. We also saw the same painted animal theme in Bryson City with their local favorite, trout.
Tsali Blvd Shopping
Catty-cornered from the Museum of the Cherokee is the Tsali Blvd Shopping Center (though it doesn’t have an actual name). It’s a fun collection of small to medium sized shops with an eclectic mix of souvenirs, local artwork, t-shirts, moccasins, pottery, ponchos, bird houses, wind-chimes, etc. The most interesting are the Cherokee Rose, Ravenhawk Gifts & Collectibles and The Black Bear but each is worth a look. The best part is you can park in their parking lot and visit the museum across the street.
Cherokee Veterans Park
A 5-minute walk south from the Museum of the Cherokee is the Cherokee Veterans Park. The park has a monument dedicated to each of the Eastern Band of Cherokee who honorably served in the armed forces dating back as far as the War of 1812. A seven-sided granite stele has pictographs that represent the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation: Deer, Blue, Long Hair, Wolf, Bird, Paint and Wild Potato. A special section is devoted to Charles George, a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his ultimate sacrifice in the Korean War. The park itself covers over 149 acres and includes everything from ball fields and tennis courts to playgrounds and a skate park.
Oconaluftee Islands Park
Running parallel to the US-441, as you start to approach downtown Cherokee, is the Oconaluftee Islands Park. The Oconaluftee River runs through the park on both sides creating an island in the middle. There are no playgrounds or swing sets but the park is a perfect place for family outings or a simple stroll. While the water is very cold it provides a wonderful relief for kids of all ages and is usually at a safe depth. There are two bridges that allow access to all parts of the park. The highlight of the park is the bamboo forest located in the far northeast corner. It feels like you’ve been transported into the rainforests of Southeast Asia.
Waterfall Chasing
There are two waterfalls that are easily accessible from downtown Cherokee. Soco Falls is about a 20 minutes drive east on the US-19 and is viewable from a platform only minutes from the parking area. The main 50’ (15 m) Soco Falls are beautiful, with multiple levels. A second set of falls, to the left of the main cascade, can split into as many as four different mini-falls that meet at the base and feed into Soco Creek. Just to the left of the deck you can venture down closer to the falls but be aware it can be slippery and dangerous. If you continue to the right of the deck you’ll eventually get to a spot where a much better view of the main falls opens up for you.
At 120’ (37 m) Mingo Falls is one of the tallest falls in the Appalachians and is a short 6-mile (9.8 km) drive north of downtown Cherokee. It has also been measured at 200’ (61 m) depending on where the base of the falls are calculated. The .4-mile (.64 km) moderate hike is pretty tame but does include a climb of 161 wooden steps. The best time to visit is after a heavy rain or in the winter when the falls freeze and produce a shocking streak of ice that contrasts the heavy surrounding woods. We are always on the lookout for waterfalls to chase and would recommend adding this to your list of things to do in Cherokee.
Final Thoughts
There are many other things to do in Cherokee like golfing at Sequoyah National, visiting Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, experiencing the Fire Mountain Trails for hiking, mountain biking, running, fishing or taking a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Make sure to include a stop in Cherokee when you visit Bryson City or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Let us know what you enjoyed most about the unique town of Cherokee, North Carolina!
