Explore the Trails
The town of Cherokee is a starting point for explorations of authentic Cherokee heritage as well as timeless natural beauty. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian features artifacts and exhibits that tell the story of 11,000 years of Cherokee history and culture. During the summer and fall, Cherokee artists and crafts people exhibit and demonstrate inside the museum. For more than half a century, the nearby Qualla Arts and Crafts has displayed and sold baskets, pottery, woodcarving, bead work, jewelry, dolls, blowguns and other items made to exacting standards by Cherokee artisans.
In nearby Robbinsville, the Stecoah Valley Artisans Gallery features beadwork, pottery, masks and other works by Cherokee artists. The Junaluska Museum and Gravesite, named for a Cherokee leader born in the 18th century, was created by members of Cherokee’s Snowbird community and features exhibits of artifacts from the area that are more than 6,000 years old. Baskets, beadwork, silversmithing and other crafts made by Cherokee people are sold here.
The Nikwasi Mound, once the center of a thriving Cherokee village, stands in the heart of the town of Franklin. The nearby Macon County Historical Society, which preserves the mound, includes a small museum featuring a collection of stone points and tools used by the Cherokee.
The Cherokee County Historical Museum in downtown Murphy features collections of prehistoric and historic era artifacts, along with displays of 17th and 18th century Cherokee artifacts from Peachtree Mound and Village and other local sites. Outside of Murphy, Brasstown is home to the historic John C. Campbell Folk School, founded in 1925. Known for offering hundreds of traditional craft classes across a range of disciplines, the school also features a one-and-a-half mile outdoor Rivercane Walk with installations from local artists honoring the Cherokee heritage of the area.
Whether you come for a weekend or a special event, the Cherokee’s ancestral home on the Qualla Boundary abounds with opportunities to experience authentic Cherokee heritage.