Cherokee NC and/or Santa Land?

[jenfur]

We are studying Native Americans in homeschool right now and I would love to plan a field trip to the reservation. The website isn't so informative though. Are there any non-official sites worth looking at? Anyone have any recommendations? We won't be doing the gambling thing so not interested in that.

How about Santa Land? I see that it is nearby and my DS would especially love that.

 

[PixieDust32]

Santa's land is on the way to Cheeroke, it wasn't open when we went last year, we like cherokee, they have a little tour to a village and everything is just like it was back then, they also have a museum, and shows on some of the shops.

 

[Sleepy]

If you have never been to Cherokee, please don't be shocked by what you see there. I was expecting more Native American stuff.....museums, etc. Instead, the majority of the place is like beachfront strip without the beach. Shop after shop with the same stuff you find in a beach shop. Very little to do with Native Americans. If you are looking for a book containing 101 Redneck jokes, you will find it here. Hillbilly back scratcher? Yep, there too. There is a shop with all handmade Native American items, but you will get sticker shock. Stay away from the Big Boys restaurant. I have never seen such a disgusting place in my whole life! We walked out befoe even sitting down. There is a really good buffet steakhouse style restaurant at one of the major intersections as you go into town. Absolutely the best food I have had at a buffet. We wish we had found it sooner. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the place, but looked like a converted Sizzler type steak house. Enjoy the Indian village. Very informative. We were there last summer.

Overall, I was disappointed, but I guess I can understand you have to sell what you can to make a buck. We never went near the casino. I can go to Vegas for that.

 

[WDWAurora]

The Indian village doesn't open until May 20th, FYI. I called because we wanted to go over a weekend, but not yet apparently.

 

[foxfire]

If you can, go when the outdoor drama Unto These Hills is playing, I would definitely recommend seeing that. It's the story of the removal of the Cherokees from that area to Arizona on what has become known as The Trail of Tears. This is performed in an amphitheater so you may need a jacket as it can get quite chilly when the sun sets.

It's been quite a while since we visited Santa Land but I wasn't impressed; however, things there may have been upgraded and changed for the better. It certainly needed it! Maybe someone who has visited recently can comment on how things are now.

 

[tar heel]

The Indian village recreation, the museum and Unto These Hills are all good and educational. I would visit them if I were in the area, but wouldn't travel hours to do it. The shops on the main drag are unbelievably tacky -- you go there to buy a "made in China" Indian drum or spear. You can also have your photo made, as I did when was 5, with a Cherokee in full regalia with a headdress that comes almost to the ground and stands by a teepee -- the Cherokee is real, but Cherokees never wore costumes that even remotely looked like that and they didn't do teepees either.

I hate to take away the NC tourism dollar, but I suspect you can study Native Americans just as well without traveling as far as Cherokee. The reservation isn't some place where you go through a gate, then leave through another one. Except for the little town with the above and the casino, it's a just a poor mountain area that happens to have been granted to the Cherokees in exchange for the government taking their land.

I have a big family like you, and I would think of Santa Land as a place where we would spend a lot of $ for not much in return. It doesn't look like a lot from the road, and there's no way I would stop and check it out.

 

[disneyfan551]

to my neck of the woods! As another poster said, don't go expecting alot from Cherokee. There are a few true native places, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and you'll definitely want to see the Outdoor Drama. This is a fabulous area for outdoor activities, here are a few I highly recommend...whitewater rafting in the Nantahala Gorge (Olympians train here!), tubing in the Great Smoky Mtns. National Park in Bryson City, a ride on the Great Smoky Mtns. Railway (Bryson City to Nantahala Gorge ride is the best..), gem mining in Franklin, a day trip to the Biltmore House in Asheville, and a day trip to Cades Cove (in the park). There are alot of things to do here! Hope you have a great trip!

Oh, and Santa's Land...not worth the money at all. It's more worth it to head into Pigeon Forge, TN for 1 day to visit DollyWood. And, if you're staying in the Bryson City/Cherokee area, it's a GORGEOUS drive over the mountain, through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! I would not recommend staying in PF, unless you really want "the strip" without the beach! They do have a few decent outlets though!