thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian takes visitors all the way back to the beginnings of human existence here in these glorious, storied mountains of western North Carolina. The museum provides an educational and interactive experience where concise, chronological stories retrace the 11,000 year documented history of the Cherokees.

In fact, virtual Cherokee storytellers welcome you and serve as your guides to this interactive museum experience, offering a friendly link between the Cherokee saga and your own growing interest in the fascinating details. You begin by hearing ancient Cherokee myths in the Story Lodge, including the story of the Cherokees’ Adam and Eve, Kanati and Selu, who lived very near where you stand as you take in the tale. You hear how the water beetle, Dayaunishi, brought up mud from under water to form the earth, and how the great buzzard shaped the Great Smoky Mountains with his wings.

In the Paleo and Archaic periods, you learn how the ancestors of today’s Cherokees prevailed against a climate much harsher than ours and game animals that outweighed their spear-throwing hunters by 80 to one. You see ancient yet purposeful 'atlatls,' the devices that gave these spear-throwers the leverage and speed to vault to the top of the food chain.

Through the Archaic and Woodland periods, you can see the growth of sophistication. As the people developed agriculture, cultivating plants such as marsh elder, lambs quarter, sunflowers, and squash and gourds, they gained leisure that they used in part to make the objects of daily life more decorative and elegant. You meet an impressive chieftain, hear about the origins of Cherokee medicine, and learn about the sacred festivals some still observe today. Want a test of skill? Try your hand at the centuries-old butter bean game.

The story becomes poignant when European explorers and settlers first trickle and then pour into North America. You will meet some of the best-known Cherokees, and learn of their heroic efforts to preserve their beloved tribe, land and way of life.

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is a museum with a difference. Several, actually. For one thing, it’s not a museum where a ‘we’ group talks about a ‘them’ group. This is a Museum in which the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians present themselves and their history according to their own firsthand point of view. For another, it’s a museum where some of the most modern technology, computer-generated imagery, and special effects are used to present some of the oldest technologies in existence, as embodied by the most extensive collection of Cherokee artifacts anywhere.

"The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is revolutionary in its ability to tell stories, and should be a model to other museums that are struggling to engage their audience with their message."
-Van Romans, Walt Disney Imagineering, Glendale, California

OPEN: 7 days/week year round. 
Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Group Rates Available

SUMMER HOURS (June-August): 9 a.m.- 7 p.m. Mon-Sat., 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.Sun.

WINTER HOURS (Sept.-May): 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sun.

ADMISSION: Adults 14+, $9; children 6-13, $6; 5 and under free.

AAA “Show Your Card & Save” Discount. Show your AAA card and receive 10% off admission at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

LOCATION: Intersection of Tsali Blvd. and Drama Rd.
828.497.3481