Cherokee, NC

Cherokee is the capital of the Qualla Boundary — the 57,000-acre sovereign land base of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians — and the North Carolina–side gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Where Gatlinburg is Parkway neon, Cherokee is culture, craft, and a different pace. The Oconaluftee River runs the length of town, the Museum of the Cherokee People anchors the cultural center, and Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort sits just outside the historic downtown with a 1,100-room tower and full concert and convention program.

For visitors, Cherokee offers a rare combination: living indigenous culture (the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual is the oldest Native American cooperative in the country, dating to 1946), deep natural beauty (the Oconaluftee Visitor Center — park entrance — sits just two miles north, and Mingo Falls, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Elk Viewing at Oconaluftee all fall within 10 minutes), and an established dining + lodging scene from the casino down.

The outdoor drama is real. Elk were reintroduced to this side of the park in 2001 and the herd now numbers 200+; the best viewing is at dusk and dawn in the Oconaluftee Valley and Cataloochee, especially during the September rut. Mingo Falls, a 120-foot plunge just outside town, is one of the tallest easily-reached waterfalls in the southern Appalachians. And the Unto These Hills outdoor drama has retold Cherokee history every summer since 1950.