At Oconaluftee, which is a part of the Cherokee reservation in the Great Smoky Mountains, the early primitive life of the Cherokee is dramatically presented in an authentic setting. The Village is a full-size replica of an early 18th century Cherokee community and is populated by the Cherokee in native dress.
Visitors can glimpse rites and customs now all but forgotten.
Strolling along the winding, re-created paths of history, one may see typical log cabins plastered with clay and roofed with bark or broad shingles. Native craftsmen are busy making pottery, weaving baskets, chipping flint, and practicing the intricate arts of finger weaving and beadwork, all without benefit of metals, machine or wheel. Other activities of the Village include corn pounded into meal for making bread, food preparation, weapon making and wood carving. Adjacent to the Village is the Cherokee Botanical Garden and Nature Trail that displays more than 150 species of plants native to the Great Smoky Mountain region. A stream with walkway bridges enhances the beauty of this area.