If you are interested in hitting Harrah’s, the quickest way to Cherokee from Maggie Valley is definitely US 19. But, if you are interested in the cultural side of Cherokee, the Blue Ridge Parkway takes you on a direct route to a wonderful day of exploration.

The Blue Ridge Parkway, Scenic Ride to Cherokee
The Blue Ridge Parkway provides a unique and scenic access to Cherokee from Maggie Valley. Traveling from mile marker 455.7 in Maggie to mile marker 469.1, you will arrive at the southern entrance/exit of the Parkway. With beautiful overlooks along the way, the 30 minute ride to Cherokee is spectacular. As you exit the Parkway, you will arrive at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This stop is worth the ride with a Mountain Farm Museum to explore and a gentle hike along the Oconoluftee River to take.

Museum, Art Galleries, and Live Performances
But, you won’t want to linger too long. Because as you continue along US 441, 2 miles south, you will enter the cultural side of Cherokee.

One of your first stops should be the Native American Craft Shop, as much a gallery of native American art work from around the country as a retail store.

Not far up the road you will encounter the main cultural intersection .

Everyone of these activities is well worth your time.
1. “Unto these Hills: A Retelling” provides a live reenactment of Cherokee history, the second longest running outdoor drama. Summer performances only
2. Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, the oldest and leading Native American Arts Cooperative in the United States, represents a wide variety of artisans. Open year round
3. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian retraces the 11,000 year history of the Cherokee of western North Carolina. Open year round
4. Oconluftee Indian Village recreates the lifestyles of the Cherokee in 1759. May through October