South of downtown, the Cherokee Heritage Center is the best place in the region to understand the history and culture of the Cherokee people. The complex includes a museum with exhibits on pre-removal Cherokee civilization, the Trail of Tears, and the rebuilding of the nation in Indian Territory. A reconstructed 17th-century village shows traditional construction and daily life, and Adams Corner — a recreated 19th-century rural Cherokee village — demonstrates what life was like in the decades after the forced removal.
In summer the center hosts an outdoor drama, "The Trail of Tears," performed in an open-air amphitheatre. It is earnest rather than spectacular, but the subject matter earns it attention. Open Monday to Saturday; the drive down Willis Road from downtown takes about ten minutes. Allow at least half a day.