Weekend Getaways for Atlanta Residents in North Carolina and Tennessee

If you are in the Atlanta area, there are places to get away for a long weekend.

1. About three and a half hours north of Atlanta is Cherokee, North Carolina. The main city on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The Cherokee have always been a friendly tribe. They were one of the first Indian tribes to have their own written language. One of the first things to have planned is a tour of an authentic Cherokee village. Here you can see how the Cherokee lived in the 1800 hundreds and before. The tour shows everything from the housing to the skills needed to survive in the past for the Cherokee Indians. Even though the Cherokee Indians were peaceful the government wanted their land so the Cherokee were relocated to Oklahoma. This relocation was a force march and almost half of the died or was killed on this long hard trip. The forced march was know as The Trail of Tears.

The ancestors of the Cherokee Indians living on the Reservation today didn't like the poor land that they were given and slipped off the Oklahoma Reservation and returned to what they considered their land in north Georgia and southern North Carolina. These became known as the East Cherokee and the ones that stayed in Oklahoma were the Western Cherokee. When you get to Cherokee make sure to buy tickets for Unto These Hills. This is a play the Indians perform that depicts the Trail of Tears and the hardships that the Cherokee Indians lived with everyday. Threw all the hardships they knew the Tribe remained peaceful.

Once you have soaked in the true story of the Cherokee Indians there is still a lot left to do. If you enjoy gambling there is the Harrah Casino. Play the games but be sure you don't miss the restaurant in the casino It is one of the finest buffets anywhere, featuring a one hundred foot buffet line. You won't be disappointed with the food. There are several miniature golf courses for the family as well as an eighteen hole course for the true golfer. There are several streams for Trout fishing. These streams are stocked weekly so let the kids catch some fish. You can buy a fishing permit at almost every store. Also there is horse back ridding and rafting. Be sure to visit the souvenir shops. But remember that this an Indian Reservation so there is no alcoholic beverages sold.

From Atlanta take I-75N to I-575N to Highway 60 to Highway 74E. This highway will take you Thur a beautiful Gorge with the river running along beside the highway. Rafting is offered at several sites along the river. Highway 74-19 to Cherokee, N.C. and a fun filled weekend.

2. From Cherokee, North Carolina, take Highway 441N and cross the mountain to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This is about a hour drive and the road is steep in places so use your normal caution. It a Federal Highway so it is a good road just watch the overheating engine going up and the hot brakes going down the mountain. Once in Gatlinburg you will fine many fine restaurants, entrainment for the whole family and many antique shops. You can ride the ski lift to Ober Gatlinburg for skiing in the winter or sightseeing in the summer. Gatlinburg is a tourist town so watch the prices and you can have a fun filed weekend without going broke.

While in Gatlinburg be sure to save at least half a day for Cades Cove. About thirty minutes out of town is a wildlife wonderland. Just follow the signs and you can view Deer and Black Bear in the wild. There is a one way road that circles inside the cove. One important thing to remember these are wild animals and are roaming free, so don't try to approach the animals. Just view and enjoy and don't harass the animals because you could get attacked by a wild animal.