September 3, 2018. Journey into history.  This morning, after a beautiful 2-mile hike in the mountains, we drove into the town of Cherokee, NC.  It is a town on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, in western North Carolina.  It is a quaint little town, but unfortunately there are too many cheap souvenir shops and touristy places.  However, we discovered the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and it was fantastic.  This museum takes you back to the beginnings of human life in these beautiful mountains. It starts with hearing ancient stories and myths in the Story Lodge, including the story of the mythical First Cherokees who lived here.  As you continue through the museum you follow them through the ages with artifacts, dioramas, more stories, and photos.  It is a very moving, sometimes sad, story. Despite the Cherokees’ peaceful, open-hearted welcome to all visitors, they were still forcibly exiled to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. But it is also their tale of survival and “rebirth” into this area once again.  This museum really brings to life this wonderful collection of Cherokee treasures and history.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.