Here are historic sites and interpretive facilities on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in North Carolina for you to visit:

Cherokee County Historical Museum, Murphy

Location: The Cherokee County Historical Museum is located in the two-story, stone Carnegie Library Building, 87 Peachtree Street, in Murphy.

Phone: (828) 837-6792

Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Exhibits: The museum’s first floor features several Trail of Tears exhibits.

Available Facilities: The museum has a small sales area and restrooms. It is operated by Cherokee County Historical Museum, Inc.

To learn more www.cherokeecounty-nc.gov/departments/museum/

Junaluska Memorial and Museum, Robbinsville

Location: 1 Junaluska Drive in Robbinsville.

Telephone: (828) 479-4727

Hours: The museum is open (April-October) Monday through Saturday, 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; November to March, closed Saturday. The Junaluska Memorial Site is open for exploration anytime.

Historical Significance: The memorial and museum is located at the burial site of Cherokee warrior Junaluska, who in 1838 was forcibly moved from his home to Fort Montgomery (a short-lived camp in Robbinsville) and then on to Fort Butler (Murphy, North Carolina), Fort Cass (Calhoun, Tennessee), and over the Northern Route to Indian Territory. He later returned to North Carolina and died near this site in 1858.

Available Facilities: surrounding Junaluska’s grave is a seven-sided monument with seven granite markers upon it. There is a marker for each of the seven Cherokee clans. Each marker tells about Junaluska's life and achievements.

Exhibits: The museum contains arrowheads, spearpoints and other Cheoah Valley artifacs along with information about this valley, its people, and its place in American history as it relates to the Trail of Tears.

To learn more: www.junaluska.com and www.cherokeeheritagetrails.org/robbinsville_places.html#museum

Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Cherokee

Location: The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is at the intersection of Tsali Blvd. (U.S. Highway 441) and Drama Road in Cherokee.

Phone: (828) 497-3481

Hours: The museum is open year-round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; during the summertime, closing time is extended to 7 p.m. every day except Sunday.

Available Facilities: The museum facility includes a gift shop, archives, and library. It meets wheelchair accessibility standards. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians operates the museum.

Exhibits: New museum exhibits combine technology (lighting and audio, holograms, computer-generated images) and a display of artifacts. The Trail of Tears is one of the museum’s major interpretive themes.

To learn more: www.cherokeemuseum.org