Ocanaluftee Indian Village, Cherokee, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Overview: A delightfully bare-bones, living museum.  An educational, outdoor, living history experience for all ages.

Location: 218 Drama Road, Cherokee, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Website: http://visitcherokeenc.com/play/attractions/oconaluftee-indian-village/

The Good: Like nearly every family with roots in the southeastern United States, my family claims a heritage among the Cherokee Indians.  In fact, family legend holds that my grandmother's great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess, the daughter of a chief.  With such an ancestry, its no wonder that at a young age my father instilled in me a deep respect for our Native American brothers.

This attraction, the Ocanaluftee Indian Village, can foster such a respect and admiration. The village is a living museum, inhabited by descendants of the original Cherokee Indian tribe, wearing traditional attire and demonstrating traditional arts, from weaving and a beading to canoe carving and blowgun hunting. Guided tours depart every fifteen minutes, allowing you to step back two centuries, enter village buildings and homes, and live for a moment as did a unique people.  History simply can't come alive like this when read only from the printed page.

A brief open-air stage performance takes place throughout the day--the same actors perform in the nearby outdoor stage drama Unto These Hills--another must-see for an unforgettable experience.  Tickets for both attractions can be purchased together for a discount.

Handmade items in the gift shop include finger woven belts and sashes (I want one for a scarf!), jewelry, baskets, and more, but they are pricey.

The Bad: The village is open for tours April through November, so plan your trip accordingly.  This is an outdoor attraction--not good for a rainy day.  In fact, I got drenched during a pop-up thunder shower--but even that didn't spoil the experience.  That you will be traversing dirt trails should be taken into consideration. The trails may be difficult for those with disabilities, and if wet are not wheelchair accessible.

Artisans demonstrate finger weaving, basket weaving,
beading, and other traditional skills.

Useful works of art produced by resident artisans
can be purchased in the gift shop

Actors demonstrate an interchange between a Cherokee
tribe and European settlers. These actors also perform
in another attraction, the stage play Unto These Hills.

Titanic Museum, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA

Overview: A tourist-centric museum that is great for museum lovers, with a few treats for Titanic movie fans.

Location: 2113 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA

There is a photo station where you can have your
picture taken and overlaid on several different backgrounds.
This one is the museum's replica grand staircase.

Official Website: http://www.titanicpigeonforge.com/

The 1997 blockbuster sensation Titanic hit theaters when I was seven years old. Though my mother was surprised to learn that second graders were seeing this movie, she took me with her.  And Titanic thus become one of our beloved mother-daughter movies (no reflection of the mother-daughter characters, of course). So, when the Titanic Museum opened in Pigeon Forge, I couldn't wait to take Mom for a visit.

For $30 US at the time of my visit, you can get a
souvenir folder containing a not-quite-8x10 of the staircase
pose and museums itself, as well as a magnet frame
and wallets of you by the ship's wheel and in a
cabin.  Prints will be waiting for you in the gift shop.
For free, you get a card with a code on it
to share your grand staircase pose on social media or
buy more prints online.

The Good: I must say that I really, thoroughly enjoyed this museum. I'm a museum buff anyways, but the narrative behind the exhibits was thrilling.  Of course, any movie goer knows the story, but the self-guided audio tour takes you from Titanic's construction to her current resting place, with plenty of diversions in between. One of my favorites was a gallery featuring the work of a photographer on board, who departed at Titanic's second port of call and thus avoided the coming disaster. At the outset, much as is done at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, guests are given a pamphlet featuring a real passenger. It is interesting to contemplate "your" passenger throughout the tour. At the end, you can visit a photo wall to find out if your passenger survived (My passenger was first class, and survived. My husband, on the other hand--his was a third class lad and did not. This little experiment is a real testament to the tragedy of over a century ago). The experience is made fun for children through an engaging audio tour that involves the search for a missing pet on board. I was also very pleased with the photography that allowed everyone a chance to have their photo digitally taken on the famous grand stairway.

By the way, did you know that Titanic floored in linoleum?  Or that linoleum at the time was more expensive than marble?  That's something I learned at the Museum.

The Bad: My first bad news is that cameras are not allowed inside the museum.  This is to preserve the artifacts (camera flashes are equivalent to two hours fading in the sun), and likely also to prevent sale of artifact photos.

I have to admit that the attraction might be a little disappointing for fans whose only interest is in the movie itself.  The museum offers little in the way of information on the connection between the movie and the reality of the event.  I was hoping for an exhibit on "Which Characters Were Based on Fact?" but none existed at the time of my visit.

Patches are my favorite souvenirs. This one depicts a mock boarding pass.

The Consolation Prize: Movie fans will recognize many names throughout the tour--Molly Brown and John Jacob Astor, among others. Also, the replica grand staircase will be recognizable to any movie fan, and you can (sort of) get your picture taken there.  At the very least, you might imagine yourself meeting a certain someone at the clock as you traverse these stairs.  And finally, the next time you watch the movie, your appreciation for Jack and Rose's struggle will be made more real after you have plunged your hand into the freezing water in the iceberg exhibit and walked the tilting deck in the hands-on hall.