Tahlequah Historic Sites & Interpretive Centres

The Cherokee Heritage Center's mission is to promote, preserve and teach the Cherokee culture and to that end, the center features a museum, research facility for genealogy, educational programs, special events and a reconstructed rural village representing Cherokee life in the 1890s. The center is open daily and admission price includes entry to all attractions.

The Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of five Native American tribes in the early 1800s from the country's South to eastern Oklahoma, then officially named Indian Territory. The Cherokee were the last to be removed and of the over 15,000 people involved, 4,000 died, resulting in the name, Trail of Tears. Today, the trail is designated a National Historic Trail to preserve the tragic story and the routes it followed, as well as to support interpretive sites that commemorate the forced migration.

Situated in Park Hill, must a few miles south of Tahlequah, the Murrell Home - also known as Hunter's Home - was built in 1845 and is the only surviving antebellum house in what was then the Cherokee Nation and what is now modern Oklahoma. Operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the house still contains some original pieces. Opening hours vary depending on season.

The historic Thompson House in Tahlequah was built in 1882 and today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is available to tour by prior appointment. The restored house is an example of Queen Anne architecture and is furnished with period pieces.