Unto These Hills, Outdoor Drama

At first it seemed like a bit of a HS production, BUT it got better! The 2nd half was amazing, well done and touching. I love that this beautiful historical production of such amazing people has continued for so long. People can't erase horrible history, you learn from it, you grow. The story needs to continue to be told!! I would love to see more native Americans in it, especially in the Chief roles, like back when I was a kid.... but I understand. The group tried hard and put on a funny, touching , emotional and educational show. Take your children to learn from this. It is a great thing and needs to continue!!!!!

Great presentation of a timeless though sad story of the Cherokee people. Told very well with great performance. Wonderful setting and very helpful staff as well. We had never been there and Google maps got us there easily, the staff got us parked without issue (parking is at the Ocunaluftee village parking lot unless you have disabilities), we were directed to our seats. I do recommend reserving seats, it only costs $10 more. Snacks are avaliable, bathrooms are close by and very nice, drinks are offered including adult beverages. Overall very enjoyable and well done. 👌 Note: you are asked not to take pictures during the show, so I didn't. A few people did and they were not called out but it was very rude especially after dark when their phones were extremely bright. DO TAKE AND APPLY BUG SPRAY. We used some that had a less offending smell than usual and were not bothered. Also you may want a sweater or seat cushion.

Absolutely amazing show that the entire family can enjoy! I showed up early to get reserved seating so that I had a great view but really you could've just bought normal seating and moved up to a closer spot in open seats once nobody occupied them (may not apply during a busy season). The seats were very comfortable and they are stadium seats so you shouldn't have a problem seeing over anybody (stools are also provided). The entire play was great and I have absolutely no complaints. The only reason I did not give this a 5-star was because of the pre-show (begins 30 minutes before the actual show). Unless you are a country music enthusiast you are better off taking your time and skipping the pre-show. It was a live country band performing what I presume to be well-known country songs. Would definitely recommend this show for anyone visiting the area.

This is by far the icing on the cake for a Cherokee visit. If you visit Cherokee and not go to this production, did you really visit Cherokee? The production is just about 2 hrs long. The acoustics are great so you will have no issues hearing the actors. The entire set, cast, costumes, choreography is a site to behold. A review simply cannot give it the justice it deserves. For it to be an outdoor theatre, they do have something going on good with this production.

This is an excellent play that shows a brief history of the Cherokee People. Personally I found it to be both enjoyable and sobering. It comes in two parts with a 15 minute intermission in the middle. A VIP ticket will allow you to join a backstage tour before and after the show, and also will get you a goody bag with a commemorative cup that gets you free refills, at least at the time of this writing. There is apparently also a combo dinner VIP ticket available, but I missed that so can't speak to the dinner. The stadium seating consists of fixed metal contoured chairs common in outdoor venues like this. If you're not used to that bring a cushion to sit on. The seating height was slightly tall in some spots, and I saw some people with footstools. I don't know if they were available on site or if those people were just well informed. I sat on a couple other rows and found the height wasn't consistent so you'll roll the dice on that. There are snack bars midway as well as bathrooms, so you don't have to climb back to the top during the intermission. As for the snacks themselves it seemed to be the standard fare of preparing boxed popcorn, candies, and sodas. There is also a small assortment of souvenirs available. In addition they occasionally also have local craftspeople sell their wares. For accessibility they have golf carts to take people to the top and middle rows. However it is a stadium so the majority of the seating requires navigating stairs. The back stage tour also requires navigating some stairs and a stage of sand. I found the staff to be courteous and helpful, and at least the ones I ran into seemed to genuinely enjoy what they were doing. If you have the time earlier then I think this show would be a great addition to a visit to the Oconaluftee Indian Village also run by the Cherokee Historical Association. So in summary yes, yes I do recommend seeing this show.