new echota

I went to New Echota in November for a special event that they had, and I really enjoyed it. They have an office up front that has a really interesting museum, as well as a small theater room where they show a short film about the grounds and its part in Cherokee history. The grounds are part of the trail of tears and are very beautiful. They have several replicas of buildings that once stood and they are all highly maintained. Its a great place to learn about history, or even just take a walk. Definitely give it a try if you are ever in the area!

Located off of I75 in northwest Georgia, this site was the capital of the Cherokee Nation and one of the begining points of the Trail Of Tears. There are several buildings that you can tour and this is an excellent walking area for you and your pet. The site covers a large area and you can spend quality time there. You will see the print shop where the orginal Cherokee newpaper was printed and learn much about the Cherokee and their way of life. Take the time to explore and enjoy what New Echota has to offer. You will be glad you did!

New Echota State Park is a hidden gem located off I75 in northwest Georgia. This was the site of the Cherokee national capital and the spot where leaders of the Cherokee nation signed the treaty that lead to the infamous Trail of Tears. There are several buildings that have been recreated including a middle class log home, the town hall, print shop, and the Cherokee Supreme Court building. The grounds include a couple of short walking trails and the scenery is gorgeous. There is a small, but nicely done, museum and a great 15 minute film. We happened to visit on the 3rd weekend of the month which is when there are docents present. The docents working the print shop alone make this a worthwhile visit.

Being from the area I have been to New Echota many many times. Each time I learn something new and have a great experience. The welcome center has a short video and a small museum area. After that you can walk the grounds and go in several period correct buildings (or look through the windows in they have displays set up, like the print shop does) and there are also signs with information about the area, time period, and historic building uses scattered about. Its a really fun and educational way to spend the afternoon. Most of the site is outdoors so make sure to wear climate appropriate clothing and bring a water bottle in the summer.

I am a travel writer who covers National Parks (npplan.com) and I visited the New Echoto Cherokee Capital State Historic Site, an official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, in December, 2013. The park is part of the Georgia State Park System. Of all the Trail of Tears sites I have visited, New Echota does the best at explaining the origins and progression of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and its effect on the Cherokee. The politics of the entire situation happened at New Echota, for at the time, this was the capital of the Cherokee Nation. The story is interesting, and between the park film and the museum, all of the pieces of the puzzle come together. A visit to New Echota tells the story of how the Cherokee went from being accepted trading partners, many with lifestyles nearly identical to the white settlers, to being booted out of their own land by force. Let it be known that the Indian Removal Act entailed the removal of Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and other Indians, but the story of New Echota and the Trail of Tears is the story of the Cherokee.Start your visit to New Echota at the park’s Visitor Center where a park Ranger can orient you to the park features and answer any questions you might have. You can also watch a 20-minute film in the theater. This film does an excellent job of setting the stage and explaining the politics surrounding the eventual Trail of Tears.Afterward, you can visit the small museum. It divides the Cherokee’s story into stages—how the Cherokee had adapted to the white ways, how Georgia took over and started the land lottery that gave lucky winners Cherokee land, how the Cherokee were forced from their land, and a display on the Trail of Tears. There are a few artifacts on display, but majority of the museum is comprised of information panels that tell the Cherokee story. You can go through the museum and read all of the information in 30 minutes.Once done at the Visitor Center, step outside and tour the recreated New Echota Village. Your tour will be self-guided, but the park provides an information brochure that explains the functions of the many buildings you will see as you walk around the village. Only the Samuel Worcester house is original to the property, but many original structures of the time have been transported from other areas to the grounds of New Echota. A few have been reconstructed from historical records. Most of the buildings are open to the public, and those that are not do have windows or doors that you can look into and see the interior displays. None of the interiors are original to the site or the buildings, but all are antiques from the early 1800s and represent how the interiors of their respective buildings would have looked at the time. A 1-mile trail takes visitors through the property and tour takes about 1 hour.For complete information and plenty of photos about this and other Trail of Tears sites, please visit National Park Planner.

I absolutely loved this! I enjoyed the whole experience & the staff was so nice. If you love history, this is a must see.

I learned a lot, mostly things that I should have learned in my Georgia history class, but I'm glad the state of Georgia is imparting the knowledge somewhere. the best part of the visit was the print shop where Bill (who was incredibly knowledgeable) gave us a great demonstration and summary of the creation and destruction of printing at New Echota. and don't miss the cemetery. it's not part of the walkable grounds, but a short drive (approximately 4 seconds) away.

I was a little disappointed with this site. It was good to be able to visit one of the reconstructed capitals of the Cherokee people but it was a ghost town inside and out. There is a short film and small museum. The grounds are expansive with numerous buildings but I did not get a real sense of the city. I asked one of the staff to clear up something I read in the museum and they had no idea that anything like that was in the museum. They seemed new but if you are on staff at a historic site you should at least know what is in your own museum.

Beautifully kept grounds. The staff was small but very friendly. A great little slice of history. The buildings are well kept, there were volunteers on hand to give local history information.

If you are headed north to the Great Smokey Mountain area, then you need to stop off in calhoun and visit New Echota. This was the captitol of the Cherokee nation before the trail of tears. It is a beautiful place and full of Cherokee history and charm.

My son and I went early on a summer day. It was such a nice morning walk on the grounds. The movie and museum gave us an amazing look into the Cherokee efforts to coexist with the white man.

This is yet another piece to my quest to visit all of the Georgia State Parks. I never knew much about the Cherokee Indians, and was amazed to learn that they actually adopted the European style of life, with modern homes and villages of the day. These were much simpler times, and was taken in by the tavern building on the self guided tour. Perfect size for a single gent to retire in, maybe I'll build a similar one someday. I'll have to go back, this particular day was bitterly cold and I did the tour very quickly, and passed up on the nature trail.

In spite of the lack of funding which prevents the site from being open more and having more guides, New Echota is a beautiful place to visit. A nice small museum, a first rate short film and seven buildings spread across several acres. The last Eastern Capitol of the Cherokee Nation , New Echota was a thriving community until the removal and a recognized departure point on the Trail of Tears iA nature trail, a farmstead, a rescued tavern, the reconstructed Supreme Courthouse, Council House and print shop for the Cherokee Phoenix are among the points of interest. Great place to get the kids out of the car and let them run off a little steam.

After watching the well done video in the Visitor Center theatre, and viewing the artifacts and information in the small exhibit hall, you can tour the grounds of the once "capital" city of the Cherokees. Here you'll find the Cherokee Supreme Court, Council House and site of a printing press that turned out the Phoenix newspaper printed in Cherokee and English. Most of the buildings are reconstructions, but done with the help of original plans and archaeological evidence that brings them back into life. A ranger or well informed volunteer tour guide would have been a big help. I had to keep checking my memory of facts picked up from the film and exhibit hall to recognize the significance of what I was seeing. Visiting the Chief Vann House 15 miles to the north prior to New Echota helped me establish the context of the town and its significance. It was remarkable to be able to stand in the area where the treaty that brought on the Trail of Tears was signed by a small sub-group of Cherokee leaders who felt that moving west was the best of any bad deal they might get from the government. While Elias Boudinot's house is not standing, the four corners of its foundations are marked and a sign acknowledges this was the location of the signing. All of these leaders were later assassinated in Indian Territory once the forced migration of the Cherokee was completed some years later. Boudinot's brother will later become a Confederate general during the Civil War. The informative exhibits make no excuses for the behavior of Georgia politicians and national politicians in treating the Cherokee so badly. It is pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court backed the right of the Cherokee to keep their land, but that Andrew Jackson replied, "They have made their decision, now who is going to enforce it?" Little wonder that more traditional Cherokees today will not handle $20 bills that bear Jackson's picture. Be sure to walk all the way to the back of the town to see the Worcester home, the only original structure still extant. The missionary living here was arrested for being on Cherokee land without a Georgia government permit and imprisoned. This is a significant historical point and its within a few minutes of I-75. Well worth a quick visit.

Our extended family visited the New Echota site to learn more about the Cherokee Indians and we were not overwhelmed with information. They have restored many of the buildings but aside from some plaques and printed information, the site lacks live presenters to bring the dry facts to life. We were on our own for touring the site, which only took an hour or so and other than seeing what was behind the road sign, we left with more questions than answers. Apparently the state doesn't have the funding available to do the site real justice.