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Cherokee, North Carolina: Mac's Indian Village Cabins

One of the oldest motels in town. Formerly with fake teepee fronts at the entrance to each rustic cabin, but these have dwindled to a handful. The motel was featured in the 1998 Kevin Bacon film, "Digging to China."

Address:
160 Teepee Drive, Cherokee, NC
Directions:
A mile or so south of town. There is a traffic light at the intersection of US-441 and Business 441 outside of downtown Cherokee. A plaza with a Food Lion and a McDonalds is on your right. If you are coming from the south, Teepee Drive is on your left just before the traffic light. Mac's Indian Village is about 100 yards past the Qualla Motel, on the right, nestled in the trees.
Phone:
828-497-5161
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Visitor Tips and News About Mac's Indian Village Cabins

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Teepee-cabins in Mac's Indian Village.

Mac's Indian Village

Mac's Indian Village is open for business again. As a little girl, I remembered seeing these wonderful teepee motel rooms and I always wanted to stay in one. They are owned by the Qualla Motel, which is right down the street. You enter through the teepee door and then into your cabin, which has a porch on the other side that faces a river so you can fish right off the deck. If you want to make reservations, then contact the Qualla Motel.

[Lisa, 01/20/2012]

Teepee rooms at Mac's.

Mac's Indian Village

I saw Mac's Indian Village on this site and decided to visit it while on vacation in Cherokee. I read that it was being renovated but I don't think this is the case.

Near the teepees there was a run-down cabin with an RC Cola vending machine, which I assume was where people used to make reservations (no pun intended). The teepees had moss growing all over them and were hidden by the trees. There was a rusted, swing-less swing-set facing the road. A few of the teepees had plastic over the windows, which could indicate renovation but by the looks of the place overall I'd say they decided it was a lost cause. There was a port-a-potty under the picnic shelter and a little bulldozer parked outside. Behind the main cabin there were bright orange cabins.

It's down the same road as the Qualla Motel (still in business), which has an old '50's style neon sign with an arrow pointing down the road.

[Adventure Dawn, 07/31/2010]
Mac's Indian Village

An absolute time travel experience. Mac's Indian Village is very easy to find in Cherokee, and it is a kitsch overload!

My room fell into the latter category, and although rustic it was very clean and had been kept up well. It cost me 50 dollars for a night, which I considered a bargain.

I loved staying at this place. It might have been the highlight of my vacation.

[Billy Sugarfix, 08/09/2008]
Mac's Indian Village

Great news! I recently drove down to Cherokee and discovered Mac's Indian Village is open for business once again. I spoke with the new owner and was told they opened up only two months ago. Not all of the cabins are ready for guests yet, but more than half of them are. He said you can come stay a week for only about $160.00!

[Martha Stephens, 09/13/2007]

April 2008: Mark and Sandra Fortner, the new owners, wrote that they've renovated Teepees 1-6 with paint, new floors, blinds, ceiling fans, and TVs.

Teepee attached to cabin.

Mac's Indian Village

An old-fashioned teepee roadhouse/cabin arrangement with painted sheet-metal teepee fronts on a series of rustic cabins -- no telephones, curious cylindrical floor-to-ceiling gas heaters, and intermittently working neon lights outlining said teepee fronts. I stayed there some years ago -- a swell experience. We used to go past it when I worked as an actor in UNTO THESE HILLS -- painted red with thespian shame. It was one of the first motels on the reservation, I'm told -- if not the first.

[Bruce Evers, 01/27/2003]

October 2005: Tipster Martha Stephens reports Mac's Indian Village "closed down in August due to a sickness in the family. The owners are planning on selling it sometime within the next few months."


Nearby Offbeat Places

Cherokee: Tourists and IndiansCherokee: Tourists and Indians, Cherokee, NC - < 1 mi.
Cherokee Bear ZooCherokee Bear Zoo, Cherokee, NC - < 1 mi.
Museum of the Cherokee PeopleMuseum of the Cherokee People, Cherokee, NC - 2 mi.
In the region:
St. Jude Tiny Church, Trust, NC - 32 mi.

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