Celebrated the 75th year of this outdoor musical theater event with my first visit. We purchased tickets ahead of time on the website, which was quite easy to navigate. Seats have plenty of space between your knees and the seat back in front of you; if your feet don't quite touch the ground they have footrests you can borrow from the ushers, a nice touch. Parking was easy to navigate and clearly marked. The preshow was jovial and included both music and a closing choreographed piece. This was worth arriving at 7:30 to enjoy. The performance itself was well done, with more dance numbers than I had expected. The occasional cannon and musket blasts kept us alert and the actor/dancers were enthusiastic and fun to watch. The history as presented was consistent with other sources we experienced this trip to Cherokee country. read more

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Head to the Great Smoky Mountains & there you'll find "Unto These Hills". A story of the Cherokee before the Trail of Tears up to present day. The outdoor drama is performed in a 2100 seat amphitheater. This is their 75th Anniversary season that runs from 5/31/25-8/23/25. Unfortunately we got rained out & weren't able to see the show, however we did have the Pre-Show Dinner ($20 each). Note, I recommend buying the $5 Performance Insurance since The Smokies are in a rainforest & rain is always likely...bring a poncho & blanket too. My husband saw the show many years ago & said it was amazing, I'm assuming it still is today. The scenery was gorgeous, very lush & green. There were several attendants directing cars & a greeter instructing where to get tickets. Most of the instructions given were quite unclear & confusing. All of us waiting for dinner had no instructions of what to do once we found our tables. Our meal consisted of Pulled Chicken BBQ, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Hushpuppies, a drink & a Cookie for dessert. The dinner was not good & it was not homemade. The meal was very bland & lacked flavor. With that said, next time I'm in the beautiful Smokies I will go to see the show & hope I don't get rained out! read more

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Fabulous show... captivating history of the beautiful Cherokees. The performers were all terrific and there was a pre-show music ensemble that was just perfect. Go! read more

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The production was great. I was told when I bought the tickets that a golf cart would take me to the front of the seating so I would only have To climb 2 rows to out seats. I am dependent on a cane, only one foot can be used. This was a huge lie that caused me considerable pain. I had to go down 100 steps and after I had to climb up the same amount when play was over. If walking is difficult do not go, it's expensive and completely not for the handicapped read more

Unto These Hills - The steps to our seats - Performing Arts Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

Unto These Hills takes place in an outside theatre. You have to walk down to your seat. It tells the Cherokee Story beginning with life in the 1780s to the Trail of Tears. They let us get a glimpse into what life would have been for them. Tsali's story is important. Even though I bought a front row seat, I ended up sitting in the last row of general admission. They did exchange my original seat to the top row of the reserved seating but I still wasn't sure about all of the stairs so when I re-entered so I just sat in general admission. They do have golf carts to take you midway point between general admission and reserved seating. I did like my view from my general admission seat but did lose the close ups of the actors. So I will sit closer next time when my injury heals. My seat gave me an overview of everything going on that I would have missed in the front row. The story is raw emotion and gut wrenching. I had no idea about some of it. I learned a lot. read more

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Really enjoyed the show. The outdoor theater is gorgeous. The play is very informative. The production was really good as well. read more

Unto These Hills - Until These Hills - Performing Arts Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

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The presentation was well done and the story was both interesting and informative while being emotional. Plan on spending the afternoon and evening to get the most out of this experience! read more

Excellent performance. Our show was delayed because of lightning in the area, and that safety precaution was appreciated.

I had heard such great reviews from friends and family that saw 'Unto These Hills' in Cherokee NC years ago. This was my first time at the performance. While I wasn't expecting as grand a play the likes of other outdoor performances experienced, I did expect some authenticity from a Native American show in the heart of Cherokee country. There were 3 of us including a friend that is part Cherokee...all of us were greatly disappointed in the May 2024 show. These are the issues lending to a subpar rating: 1. The seats were very uncomfortable metal chairs positioned with a backward slant so your legs would not touch the ground if you're 5'4" or under. We noticed later on they did have stools upon the asking, but we weren't informed of this by anyone prior to the show. 2. For handicap individuals, the steps were atrocious to descend and acsend. The carts used to drive you to your seat traveled a pathway requiring you to take many stairs anyway, depending on the location of your seat. 3. I'm sorry, but if I wanted to see a ballet, I would attended a ballet. The main dancer might have excelled in a local community ballet show, but NOT as part of a Cherokee Stomp, Eagle or any of their many dance numbers...and certainly NOT as the main character as he was pasty white and not representative of the beautiful features of the Cherokee heritage. We wondered if he might have been the shows choreographer, too, because whenever a dance number was performed, it seemed to be all about him...which took attention off the production as a whole. There were many other talented performers shining despite the main dancer's almost comedic display of a "Cherokee Ballerina" saving this from a zero rating (had that been an option). 4. Beware: When leaving, we were instructed to go an "easier way", which was the worse way for the elderly or mobility compromised. We had to scale stairs which were awkwardly pitched, ground grossly uneven and steel railings so pitted and rusted, a firm grabhold resulted in palms succumbing to sharp patches of metal shards. My Cherokee friend said the nation is not held to the rigorous safety laws of the state. It's a shame to see such a crumbling of this venue into the history of the Cherokee peoples. SOMEONE needs to take pride of ownership here if expected to weather future influx of tourist interest. I wish I would have seen the show years ago at its excellence instead of walking away knowing what this reenactment could have been...and wasn't. We left at intermission and even that wasn't soon enough. read more

There was traffic in the way to Atlanta on the highway so the GPS gave us an scenic route and we drove past this. Omg we had to stop. I've never been to a real Native American reservation before. It wasn't the most desirable place to go but it was comfy and complete. They had a casino, N A museum, hotels and restaurants. read more

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Paid for production and sat through 3/4 of it until show was stopped and we were told to evacuate and seek shelter elsewhere due to lightning in the area. While I fully understand that some things are outside of our control, mgmt could have at least not charged us the full price for ashow we couldn't finish. Offering to allow patrons back the next day for free to see the conclusion would have been ideal. Consider this for future reference if you care please, so people don't feel ripped off and left hanging regarding your production. At least I know the history, but some people don't. read more

This is an excellent telling of the history of the Cherokee Nation. Very informative and well done. I appreciated the effort and passion put into the presentation. I'm not Cherokee or Native American that I know of, so I can't imagine how offensive it must be to put so much effort into a project and then read a couple of these reviews (one in particular) that suggest some of the performers do not look enough like native americans. It was even suggested that spray tan is in order. I don't know if there is much that can be said to remedy that kind of stereotypical thinking. read more

We bought the VIP package. And was given a tour after the show. The history part of it was very interesting but I expected it to be more authentic, i.e., Native American people laying Native American and roles. Invest in some spray tanning. read more

Unto These Hills - Pale whit dudes playing Native people. - Performing Arts Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

Love the open theater plenty of seats live action drama and history of the Cherokee Nation, it's people and American frontier, true story of the treaties broken promises and other historical facts about the U.S.Goverment, the Trail of tears and the suffering of a original nation tribes target because they were different in culture and race. I love the show it was very educational, there's food and drinks very affordable, great place to visit, hard to find but finally made it to the top of the mountain. Many thanks goes out to Thomas French and his mom for that special invitation and hooking us up with theater tickets, we love it. The admissions is affordable and you do get great deals, check it out see Native American History of Cherokee Nation. read more

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In my 75 years I have never gotten to see this until now. It was well worth the wait. The acting was awesome. The ONLY thing I thought was ridiculous was the guys who wore their COVID masks. That took away from the authenticity of the play. Otherwise, it was awesome. read more

These performers really love what they do and you can truly see that. Becoming part of the passion these people share with the world is definitely worthwhile. The traffic gets hectic and most of the parking is up a steep hill so you'll want to arrive prior to your anticipated time for best selection. I would advise you to carry a seat cushion, lol. Nice event to attend, have done it before & will do it again. read more

Great production; a couple suggestions - very front and center are not the greatest seats because of the speakers - very, very loud and screeching. If anyone in your party has mobility issues it is best to sit midway down the theater or higher because the golf carts only take folks down half-way, and the stairs to the front of the theater are steep. This show is entertaining and historical. Would see it again. read more

I have seen this drama 4 times. Twice in my teens, once in my 30's, and this past Thursday (I'm now 59). The present day version, while still somewhat entertaining, lacks the drama and feeling of the performances of years ago. It seems to me that the drama has been shortened and that a great great deal of the feeling has been lost in the current show. While I cannot completely put my finger on it, something is lacking. I've seen my last performance of Unto These Hills. read more

This was an excellent production in a beautiful location. It is heart wrenching to see how the Cherokee were treated after extending their hands in friendship. I will definitely be back. read more

While I appreciate the effort put in by the cast, there was nothing about this drama that depicted the tragedy faced by the Cherokee nation. The costumes and hair pieces were shabby and cheap. The "mountains" and other stage props were not well made. From what I could tell, only about 1/4 of the cast was Native people, which would be less of an issue with some body makeup and decent hair pieces. The kicker for me was the heavy ballet inspired moves during crucial "authentic" dance scenes. I'm pretty sure the Native Cherokee did not do pirouettes and ballet while dancing. I was hoping for less flouncing and twirling and more heart pounding authenticity. This drama does not pay the respect that the Cherokee Nation deserves. read more

This Drama Is Ok. I liked it pretty well but they didn't bring the Trail of Tears Story out as well as they should have. If you didn't know the story and what is was about, it would be hard for you to figure it out. If you want to go see a drama, go to Horn In The West in Boone NC. Waaaaay Better and more action packed. This is written by the same playwright read more

My husband and I were excited to spend our final evening watching this outdoor drama about the Cherokee Indians. Well, we paid extra for a special backstage access & souvenir bag at the theatre. When we arrived early at the theatre we smelled fresh popcorn being popped. The first disappointing thing was a box of stale popcorn in our souvenir bags. We both thought, wow... how about some fresh popcorn? The backstage access was great, very informative. When the show started we were surprised to see no Native American actors. Although actors play roles, it would be more realistic with Native American actors. The final take away is this drama is a great story about the Cherokee Indians. We both agreed since we paid extra for the souvenir bag, it should have included a voucher for fresh popcorn at the snack bar. This would have been appreciated and have improved our experience. read more

Loved this production! I was in from out of town with my boyfriend and his parents. This was by far our favorite thing we did while in the area. The play was good, the service was great and the concessions were very well priced compared to other productions I had been to. I was a little nervous that the play would be white washed and try to distort the history but the play was very accurate and showed the true history of the Cherokee people. Will definitely be back again! read more

Great show. I loved the dancing and was moved by the story. We had great seats, but get the footstool if you're not tall, or your legs won't reach the ground. They handle the logistics like parking and ticketing extremely well. Overall I felt it was well worth the ticket price, and I intend to return when I have friends or family visiting the area who want to go. read more

Outstanding event teaching history, culture, language....very very nicely done. I take all my visitors to see the show and not one has left disappointed. Highly recommend read more

I am now a resident of the area having lived here 6 months. I had been wanting to do and see the Drama for a while. It was very well done, gave a good representation of the time line of Cherokee history. It moved along well and had enough action to keep the kids interested. (Quite a few kids in the production itself.) The only thing I think would have been nice is if they had a way of bringing concessions closer to the people. I have some physical limitations and after walking and going down all those steps to my seat I was worn out and thirsty. I couldn't make the trip back up those steps to get a drink when they broke for intermission. read more

Very well done, informative and professional. Nice to see the Cherokee nation thriving. Priced right, great for families.

Loved the theatre, production values and performances of this emotional story. Make it a day and visit the Ocanoluftee Indian Village, catch the "Time of War" performance! read more

Our whole family loved this show. It was so informative and kept my kids' attention (5&8) the entire time. My older son Even asked to go buy some books on the trail of tears so he could learn more about it. The fact that it is in an outdoor theatre makes it even more fun. And everyone was very nice. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Went to see the play several years ago & it started pouring rain within five minutes. They stopped & restarted several times. After waiting beneath the stands for 30 minutes the show was cancelled & we were told to send in our tickets to get replacement tickets to another show. I followed the instructions and mailed in my tickets requesting a new date. To date I have never received any replacement tickets. They did not follow through on what they said. I would never recommend anyone spend their money on this play. read more