Sep 30

Sep 30 Family Gathering Near Cherokee, North Carolina

My husband is from northwest Indiana. His parents still live up there, as well as his sister’s family. His brother and family live in Miami. We live in St. Louis, MO. In order for us to all get together, some of us have to driveway a long, long way, or fly. This summer, we decided to try something new and meet in a place that was a 10-12 hour drive for everyone. That place was Cherokee, NC. None of us had been to that area before, and with 10 grandchildren, aged 10 and under, we hoped to find many (tiring) activities that wouldn’t cost a fortune.

We really wanted to find one large rental home that could accommodate all 18 of us together. Someone found the perfect place on VRBO. It had enough beds for everyone, and most bedrooms had its own bathroom too. Despite being three full stories, it had been made handicap accessible with a small elevator that went to all three floors. There was as an accessible master bedroom en suite on the main floor, which included a beautifully tiled zero-entry shower, as well as other thoughtful accommodations. The house is nestled into the mountainside though, so there is not much by way of a yard. There were two large decks that provided ample space for play, rocking in a chair, enjoying a coffee and a chat, and a nice Jacuzzi (though we didn’t make use of that). The house was clearly designed and furnished for a large family with lots of children, so it met our needs perfectly.

Since this was a big family trip, we agreed that each family unit would take a turn providing meals for one day. The house had a spacious, well-equipped kitchen, so this worked great.On my meal day, I made easy biscuits and gravy for breakfast, deli sandwiches for a picnic lunch, and spaghetti for dinner. It was a simple way to feed a large group and lots of kids. Then I had a nice break where I didn’t have to think about cooking for the rest of the trip. However, one early morning, we stopped at a donut shop for breakfast. They had an unusual concept where they would make the same kind of donut dough, cut it into donut “holes”, then top each one with different ingredients. It was super fun to try the different flavors. We also decided to go out to eat in the nearest town on the last night.

With so many energetic young kids, most of our time was spent hiking around the area. On the first day, we adjusted to the summer heat in the Oconnaluftee River, at Oconnaluftee Islands Park. Basically all the adults nestled in a camp chair, favorite drink in hand, while the kids splashed around in the water. The river was shallow and the current was slow enough that even the youngest toddler could play safely. I could have done that every day for the rest of the trip. A quick stop for ice cream on the way home really topped off the first day.

The next morning we got a rather slow start, but we did an easy hike to the falls, where again, the kids splashed around in the water, while the adults enjoyed the view and the company. There was great raft floating on this river, and I would love to do that in the future, once our kids are a little older. After a picnic lunch and piñata, we entered into the Smoky Mountain National Park itself to ascend Clingmans Dome, which is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. Beautiful views, as one would expect.

My husband learned that if we got up at dawn, we could see elk grazing nearby, so we all woke very early and made the trek in the car. We were not disappointed! Clearly the elk were very accustomed to humans driving slowly past them taking pictures… they paid us no mind.

Afterwards, we visited an interesting homestead museum called the Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill. It is a collection of historic homestead structures from around the Smoky Mountains, beautifully situated along a quiet stream, with green meadows and a view of the mountains in the distance. Quite idyllic. It was perfect for the school-aged kids because they could read the informational signs posted at each structure at their own pace, or more generally run amok to expend their excess energy. Fortunately, we were there before there was anyone else we could bother. Unfortunately, the indoor part of the center was not yet opened. I wished we could have gone in though.

On the last day of our trip, we decided to go into town and visit the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Though fairly small, the museum covered the history of the native peoples of the area, namely the Cherokee tribe, from prehistoric times onward. There were artifacts from each era and archeological information to paint a broad brushstroke picture of what life would have been like for them. Once the exhibit moved into the more recent eras of European discovering and settling into the area, there was, naturally, more information available as life was recorded in the written word. The museum chose to tell the story from 4 distinct perspectives, which represented how fractions of the Cherokees responded to the Europeans coming in. But, of course, it all ended in tragedy for the Cherokee people, with the Trail of Tears. My son, who was 3 years old on the trip, didn’t really understand much, but I think his school-aged cousins got a lot out of the whole experience.

After the museum we stopped at a touristy gem-mining place. We ordered on bucket for all of us and enjoyed cleaning off the mud in the water trough. It was fun to learn a little about gemstones that can be found in the area, and to “mine” a handful as a souvenir.

Since I had just had our second son, five short weeks prior to our trip-, I desperately wanted the trip to be easy for me and the other adults. So I put together backpacks of goodies, one for each child. I bought a bulk set of backpacks on Amazon that are all different colors, and a bulk set of small water bottles. A friend helped me add each child’s name in vinyl with her Cricut machine. I also included a child-sized pair of binoculars, a bottle of bubbles, a little notebook and pen, and a mixed bag of snacks in each backpack. The kids were so excited to open the packs and to have their own adventure gear. Additionally, I packed some extra activities to help fill in any down time.We picked out a massive shark piñata and filled it with candy before we left home. I also packed extra bubbles, a big box of colored sidewalk chalk, a tug-of-war rope and more kid snacks. I loved being able to gift the backpacks and activities to my nieces and nephews. I admit it sometimes feels difficult to find something perfect for each of them, so this felt like a big win.

We ended up meeting one of the owners of the rental house during our stay. He told us about how the house was built (impressively, he had done most of the finish carpentry himself!) and the story of how the house came to be. Apparently his parents had several children. As they grew up and started families of their own, everyone eventually was scattered around the eastern side of the country, from Pennsylvania down to Florida. North Carolina was a good middle point. So the house was built as a meeting place for everyone to gather each year. It was clear that the house was a special place, full of family memories and years of cherished time spent together. This was the exact reason we chose the place and we were all so grateful for such a beautiful place to make our own family memories. On the way home, my husband and I reflected that we really want to make an effort yearly to get all the cousins together while the kids are young, and grandma and grandpa are still able. It seems like we will only have a few short years to help our kids cultivate these foundational relationships with each other before they are teenagers committed to summer sports, or young adults off living their own adventures. And hopefully we will be able to take a trip like this again next summer.