Mac's Indian Village
Cherokee, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The teepee-shaped cabins at Mac's Indian Village gave travelers through Cherokee an unusual place to spend the night. The property reportedly featured these distinctive accommodations by 1934, with four remaining by 2008. Following a period of closure, new operators reopened the business and began remodeling the cabins, continuing an overnight tradition remembered by returning guests.
Cool Valley Motel (Gone)
Cherokee, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Sweeping script, colorful panels, and a bold arrow gave Cool Valley Motel a distinctive roadside marquee. The sign helped attract vacationers heading through Cherokee toward the Smokies. 03-08
After closing, the motel deteriorated, leaving empty rooms behind the weathered sign. A later fire added to the damage before the abandoned buildings were demolished.
UPDATE: Cool Valley Motel is gone. Earlier photographs preserve its colorful advertisement and a reminder of the independent motor courts that once welcomed travelers along Cherokee's highways. 11-26
El Camino Motel (Closed)
Cherokee, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The sweeping script at El Camino Motel shared the marquee with a prominent “POOL” panel and vacancy lettering below. Together, they advertised the essentials of a roadside overnight stop: a room available now and something to enjoy after unloading the car. Even with faded paint and aging tubing, the sign retained plenty of character. 03-08
The motel served visitors exploring Cherokee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with rooms arranged around convenient parking. Its swimming pool supplied another attraction during the summer travel season. Giving that amenity its own panel ensured motorists could spot it without slowing down to read a longer advertisement.
After the business closed, the empty rooms and drained pool presented a quieter scene. The marquee remained the property's most recognizable feature, preserving the name and amenities of a motel no longer accepting guests. Unlike neighboring properties cleared for redevelopment, the El Camino retained both its buildings and the advertisement that once brought travelers into the driveway.
El Camino Motel (Closed)
Cherokee, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
UPDATE: El Camino Motel remains closed and vacant, while its vintage sign survives beside the road. The property still preserves the outline of an independent motor court, although the pool and rooms no longer serve vacationers. Its script lettering and conspicuous “POOL” panel remain distinctive reminders of Cherokee's earlier roadside lodging landscape. 11-26
Chief Motel (Gone)
Cherokee, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The profile on the Chief Motel marquee gave this Cherokee property a recognizable identity along U.S. 19. Faded colors and vintage lettering still caught the eye of passing motorists. 03-08
Across from Harrah's Cherokee Casino, the motel continued operating after its original sign was replaced with a plastic display in 2008. The lodging business eventually closed in late 2018.
UPDATE: Chief Motel has closed, and the property was identified for clearance associated with casino parking. Its original profile marquee is gone, taking another distinctive advertisement from Cherokee's roadside landscape. 11-26
Princess Motel
Cherokee, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The missing office and overgrown pool gave Princess Motel an unmistakably abandoned appearance. Guest rooms remained among mature trees, creating an unusual arrangement that became more noticeable as vegetation spread across the grounds. The roadside sign continued identifying the property even after much of the business had disappeared. 03-08
The Princess belonged to the smaller independent motels serving visitors to Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountains. Its wooded setting distinguished it from more open parking courts, while the swimming pool supplied a familiar vacation amenity. By its final years, those same trees and the neglected pool helped give the empty property its secluded, weathered appearance.
Princess Motel
Cherokee, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
A fire around 2003 marked a major turning point, leaving the motel abandoned for years afterward. The surviving rooms and marquee lingered through the remainder of the decade. For passing motorists, the sign remained the clearest connection between the deteriorating grounds and the overnight business that had once occupied them.
UPDATE: The remaining Princess Motel buildings were bulldozed in 2010, and the roadside sign was sold for scrap metal. Neither the court nor its familiar marquee survives at the cleared property. The loss removed another distinctive lodging advertisement from Cherokee's tourist corridor, leaving earlier photographs to record the wooded setting and pool. 11-26
El Camino Motel (Closed)
El Camino Motel (Closed)
Chief Motel (Gone)
Princess Motel
Princess Motel
