The entire built-up area of Cherokee is tourist stores, almost all of which sell Indian-themed merchandise. There is a grocery store on the outskirts of town. If you stop at one of these tourist stores, you've pretty much stopped at all of them.
One stand-out is the Talking Leaves Native American Bookstore (http://discovercherokeenc...) Highway 441 & Highway 19 Intersection which has a huge inventory of Native American books which would make any university library proud. They also sell clothing and Native American-made jewelry. Bookstore is owned and operated by a Native American woman.
If you really want to learn about the Cherokee people and other Native Americans, stop here and buy a few books. All you'll get in the tourist shops is cheap trinkets and fudge.
