Recreation on the Reservation

Travel America, Nov, 2000 by Darlene P. Copp

Life on the reservation just isn't the same anymore. An evergrowing number of the more than 550 federally-recognized American Indian tribes have transformed their natural resources into successful tourist attractions. Whether you prefer peaceful trout streams or heart-stopping game tables, rustic camp sites or luxurious spas, golf greens or "green" tours of primitive places, there's a tribal enterprise to fulfill your vacation dreams, as the following samples clearly illustrate:

CASINO CRAZE. Games of chance draw tourists to dozens of reservations from Minnesota to Mississippi. Thriving casinos spawn hotels, RV parks, golf courses, and live entertainment venues. In northern Michigan, for instance, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians operates a casino resort on each side of Grand Traverse Bay (800-922-2WIN). The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa operates Fortune Bay Resort/Casino (800-555-1714) on Lake Vermilion, near Ely, Minnesota.

In central Mississippi, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has seen its fortunes soar with the Silver Star Resort & Casino (800-557-0711). Along with gaming, Silver Star features the championship Dancing Rabbit Golf Club and bigname entertainers. In Louisiana, Grand Casino Avoyelles (800-946-1946), owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Indians, and the Coushatta Tribe's Grand Casino Coushatta (800-584-7263) both have added family fun centers, concerts, and sports events to their resorts. Tamahka Trails Golf Club opened at Grand Casino Avoyelles this year.

The Tesque Pueblo Tribe of Santa Fe, New Mexico, owns and operates Camel Rock Casino (800-GO-CAMEL) and the Tesque Flea Market. Camel Rock Suites (877-989-3600) is a hotel with complimentary breakfast and a kitchen area in each suite. Acoma Pueblo, 60 miles west of Albuquerque, operates Sky City Casino (888-SKY-CITY). Isleta, Santa Ana, and other New Mexico pueblos also offer gaming action.

EAST COAST/WEST COAST. Perhaps you've never heard of the Mashantucket Pequot in Connecticut. Because the British massacred hundreds of Pequots in 1637, history often recorded them as extinct.

In the 1970s, a handful returned to the reservation, determined to restore the tribe's vitality. They hit the jackpot with Foxwoods Casino (800-369-9663), launched in 1992 and progressively expanded into New England's mega-casino with luxury hotels and country inns, health spas, and the hottest names in show business. Not bad for a tribe of 600 that secured federal recognition in 1983.

Next the Mashantucket Pequot conceived the largest and most sophisticated native-owned museum (800-411-9671) in North America, opened in 1998. Memorable encounters with history, science, and nature through sensory-enhanced exhibits such as a simulated glacial crevasse, an 11,000-year-old caribou kill, and a 16th century Pequot village join research libraries dedicated to all Native Americans.

In central Oregon, the Confederated Tribes (Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute Indians) of the Warm Springs Reservation developed Kah-nee-ta Resort (800-554-4786) to blend into their 600,000 acres of stunning high-desert terrain. Starting in 1964 with an RV park and overnight teepees along the Warm Springs River, they added a hillside lodge in 1972, an impressive museum in 1993, and a casino in 1995.

The resort's double Olympic-size pool and Spa Wanapine, added in 1998, both draw from mineral hot springs. Families can ride horses, mountain bike, kayak, hike, or play miniature golf. Adults enjoy challenging golf or steelhead fishing with an Indian guide. On summer weekends, native entertainers enliven fire-roasted salmon feasts.

SOUTHEASTERN SAVVY. To escape their removal to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in 1838, some 1,000 Cherokee hid in the mountains. Their 20th century descendants have long drawn tourists to their North Carolina reservation, which abuts Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

For Cherokee history, take a guided tour of Oconaluftee Indian Village, replicating their 18th century lifestyle. Attend the 50-year-old outdoor drama "Unto These Hills." See the multi-million-dollar renovations at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and buy premium handiwork at Qualla Arts & Crafts. Outdoor lovers choose tubing, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, or trout fishing in streams regularly stocked by Cherokee Fish & Game Management. Fun parks and petting zoos cater to youngsters, while Harrah's Cherokee Casino lures adults year-round. Everything is spelled out in a compact Visitor's Guide (800-438-1601).

The 3,000-member Seminole Tribe of Florida, renowned for their legendary alligator wrestlers, has also plied the tourist trade for decades. Big Cypress, the largest of six reservations, offers Billie Swamp Safari eco-tours (800-949-6101) through remote wetlands on airboats or swamp buggies and invites visitors to sleep in thatched "chickees." More in-depth cultural exposure prompted the opening of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum (863-902-1113) in 1997 with an orientation film, exhibit hall, and a re-created village. Travelers' basic needs are met at the Swamp Water Cafe and a multi-use campground.