The Best Of Native American Tourism - Sell Clients on Culture, Heritage, Shopping & Gaming
Credit: ENIM/M. Finney
The sights, sounds and attractions of Native America, including the Explore Navajo Interactive Museum in Arizona, are a great sell for your clients interested in cultural travel.
By Josephine MatyasThe sights, sounds and events of Native American culture are perfect for the traveller with inquisitive and adventuresome tastes. America is home to hundreds of unique indigenous nations, reservations, pueblos and villages. That’s a gold mine for tourists interested in history, culture and landscape…not to mention shopping and gaming.
Take a look at what’s available in these three travel trends that showcase the best of Native American tourism.
Festivals
People gravitate to festivals as a way to experience new and interesting cultures. The many Native American festivals are filled with performing artists, musicians and talented craftspeople – a visit is sure to entertain and educate visitors about many rich traditions and heritages.
In Georgia, October is a peak month to learn about Native American history and the state’s role within it. The American Indian Festival (Gwinnett County) October 3 and 4 features traditional dancing, flute playing, storytelling and Native American jewelry and pottery. Other October festivals include the Kolomoki Festival (Blakely), the Annual Big Spring Native American Arts & Crafts Festival held at a large limestone spring used by the Cherokee as a site for ceremonial dances and ball games (near Cedartown), the Chicopee Woods Indian Festival (Gainesville), and the Etowah Valley Indian Festival (Cartersville). www.exploregeorgia.org or www.vitwind.com.
The 11th Annual Rappahannock Tribal Powwow (October 10) in Indian Neck, Virginia is a family event celebrating history and heritage – native drumming and dancing, American Indian arts and crafts, and plenty of food. www.rappahannocktribe.org.
The American Indian Heritage Month Social Powwow & Craft Market (November 27-29 in Tucson, Arizona) is a gathering of more than 50 tribes with demonstrations of ceremonial dancing, drumming, native foods, arts and crafts. www.usaindianinfo.org.
The Miccosukee Indian Arts Festival in Florida (December 24, 2009 - January 1, 2010) is full of the colour and pageantry of costumed Native Americans from all over the country. This culturally rich event showcases the artwork and clothing designed by Native American Indian artisans, music and dance performances by Native American dancers and singers, and traditional foods. www.miccosukeeresort.com
Tours & Attractions
In Arizona, the 100-room Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites (opening in October) is the first hotel to be built on Hopi tribal land in 50 years, connecting travellers with the traditional culture of the Hopi people. Visitors can book with authorized tour guides who provide private visits to the Hopi villages including Oraibi, Sipaulovi, and Walpi as well as Dawa Park – a site with more than 10,000 rock art petroglyphs. The Hopi Villages are among the longest continuously inhabited places in North America, dating back to 950 AD. www.experiencehopi.com.
The internationally acclaimed Heard Museum (three locations in the Phoenix area) is one of the best places to experience the varied cultures and art of Native Americans of the Southwest. Exhibitions focus on the importance of family, community, land and language in Native American culture, paintings, sculptures, jewelry, baskets and pottery. The museum also hosts the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest (February 13-14, 2010) and the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market (March 6-7, 2010) with more than 700 top American Indian artists, music and dance performances, artist demonstrations and an array of native and other foods. www.heard.org.
Near Tuba City – the hub of the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, visitors can tour the magnificent Explore Navajo Interactive Museum – featuring Navajo rugs, pottery, stories of creation, interactive activities, and a traditional Navajo hogan (home). www.explorenavajo.com.
The Virginia Indian Heritage Trail (www.virginiaindianprogram.org) is a one-stop guide to history, public events and sites in the state.
Gaming
Gambling is a very popular holiday activity – trips that include gaming account for eight per cent of all U.S. travel. And the trend is growing all the time. (Source: U.S. Travel Association.)
It’s best not to leave the choice of a holiday destination to “chance.” The following popular gaming sites are “winners”…here are the “hot tips” on why they are “sure bets.”
• Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, in the Palm Springs desert area, has a long history as the pioneer of Native American gaming in the U.S. Four-star resort luxury, world class entertainment, golf and a casino floor with slots, video poker and 40 gaming tables. www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
• The Pearl River Resort in central Mississippi is the Southern United States’ first comprehensive luxury gaming resort. The hotel and resort feature two casinos (Silver Star and Golden Moon) with thousands of slot machines and table games, 14 restaurants, European spa facilities, shopping, golf, a water theme park and live entertainment. www.pearlriverresort.com.
• The brand new Sky Ute Casino Resort in the Four Corners region of Colorado is a one-stop holiday – shopping, spa, fitness centre, bowling, mini golf and arcade, restaurants, live music and cultural events, and, of course, casino. Over 500 state-of-the-art slot machines, blackjack, poker and bingo. www.skyutecasino.com
• Along the southeastern edge of the beautiful Florida Everglades, is Miccosukee Resort & Gaming – luxurious rooms and suites, a 24-hour gaming area that pays out millions of dollars daily (bingo, poker and video pull tabs). There are restaurant choices on-site, live entertainment and sporting events, the 24-hour Cypress Lounge and a chic martini bar. www.miccosukee.com.
To find out more about the Discover America - Canada Committee, attend a meeting or receive the bi-monthly newsletter, contact them by fax at (416) 352-5567, by e-mail at admin@seeamerica.ca or visit www.seeamerica.ca.
