Chieftains Museum, Rome

Major Ridge is a polarizing figure in Cherokee history. He was one of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota, which sold Cherokee lands to the United States in exchange for Oklahoma, and led to the forced Native American migration know as The Trail of Tears. Today, though, Major Ridge's erstwhile home in Georgia is the Chieftains Museum—a site that celebrates Cherokee history and culture at large, not just his controversial contribution to it.

• Size: Sprawling mansion-sized. Extensions have been added since Major Ridge's tenure there, reflecting key moments in Georgia's architecture history.
• Key credential: The location has been listed on the National Historic Register since 1973.
• Eye Catcher: The two-story dogtrot-style log cabin at the core of the house, where Major Ridge lived centuries ago.
• "Dogtrot-Style" Means: The cabin is really two separate cabins, connected by a breezeway a dog could, hypothetically, trot down, especially if there's a steak at the other end and someone yelling "Here, boy!"
• In the Giftshop: Visitors can stock up on jewelry, dreamcatchers, and replica arrowheads before they hit the road.