Cherokee Nation to celebrate grand opening of Tahlequah Wellness Center

WHAT:
The Cherokee Nation will celebrate the grand opening of its new 75,000 square foot Tahlequah Wellness Center, which replaces the Cherokee Nation's Male Seminary Recreation Center also known as "Markoma."

WHEN:
Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Noon

WHERE:
Tahlequah Wellness Center
22685 S. Betty Sharp Smith St.
Tahlequah, OK

WHO:
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.
Deputy Chief Bryan Warner
Council of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation Cabinet
Cherokee Nation Public Health
Tahlequah community leaders and members

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Cherokee Nation is opening its state-of-the-art, $35 million Tahlequah Wellness Center, which replaces the tribe's Male Seminary Recreation Center also known as "Markoma."

The 75,000 square foot, two-story wellness center consists of six group exercise rooms, locker rooms with saunas and showers, two batting cages, two basketball courts, a golf simulator, an indoor walking track, a weight room, cardio equipment, a child care area, an outdoor walking trail and more.

The Tahlequah Wellness Center will be free for Cherokee Nation citizens and memberships are open to the community for a small fee.

The Tahlequah Wellness Center was funded through the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act of 2021, amended most recently in 2025, which dedicates $100 million in settlement funds from opioid and e-cigarette lawsuits for a variety of public health programs. The act also allocates 10% of revenue generated by the tribe's health system toward public health and wellness programs and services.

The tribe currently has a wellness center in Stilwell and Salina and wellness spaces in Kenwood and Marble City. The Claremore health campus will also include a wellness center, which will begin construction soon.