Sunwatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park
Sunwatch
Indian Village/Archaeological Park is the best-interpreted
archaeological site I've seen in a long time. The signs,
exhibits, and reconstructions were vivid, the wording easy to read but
not so simple that you skip over signs in boredom. After your
visit, you'll truly understand how a group of 250 Native Americans
lived 800 years ago, growing corn and hunting deer to fill their
bellies, watching the sun to learn when to plant and harvest, and
burying their dead in a special cemetery in the protected center of
their living area.
Our visit began with a
12 minute video that captured my interest quite
ably --- actually, I ended up taking notes. Like the rest of the
interpretation, the video both explores the historical village and
how archaeologists excavated the site to learn about its former
inhabitants.
Although
a tour of the museum is next on the agenda, we skipped ahead
to explore the village on our own (reading the educational signs along
the way.) We visited in the middle of the day on a Friday and had
most of the
park to ourselves, which let us wander at our own pace. Our only
(mild) complaint was the constant hum of the not-too-distant highway
that made it impossible to imagine we were 13th century inhabitants
hanging out in our own village. On the other hand, inside the
beautifully reconstructed lodges, it was easy to 
envision
pushing aside
a sibling or two to find a spot on the double decker sleeping
platforms. I was intrigued by the pits in which the villagers
stored
their corn for the winter (up to 500 pounds of grain per pit, to feed a
family
of 6 to 8!)
Finally, we reentered
the visitor's center and headed into the museum
to quench our appetite for knowledge with the beautifully manufactured
and easy to read displays. The visuals in the museum rounded out
the experience, putting the people and their daily life in perspective.
After
poring over the last display, I had just enough questions that I
felt compelled to buy the self-published booklet of Sunwatch research
from the gift shop. In all, we spent two and a half hours at the
park, and even the member of our expedition who wasn't obsessed with
Native American culture and archaeology didn't lag or show a hint of
boredom. (On the other hand, I suspect that small children would
become bored much more quickly.)
My conclusion? Go
to Sunwatch to learn, but save the spiritual
journey for Serpent Mound. Sunwatch is located
at 2301 W. River
Road in Dayton, Ohio --- check out their website for hours, admission prices
($5 apiece when I visited), and other up to date information.
Want to have the leisure to travel and
explore? Our microbusiness ebook shows you how to make a living in just a
few hours per week.
Want
to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the
RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed.
