Reviews of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (Park)

Bert Strobl

Nice job NPS!!! A very nice presentation of Native American culture 2000 yrs BP.....

Pamela Carver

Very informative and super great Rangers.

Walter Shroyer

Fascinating historic native American place.

Ken Strobell

Amazing!

mark stevens

Wonderful place full of magic an mistery

Jeff Minar

The Hopewell and Adena peoples and their story are absolutely fascinating. They have excellent displays and interpretative posters, and the mounds themselves are quite impressive.

Jeffrey Carlson

Peaceful.

Robert Plant

Buck Fifty cross country running race

Lynn Hatfield

Had the gates closed.

Laura McVey

Rangers are friendly and very informative. Great stop for a day visit. Books on Native American history are fairly accurate- this review is coming from a Ho-Chunk person, so I can only verify our history. Lots of kids seemed to be enjoying it, and I plan to bring mine when I have some.

Joel C

A great place to learn about history. Disappointed to learn all the mou do are replicas.

BRIAN LUCKADOO

A fun day of exploring and learning!!!

Smash Tobin

Great movie, nice small museum, allow maybe 30 min inside before VC closes, then you can walk around outside the rest of the time after it closes and read the informative signs around the Mounds

Kimberlee A. Sharp

Grouchy park ranger at entrance. Very little information about the mounds.

Laura Howe

Such a fascinating history. Small visitor center with great display of artifacts, good book selection and really interesting movie.

Todd Schumaker

Great historical place! Must see if you are in the area.

lloyd caldwell

Nice place hike and take picnic

Matt Bruning

I love this place! Great for a quiet walk with the family.

Evan Jones

Great place to take a walk check out the museum and watch the film its about 20 min and very educational gives you a better understanding of what you are seeing.

Laura ntk

Love going to historical sites.

Aaron Sidorenko

Awesome little park with picnic tables for a peaceful, serene lunch.

Anthony Hahn

Very informative and intriguing to learn about the hopewell mounds and Indians

Tim Reiter

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the park. It is a beautiful setting. The displays & artifacts were very informative, interesting & educational. The staff were very friendly, personable & knowledgeable. I recommend to anyone interested in state, regional & local history.

Joshua Henry

It's a nice place to take a walk and learn about Ohio's history.

Ben Ring

This park is definitely something to see. The mounds here are very fascinating and there are quite a few of them. There's at least two nice trails that I saw. Also check out the gift shop/museum.

Brandon Soldner

Great park site. The rangers were hands-on with the kids. We enjoyed the rich history.

Wendy Carey

Lots of books and information in a Very cool museum, Grounds well kept up. Staff very friendly

steph Yates

Nice little place to explore.

Mark Hiaeshutter

Very interesting place. Double history surrounding when it began and more recent history of how it was preserved. A true gem.

Carleen McNees

Mound City is well kept. Informative video. Impressive

Kathryn Green

Interesting. Books and craft kits available but PRICEY!!!! Lectures and walks/tours are very informative.

Chris Goodrich

Cool history and museum. The mounds are reconstructed (a.k.a. fake) -- they used to be on Camp Sherman property and were destroyed in the process of creating the camp.

Craig Wolfe

Very interesting and informative.

Gary Wyrick

Awesome place just for an area to walk in But the history of the Hopewell Indian culture was a great experience. The area has a total of 34 mounds. Take the kids there, good place to picnic.

Lauda Sisung

The video was very informative and the grounds are really interesting.

Nancy Baur

Great information and such an historical treasure.

Jake Kohl

Nice and clean. Good place to take the family and learn a little history.

Richard Metz

For accuracy and authenticity, the center is excellent. It's video presentation is excellent. It is a part of early native American history not usually so well presented or represented. The prices in the gift shop were also quite reasonable.

RL Gent

This is an outstanding national park historical site. Worth a trip to explore the mounds.

Ross Keiser

Nice place, free, informative, worth a visit, friendly staff, only a few minutes from 35.

Thomas Schroeder

Great place. Enjoy the usual quietude and ask a lot of questions. There are a couple different locations to visit in the area. Look for their Harness series lectures and try to attend any you are interested in.

Andria Edgington

Great historical site to visit, it offers kids the opportunity to earn a "Junior ranger" badge, my 9 and 12 year old really enjoyed that activity.

Lee spencer

An amazing place! When at the visitor center, be sure to see the short film which provides an explanation about the earthworks and some insights into the brilliance of the native American culture that built them. The earthworks are impressive!

Jackie Wolgamott

Museum was closed but Park is open till dusk. Enjoyed reading the information outside and want to go back. We had to cut visit short due to rain. Great place to have a picnic

Jeffrey Chandler

Interesting subject matter, very neatly maintained facility and grounds.

David Clifton

A Park Ranger leads a guided tour of the Park each morning at 10:00 am. If you opt to wander the grounds on your own, there are several information plaques telling about the construction and purpose of the different mounds. Beyond the mound wall perimeter, there is a short trail through a wooded area, and a pathway going down to and along the Scioto River. There are several benches to sit, relax and ponder; there are a few picnic tables if you care to bring a snack or lunch.

Todd Barrett

The kids had a great time !!! Extra summer learning !!!

Michael Murphy

Amazing how such a large scale project like this could have been built 2000 yesterday ago.

Justin Winebrenner

It was very very beautiful and also a very beautiful experience as well

Leah Chamberlin

Nice quiet place

Gregory Stiller

Told three school teachers and ten friends about Hopewell. Fascinating film and park. Unfortunately it was raining and I was already ill from getting wet and into air conditioning. Miserable now.

Wes Peacock

Beautiful park despite being surrounded by state prison facilities but once inside the short, wooded drive to the parking area all things modern and ugly are forgotten. A very peaceful park with a near immediate calming effect. Get off that awful paved Yoctangee flood wall path and experience the real beauty of Ross County. "Serenity Now!"

daniel grubbs

Very relaxing walk

Lewis Cassidey

The staff was very helpful and the mounds are interesting.

Blake Lloyd

Very cool little park that's off the beaten path. Has a very nice running/hiking trail.

Kevin Denner

Nice trails for bikes or walking

Rhonda Brackett

Worth your time to visit. What a history lesson you can get here.

Sue Jacobs

A lot of history very nice very clean really enjoyed it

liana siwik

Very informative and well maintained !! Quite a sight to see.

Charles Clawson

Be sure to visit and learn more about the inhabitants of North America before the Europeans arrived.

Kathryn Stewart

Fascinating look into the America of 100 BCE

Jeff Price

Very educational , interesting and great

Emily Gebhart

Great historical place to learn about early Indians of Ohio. Respect the mounds, listen to the rangers they are full of knowledge. Great hiking trails, stay on path as there is a lot of poison ivy.

Bruce Grodhaus

The tourist center is full of great information and movies. This was my first time there and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Terence Jones

A moving eye opener to the insensitivity and arrogance of our European/Judeo-Christian centric society and culture. Thanks.

Bob Bernhart

Visited the Junction Earthwork earlier in day for a researcher guided tour. Stopped at Hopewell Visitor Center on wsy home. Volunteers wete personable and VERY well informed. Fabulous place to visit.

Luke Rapp

People from all over the world are visiting this hidden gem. Unbelievable how many of the Hopewell People were gathered at the same time in several local areas.

Jessica

For a free place it is a neat thing to see and learn about!

Matt O'Sickey

A nice visitor center with a short informative video, a small museum with Hopewell culture artifacts, helpful Rangers and volunteers. This is all attached to the mound city site. If you are looking to visit the serpent mound, be advised that it is about an hour away to the southwest.

David Borsick II

Very interesting. Wish I had more time.

Doug Foster

Wish I had more time

Aaron Haney

Impressive display of Indian Mounds. The largest collection of mounds that I have visited in 1 location.

Mary Dewey

Very interesting site. Although historical items have been uncovered at this site and others around the state, there is really only speculation about why the mounds were created where they are or the relevancy of their designs and layouts.

Charity Gapen

Very informative

Pamela Pinkerman

Stooped while traveling threw the area. I have been to most of the mounds in southern Ohio. Beautiful place for a stroll and reading about their culture. Lovely center with very friendly staff.

Paul Glasser

Museum is small but has an informative video. Good walking trails nearby.

Richard Wagener

Liked how they let a back corner of the complex go wild, to illustrate what early settlers would have found.

Crystal Briggs

His place is amazing

Alyson Gerwe

The mounds are well maintained and the small museum provides a good understanding of the people who built the mounds.

DJ COOL HERO

A beautiful walk to see historical Mounds from badk in the day

Donald Anthony

Awsome

Thomas Gersky

Very fascinating ancient native culture. Lots of technology, astrology, trade, and tradition.

Brianna Jones

I am so disappointed that the people there didn't even show visitors the insides of the mounds. They could have used the computer to show people! The mounds themselves are not interesting,you can use what the hopewell used though.But still this is the best rating you will here out of me.

Jon West

Great walk. Quiet, beautiful

Daniel Thompson

Kind staff who appear to love the history of the site. Really cool location.

Brad Hardy

Awesome place and an amazing mystery! Staff was super helpful answering all questions and guiding us to the many different sites run by the N.P.S.

Barbara Brower

We have begun the adventure of collecting passport cancellation stamps at national parks and historical sites. We were excited to have a historical location so close to home, so we stopped. We were pleasantly surprised at the history of the mounds and the American natives who built them. Definitely a place worth visiting.

Mike Mullally

Interesting site. Would have been nice to access the visitor center. Thanks Trump for closing it.

Dawn Sawyer

It was a nice area, interesting and quiet. I liked the museum too. It is nice that you can still visit historical areas for free.

Amy Parke

Nice place to get away, learn some history, and have a quiet walk.

Ric Berlinski

This was a wonderful tour, absolutely recommend it if you are in the area!

William Turinetti

It was bigger than we thought.

Eric Beach

After my visit to the cultural center, I have a much broader understanding of the Hopewell people. The staff is very knowledgeable. Walking around the mounds is a rare experience.

John B.

This is a great place to go check out, they have a museum there that has artifacts that they found on site. some date back many moons ago. just to walk through the fields around there and read the placards of how our ancestors took care of the pass loved ones. If you get a chance, please go take a look see.

Michael Cole

A small, enjoyable historic park. Features include a 20 minute introductory film, a small museum with artifacts from the excavations, a gift shop, and of course the mound complex itself.

Brent Ross

It's a good place to visit. The Earth Mounds are spread out over the area. To see several sites will take you some time. Go to the visitors center first and watch the movie. It gives you things to watch for.

Cassandra Christensen

Great place to visit with kids (especially 4th graders ;) ) lots of great info in the center, great walk outside. Amazing history here!

Jason Potts

Beautiful place to visit. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

Jared Springer

Great place for a little stop. They staff was great in explaining the history of this site and several other sites in the area. I had no idea of the amount of history around this area.

Jes Salmons

Beautiful and very pleased to see our country is protecting and preservation of the heritage of native Americans

C L

Great employees

kevin fooce

Great biking trail plus a great walking trail.

Britany Freeman

A fantastic place to learn about local heritage.

Grace BARNHART

Great historical learning experience.

Katelyn Baker

We loved visiting and learning about this historical landmark!

Mary Sharp

They would not let my dog in:( so I could not view the informational center. So it was just a walk to read the a igns in front of the mounds.

Roberta Klisiewicz

Very interesting culture

Anthony Pagani

Worth a look, lots to learn and see, very interesting.

Byron Gustin

Great site if you're into mounds and Hopewell and Adena cultures. Good 20 minute movie. Knowageable staff give tours. Good for kids.

Kimberly Aw

Well, we walked around the mounds. Walked by Scioto River. Enjoyed the artifacts in the museum. Talked with the interpreter park ranger. Received energy and left energy.

Boosted Nightmare

Awesome place deer come right up to you

Marie Hatert

This park is very clean. The junior ranger program is great. It has a nice little trail around the mounds.

Justin Rogosky

Easy access and nice museum.

Bruce Parsons

very nice park to let your kids run, the history here is amazing and has a little gift shop. my family learned a lot on this trip

Woody Ahl

Nice

April Van Hooser

Awesome place to learn about Chillicothe history and it's great for the kids too.

Chris LaMacchia

This place is really amazing. We only went to the main site - with the visitor center - but it was very informative and the ranger on duty was super helpful. Take the time to watch the film, and walk through the museum. Make a day of itn

Jake Anderson

My boys were less interested than me, but the visitor has an excellent interactive video station, as well as some as fantastic artifacts on display.

Melanie Thompson

Beautiful park, easy access to the whole mound park and nicely maintained trails as well. The gift shop has a huge selection of books and other helpful resources to learn more about the different cultures. The quick video that loops is very informative and taught me a lot!

Angel O

Great stop to take while learning about the history of Ohio and the Native people that used to live here. The visitor center is great and the area is beautiful.

Jeff Emhuff

A great place to learn about the native cultures that existed in Ohio a thousand years ago.

Angela Eads

Small NPS site. Great junior ranger program (swag for the kiddos) and very friendly and helpful rangers. There's a small area with actual artifacts recovered from some of the area and the 17 minute video helps you understand the Hopewell. I wish the video had gone a little into how the significance of the area was recognized (much of the area has been farmed and built over). But a nice side stop on our drive to another NPS Park.

David Simon

The park ranger and a volunteer who was serving that day helped make the experience better than excellent!! They had a command of the culture and the people and were able to answer every question. The park is beautiful especially as you go back through the woods down to the river.

Sherlene Eicher

Lovely place. Beautiful museum. The walk is easy and pleasant. Well kept and the river close by. Nice for quiet meditation. Dogs are welcome on a leash. Quite a bit can be seen in an hour but plenty to keep one occupied for 2-3 easily. Would make a good picnic site with tables and benches scattered around.

tj laird

Rich with history. Beautiful surroundings. Great for the walker.

Dawn Wadsworth

Interesting bit of history that I never knew

Carrie Anderson

Go for it! Check out the mounds! Walk out to the Scioto river! Very nice park. Well maintained. Informative exhibits and staff. Wide variety of materials in the gift shop.

Joe Palaia

Great Experience. My son earned his Archaeology Merit Badge. Staff was great.

Janice McMannis

Interesting. Highly recommend a walk through the Millinium Grove near Fairfied Inn. That is really interesting.

Jason Luthy

Tour was nice. Grounds are beautiful. Enjoyed the video and museum.

Fabio Correa

This is the birthplace of American archaeology. The architecture of these cities is fascinating. Bret Ruby with the National Park Service provided insight into the development of these sites.

Zachary Reaver

Excellent park that is associated with the National Park System. Best of all, this park is FREE. There are multiple locations with mounds to visit that have a great wealth of information to learn about the Hopewell Native Americans. The Visitor Center has a small but very informative museum with several artifacts. Definitely worth a visit.

Neil Capper

Wonderful historic site

Virginia Lauver

Great history lesson on some virtually unknown people. Very interesting.

Max Mukimov

One of the mysterious places about pre-Columbian era. Historians are still not sure why this palace was built or used for. Nevertheless, very interesting place. Museum and short video gives pretty good information about known facts. A Junior Ranger booklet seems to be a little difficult for 6 years old.

Steve Ragland

Nice laid back place to visit.

Ben Holmes

Neat to see along the way to another destination. Not worth a special trip tbh

Owen McGlone

Was a very peaceful and awesome. Just be sure to bring plenty of water

Traci Schneider

Great place to visit with kids

Vonna Henry

Very interesting. It has good explanations by the mpinds

Douglas Steinhaus

The staff was very helpful and passionate about the site. Well maintained and beautiful

Mark Jansen

This is a very interesting place. There are a bunch of local mounds right next to the visitor center that are very interesting to walk around and see. The visitor center itself has a very interesting Museum attached to it, and it has bathrooms if you need those. Everything is very well maintained the field with the mounds is mowed and kept clean. The staff at The Visitor Center seems to be very friendly, and they were very helpful and explaining everything that you were looking at. The gift shop actually has quite a few very interesting souvenirs if you want to buy them too.

Zack Fox

Pretty neat to see all the artifacts and all the stuff there I've been here 2 or 3 times and enjoy it each time

Louise Schwarber

Interesting to learn the Hopewell Native American's traded far and wide.

Hilary Morris

Very informative, educational and fun for kids!

Nadine Engler

Very informative....self guided tours but Rangers onsite to answer any questions

Mike G

Great place to visit for the entire family

Samantha Morain

Great place for kids!

Ralph Worley

THE HEART OF IT ALL HONOR OUR ANCESTORS

derek dysart

Was a great experience

Wesley Harmer

Cool site nice museum great staff. Nice stop on a long drive

Cynthia Shank

Stopped on my way through and was intrigued with the life and culture of the people of the area.

Diana O

Wonderful explanatory intro film and then we walked around outside to imagine the people who built the Mounds it was absolutely amazing!

Tina Marie

Amazing history! I wouldn't always buy what they "those" you happened here. There's no possible way humans could have built these mounds in the ancient days....

Leslie Hatfield

Fantastic family friendly place to go!

Keith Jones

This is a cite rich with history that's easy to overlook. My wife and I started with the visitor's center where we met with a U.S. National Park Ranger who gave us a wonderful and enthusiastic overview. We also watched the 18 minute video. Then after an enjoyable walk around the area, we returned to the visitor's center and chatted with a newly assigned Ranger. He gave us an additional perspective of the area, including information about an active dig where we could observe archaeologists in action. How much you enjoy your visit here will greatly depend on your effort to uncover the history.

James Stearnes

Have always enjoyed stopping here. A beautiful spot . An interesting look at the past.