great circle

Rita_Hathhorn

It is such a shame that it's so small in surrounded by traffic, shops, and litter. It's great for visiting but sad to see where it's located.

bnazarian

Great circle can be seen alone but please go see the other earthworks in the area to get a better picture of the culture. I recommend Flint Ridge, about 5 miles away from Great Circle and the Octogon Mound at the Moundbuilder's Country Club as well. The Great Circle site does have a nice little museum and some information to get you started so it's not a bad place to start. Mounds are scattered all over the region. Search them on the Internet, I think they are all special and make our region special and important historically, culturally. Also I recommend going down to Chillicothe area to see Mound City and if you go west from there, Seip Mound, Serpent Mound, Fort Ancient, etc. The Ohio Historical Society in Columbus has more Hopewell artifacts and helps fill in the questions.

ThreeWiseMen1998

These mounds are over 2000 old. The history behind the mounds is great to learn about. The park is free, the visitor center was closed when we went on Sunday. There are a few signs to explain what you see. Restrooms are only in the visitor center. This park is in business center of Newark/Heath area.

ccdjml

The Great Circle is part of the largest geometric earthwork complex in the world, built by the Adena culture nearly two millenia ago and preserved as a State Park by the Ohio Historical Society. The park is just off the main drag on the edge of Newark near Heath. There is plenty of parking, a pavilion, picnic tables, and I think I remember built-in grills. The Interpretive Center is definitely worth a visit. There is a tiny museum, and tiny gift shop, and an informative interactive video (also available online at AncientOhioTrail.org, if you want to prepare at home...), and excellent rest rooms. The staff is knowledgeable and respectful, and the interpretive material makes every effort to be free of bias, not inferring beyond the facts. I recommend this site for families, educators, and learners of all ages.

traveler4545

I planned to drive through Ohio on a vacation to Virginia, and decided to see if there were any ancient Indian sites along the way. Discovered that there were mounds in Newark, so drove there to check them out. Wow--I was not disappointed! This is an extensive site in a beautiful setting. You can park right at the site and wander through the mounds. There are a number of interesting interpretive signs explaining the significance of these mounds and the Hopewell culture. It was definitely worth driving out of the way to visit this site.

LacieC_13

I've been going for walks around the Great Circle ever since I can remember. I have very fond memories of being with my late sister and her dogs there. We would play Frisbee with the dogs, sit at the picnic tables for snacks and check out the museum. Everyone in the family can enjoy peaceful walks, games such as Frisbee, picnics and visiting the museum. I can say that I have seen many changes to the Great Circle over the years and all of them have been for the better. I can't wait to see how it looks in another 10 years or so.

ChrisB571

To think these mounds were built around 2,000 years ago is amazing. It is definitely the oldest thing I've seen in North America. We did not get to go into the small museum but just walking around the grounds and reading the signs was interesting and very pleasant. There is also an awesome tree that you can walk through. It is near the Northwest center of the circle. We actually stopped at the Moundbuilders Country Club first and were so amazed by the mounds there we decided to go to the Great Circle. If you are near the area you should stop at both places. I think it is rare to have such an awesome and old place in America.

RonL40

The Great Circle is a wonder. Takes you back to the era of the Moundbuilders, thinking about a culture that flourished centuries ago. Beautiful walk through history.

imaglo52

I live just a few blocks from the Circle I go there at least once a week. I am so happy to live so close to ancient site. It is a good place to walk the dog or picnic with the family. I love to sit on Eagle Mound and watch the world go by quiet and peaceful.

Laura2881

Still powerful, even though this was such a long time in history. It is amazing to look back in time and wonder what it would have been like to live then and to marvel at the accomplishments. I looked down to see the space between the mounds covered in small, white flowers. Beautiful.

BarbaraS798

Really nice. We walked to the mounds and made new imprints in the fresh snow that fell the prior morning. Would be a nice place to visit in the other seasons.

stacicooperhoffmann

So what can be bad about this place? Nothing. It's clean, it is nature at its best and lots of native history going on all around. Kids and dogs love running here. And no I have never seen a pile left behind from either. so take your time, take your lunch, take a friend and go take a hike!

BudC_13

I enjoy taking a sandwich ,water and my newspaper,sitting and listening to the birds while reading. Probably go here 40-50 times during spring through fall.

Cindy__31589

These mounds were interesting. The museum is pretty good, though small. It's too bad so many of the mounds are part of a golf course. However, the Great Circle was gorgeous on a fall day for a walk.

Makerofdreams

Nice park...a lot of history attributed to the Hopewell culture. Museum is small but nice.