sunwatch indian village/archaeological park

Here's a rebuilt village and you could really be transported back to the past! All that is missing would be the odors and you can imagine the ghosts.

I found it to be very interesting. For years, this was just a few acres of farmland. Then they began finding things. This not the Indian Village you see in the movies. These were ancient Indians. Long before the Europeans came to America. As Shultes, of Hogan's Heros would say, " Very Interesting"

Although interesting, the park is not well suited for smaller kids or those who are "touchy feely". The site is very educational and they have done a wonderful job with restoration. It's also clear that their work is ongoing. There are very few interpretive signs, there are no guides or volunteers to show you around. The building is modern inside and out but the pathways are not suitable for strollers due to the mud and/or loose mulch. The gift shop is small and a mis-mosh of items from all the area gift shops. Take your own food. Out the back door is a serious missed opportunity to have picnic tables and a place to eat while overlooking the site. Someone please donate a ton of cash because it really is a beautiful area to visit.

This was really a wonderful surprise. There is a great 12 minute film, followed by a well presented exhibit, and the ability to walk all over the site. The gentlemen who welcomed us was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Really interesting to see such a unique site that had survived undisturbed.

Found SunWatch on Trip advisor and glad we decided to go there. Had older kids with us and they enjoyed both the museum and walking around the village that had been replicated on the original site. Fee is very reasonable and everyone working there was very friendly and helpful. The museum gave you a good background before you walked out side to the village. We were there about an hour and half maybe two. Little hard to find, it is in an industrial area but you go down a road following the river and you end up in the beautiful open area. GPS was a great help this time.They had a lot of activities going on for children which was fun to watch also. I would go back again if I am ever in Dayton.

Love this park! The pow wow is always interesting. Vendors good too. Not enough food booths - only 2. The walking taco was good, and prepared as we waited, but the wait was long.

Well-done display of an excavated village, abandoned almost 1000 years ago. Houses reconstructed on their original foundations. You can see how the village was layed out, and an accompanying museum explains how people lived there. Good for kids and for grownups alike.

Not only does it have a museum and a replica village, it also sponsors children's day camps, pow wows, flute and art festivals, and archeological seminars.

An enjoyable multi-cultural experience at a historical location in a seldom-visited part of the city.The dancing & singing we're authentic & well done. The rain stayed away so the grounds were walkable.The Sun Watch building shows its age as does the gift shop. The Great Mii River adjacent to the grounds & partially reconstructed village adds to the ambiance of the setting....I would encourage reviewers to attend upcoming pow wows.

SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park could disappoint some visitors. The reason being is that the site, a National Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, is a work in progress dependent on funding and the procedural discipline of fieldwork archaeology. Its interpretive presentation of the 13th-15th C.E. Fort Ancient Indian village and culture is far from complete. However, the effort to interpret this society during its apex is quite exemplary for such a small facility.Getting to the site is not that difficult as it’s not that far from downtown Dayton. Once on the entrance road, the drive is a bucolic river-edge transit through woods and fields until one reaches the parking lot adjacent to the educational center buildingVisitors are engaged immediately on the walk-up to the center. A sequence of low ground-level graphic signs provide a time line commentary on the evolution of the Native Peoples. The SunWatch building where the tours of the village begin is divided into three principal sections: a movie theater showing a 12 minute video on the historic development and reconstruction of the site, the society of people which inhabited the site; a well-stocked gift shop with an interesting variety of items to purchase; and an exhibition hall.The film was very informative and the inclusion of vintage photos and drawings while a bit grainy did tend to suggest authenticity rather than slick Hollywood artifice. The layout of the exhibits area at the far end of the center was well arranged for traffic flow and featured some quite acceptable life-size figures portraying the ancient peoples. There was a good balance of information and visuals in the exhibition hall to maintain a high level of browser interest. A door in the center section of the facility led out onto a deck from which one could view the village in a more panoramic manner under the cover of shade.A ramp walkway, an extension of the deck, curved downwards into the interior of the village site and evolved into a bark mulch path connecting the several different reconstructed village “houses”, gardens, and center site poles whose theorized solar and lunar alignments were critical to planting cycles. All the village’s houses are open for close-up viewing and depict various stages of architectural construction and materials used for the walls and roof. From the movie one learned that the composition of the material used to cover and seal the walls was called “daub”. In all likelihood, that texturing process at work in 14th century America gave rise to the action verb in today’s parlance, namely, to “daub” something or at something.The SunWatch village was a fortified village as evidenced by the interpretative material and the stockade fencing enclosing a portion of today’s reconstructed village. The fortified fencing was constructed of tree branches and limbs which once encircled the village. Enemies attempting to break through the wall would conceivably have had a formidable time doing so.My visit was a self-guided ramble in the heat of the mid-day sun. Fair-skinned visitors should consider wearing a hat.This site seems destined to be improved over time. It’s not a completed interpretative project and visitors who could be disappointed by this fact will hopefully understand that the village is not meant to be a native people’s Williamsburg. Life was obviously tough and demanding at that period in our nation’s history among this segment of native Americans. SunWatch’s effort to authentically portray that reality is to be commended.

My oldest (8 yrs) had studied Native Americans in school & was fascinated with this place. They did such a good job explaining the history of the native peoples in relation to a time line, it helped to put things in perspective for her. There was an archeologist there on site building one of the replica buildings. He took time to answer questions and explain the construction. It was wonderful!

We were traveling and looked up things to do. My dad is Blackfoot tribe descendant and we thought he would have a good time. It was informative and interesting for all of us.

Attended a Powwow being held there. Had a great time. Enjoyed the drumming, dancing and native american dress. Only problem was the heat....drink plenty of water and rest in the shade.

Self guided at a leisurely pace - organization is improving and updating the property - don't recommend on a hot day as there is very little shade. Recommend for families.

This fabulous museum has it all! The museum inside gives all the history of the native americans from this area and the outside has the actual historical digs and re-creation of the village. It is a must see