Gearing Up for Ohio World Heritage Week Celebration April 11-18
Article presented by Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau …
COLUMBUS – The Ohio History Connection and the National Park Service are planning special events during their annual Ohio World Heritage Week from April 11-18 to celebrate the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, Ohio’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Events in Ross County include Seip Earthworks on April 16th and Mound City Group April 17th.
On April 18 each year, World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is an international observance for sites around the globe that hold outstanding universal value.
Ohio World Heritage Week was established in 2024 by the Ohio History Connection and National Park Service to celebrate World Heritage Day in the Buckeye State.
“Every World Heritage Day is an opportunity to recognize the local, national and international significance of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks,” said Megan Wood, Executive Director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “During World Heritage Week, we are pleased to showcase these masterpieces of ancient landscape architecture built by American Indians.”
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is the collective name for eight works of monumental landscape architecture built by American Indians between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago in central and southern Ohio. Five of the earthworks sites are managed by the National Park Service, and three are managed by the Ohio History Connection.
The National Park Service’s five Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks locations are at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in and around Chillicothe. The Ohio History Connection’s locations are in Heath, Newark and Oregonia. For details about all eight locations of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, go to hopewellearthworks.org.
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Sept. 19, 2023, by the 21 countries on the World Heritage Committee during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There are more than 1,200 World Heritage Sites around the globe, and the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is the 25th of 26 World Heritage Listings in the U.S. and the first and only one in Ohio.
A schedule of events for Ohio World Heritage Week is available at hopewellearthworks.org/world-heritage-week-2026/ and as follows:
Saturday, April 11
Great Circle Earthworks
455 Hebron Road, Heath, OH 43056
11 a.m.: Guided tour. $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students and free for Ohio History Connection members and children 5 and under.
Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve
6123 State Route 350, Oregonia, OH 45054
1–4 p.m.: Turtle Shell Rattle Workshop. Cost is $55 per kit.
Octagon Earthworks
125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055
2 p.m.: Guided tour. $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students and free for Ohio History Connection members and children 5 and under.
Sunday, April 12
Great Circle Earthworks
455 Hebron Road, Heath, OH 43056
11 a.m.: Guided tour. $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students and free for Ohio History Connection members and children 5 and under.
Octagon Earthworks
125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055
2 p.m.: Guided tour. $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students and free for Ohio History Connection members and children 5 and under.
Monday, April 13, and Tuesday, April 14
No activities scheduled; visit Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe or the Great Circle or Octagon at the Newark Earthworks!
Wednesday, April 15
Ohio History Center
800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211
10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon: Screenings of WOSU’s “Hopewell Earthworks: Stories Written on the Land” in Auditorium. Free, but registration is required.
Great Circle Earthworks
455 Hebron Road, Heath, OH 43056
11 a.m.: Guided tour. $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students and free for Ohio History Connection members and children 5 and under.
Octagon Earthworks
125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055
2 p.m.: Guided tour. $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students and free for Ohio History Connection members and children 5 and under.
Thursday, April 16
Seip Earthworks
7058 US HWY 50, Bainbridge, OH 45612
10 a.m.: Guided tour. Free.
Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve
6123 State Route 350, Oregonia, OH 45054
1 p.m.: Archaeological tour. Site admission required: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and children ages 6-17 and free for Ohio History Connection members and children under 6.
Octagon Earthworks
125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055
6 p.m.: Reception for “Monuments of the Ohio Valley” exhibit from the Ohio State University’s Knowlton School of Architecture. Free.
7–8 p.m.: Newark Earthworks Lecture Series program featuring Beth Blostein and Jake Boswell of The Ohio State University’s Knowlton School of Architecture and Justin Parscher of the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. General admission is $10 and free for Ohio History Connection members and students with proof of student ID. No registration required.
Friday, April 17
Mound City Group
16062 State Route 104, Chillicothe, OH 45601
10 a.m.: Guided tour. Free.
Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve
6123 State Route 350, Oregonia, OH 45054
1 p.m.: Archaeological tour. Site admission required: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and children ages 6-17 and free for Ohio History Connection members and children under 6.
Octagon Earthworks
125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055
2 p.m.: Monthly Third Friday Tour with Dr. Brad Lepper. Free.
Saturday, April 18
Great Circle Earthworks
455 Hebron Road, Heath, OH 43056
10 a.m. –5 p.m.: World Heritage Day Open House. Free. Drop-in activities all day, with guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and community partner tables.
Octagon Earthworks
125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055
10 a.m. –5 p.m.: World Heritage Day Open House. Free. Drop-in activities all day, with guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and community partner tables. Food trucks on site.
High Bank Works
Special Event (call for details, including parking location)
10 a.m. –1 p.m.: Join Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Rangers for this rare opportunity to discover the lunar and solar alignments of High Bank Works, which is open to the public only for special events. Free, but registration is required. To register, call Hopewell Culture National Historical Park at 740-774-1126. For ages 12 and up. Parking is limited, walking on uneven terrain is required and no restroom facilities will be available.
Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve
6123 State Route 350, Oregonia, OH 45054
1 p.m.: Archaeological tour. Site admission required: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and children ages 6-17 and free for Ohio History Connection members and children under 6.
