Ohio World Heritage Week is April 12th to 18th, 2025.
Sunday, April 13, Great Circle Earthworks, 455 Hebron Road, Heath, OH 43056
Noon: Free guided tour led by Site Manager Sarah Hinkelman. Tour lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours. 2 p.m: Storytime: “Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun” with a fun make-and-take activity designed for children ages 3–10.
Monday, April 14*, Hopeton Earthworks, 990 Hopetown Rd, Chillicothe, OH 45601
10 a.m: Free guided tour led by a Ranger. Architecture includes earthen monuments memorializing ancestral shrines and geometric enclosures aligned to the endless cycles of the Sun and Moon.
Tuesday, April 15*, Hopewell Mound Group, 4731 Sulphur Lick Road, Chillicothe, OH 45601
10 a.m: Free guided tour led by a Ranger. At 111 acres, the main enclosure here is the largest single Hopewell earthen-walled area ever found and contained the largest Hopewell burial mound ever built.
Wednesday, April 16*, Seip Earthworks, 7058 US HWY 50, Bainbridge, OH 45612
10 a.m: Free guided tour led by a Ranger. This massive complex includes burial mounds and a collection of circular structures.
Thursday, April 17*, Mound City Group, 16062 State Route 104, Chillicothe, OH 45601
10 a.m: Free guided tour led by a Ranger. This site is the only fully recreated Hopewell earthwork complex of the five managed by the National Park Service.
Friday, April 18, Octagon Earthworks,125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055
11 a.m. –2 p.m. Food trucks on site. Noon: Free guided tour. Tour lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours. 3–4 p.m: Create-and-Take Activity for young visitors. We will read Joy Harjo's "Remember,” have a short presentation on the stars and moon and discuss how other cultures might have thought about time. The activity will end with participants creating their own clock or calendar to take home.
3:30–6:30 p.m. Food trucks on site.
4:30–5:30 p.m: TED Talk-Style Panel Discussion: “What it Means to be a World Heritage Site” moderated by Site Manager Sarah Hinkelman, with opening remarks from Ohio History Connection Executive Director and CEO Megan Wood and Q&A session to wrap up.
5:30–6:30 p.m. World Heritage Ambassador Reception.
6:30–7:30 p.m. Free guided Twilight Tour.
Ongoing activity from 11 a.m.–7 p.m: World Heritage Bake It or Make It Contest.
- Try your hand at recreating a site on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Find ideas on the UNESCO World Heritage webpage: UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List.
- The project must be able to fit in a 2-foot by 2-foot space.
- Two winners will be selected and notified April 19
- One winner will be selected by our Newark Earthworks Site staff, judged on accuracy to the World Heritage Site being replicated and originality of materials.
- One winner will be chosen by popular vote.
- Winners of each category will receive an Ohio History Connection Membership, Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks merchandise and a guided tour of the Newark Earthworks for you and your friends or family. All submissions will receive Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks prizes.
- Entries may be dropped off at the Octagon Earthworks Visitor Center each from noon to 5 p.m. from April 14–18; perishable entries cannot be delivered before April 18.
- Entries must include a printed photo of the World Heritage Site being replicated.
*National Park Service Tour Reminders
- Tours will last approximately 2 hours and will cover 2-3 miles of unpaved, uneven terrain.
- Tours are recommended for ages 12 and up.
- There are no restrooms at the Hopeton Earthworks or Seip Earthworks locations.