SunWatch Village — Attraction in Dayton

We went to Sunwatch after purchasing a pass to Boonshoft and got in free due to the affiliation. The building was clean and the indoor museum area was very well put together. We walked out to the village itself and while most of the plaques were readable, there were definitely some that are in desperate need of replacement. I assume that Sunwatch doesn't get near the monetary equivalent that Boonshoft gets, and I understand that, and I know it's not as "cool" as other places, but it is a cool place overall and has a certain charm that I am drawn to.

While the village was pretty cool, it only had 2 standing buildings, and some of the poles, which served a purpose. On the land you can see where other buildings stood and I'm assuming they are that way on purpose. Seeing the layout of the land and the elevated areas where the other buildings would have sat is pretty neat from an adult perspective, but the kiddos were a little bored outside of the 2 main buildings in the village. It would have been nice to have more buildings erected and/or more interactive things at the village itself. If anything it has me willing to maybe donate some time/energy. It's worth a visit to see in the normal hours, but probably better served to wait for an event if you have...

What has happened to the place is an abosulte travesty. Only a very small part of the museum is open. New legislation means that it is illegal to display any burial items without permission from descendants, but nobody knows who might be descended from the Fort Ancient people, if anybody, so.... over half the museum is now more or less permantly closed. Talked to the woman at the desk and she said there is a group of people who might be associated with the site, but they aren't a federally recognized tribe, so their opinion on the matter means nothing. This is madness!!! Outside there are two huts. There used to be more, but they fell to disrepair and were torn down. They want to put up a new pole, but there needs to be a ceremony first. The woman couldn't tell me what tribe would conduct the ceremony or when it might happen. I'm not holding my breath. There are no signs in the village. Not one!!!! I wonder if signs are illegal now too? Come here if you'd like to pay money to learn nothing! Would not recommend...

I think the idea of this place is cool, but it really needs some money put into it. I'm glad we went on a Free day because I would have been upset to pay an entrance fee for what is there. There is a super small inside gallery area. A bunch of exhibits were covered so you couldn't see them. The outside is a small village with two structures. It was cool to go in and see you those looked like. There are plaques with what is around the circle area and you can either scan the QR code to get that information or borrow one of their books to learn about it. I think that's pretty cool. I think there is massive room for improvement and making things just look nicer. I think those in charge could learn a lot from how the Great Council State Park was done. Lots of room for more hands and interactive things to keep the kids interesting in learning about our past. This could also spell more revenue from schools for...