Angel Mounds Historic Site, Evansville, Ind.

Not too long ago, Chris, Sidney and I headed out west to visit family. While there, of course, we made sure to visit some sites. Many of those Chris had visited often when he lived in the area, but this was my first time seeing a lot of these places.

One place Chris has wanted to take me for several years is Angel Mounds Historic Site, Evansville, Ind. Since we usually visit in December, we haven't made it to the mounds, though it's nearby.

I've been to a few Native American burial and ceremonial grounds (see Serpent Mounds and Grave Creek Mound), but never had I seen so many mounds together nor over such a large area! I now see why Chris didn't want to take me in cooler weather. Most of our time was spent outside walking around the mound.

This post is just in time because Angel Mound's annual Native American Days are Sept. 23-25! So, start planning your trip now.

After walking through the Interpretive Center, you walk out across a bridge to the Mounds. There you follow a mowed trail around and over the mounds. If I remember correctly, the whole trail is about a mile long.

Signs point out the various mounds and what they may have been used for.

There were also models of a stockade that would have surrounded the community and different buildings.

This is a reconstruction of what the stockade may have looked like.

After our walk, we stopped at the bridge so Chris could take photos of turtles and dragonflies. I wonder if any of the turtles or fish found the lens cap I dropped into the water. Oops!