CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- The U.S. Department of Commerce recognized
Ohio's three-night American Indian Circle Tour with its American
Pathways 2000 designation, endorsing the tour's educational value
regarding culture and heritage.
Priced at $295 per person, double, the tour is sold by U.S.
Tours Wholesale Travel & Cruise of Parkersburg, W.Va.
The itinerary was developed for tour operator use by the
Dayton-Montgomery County and the Ross-Chillicothe convention and
visitors bureaus, the Ohio Historical Society and other visitor
interests.
The first day is spent in Columbus with a tour of the Ohio
Historical Center and its collection of prehistoric Indian
artifacts.
Other activities include lunch at the Col. Crawford Inn in
Columbus; a visit to Flint Ridge State Memorial (a flint quarry
used by American Indians for making tools and weapons) and the
"Blue Jacket Outdoor Drama" a play about Shawnee Indians, settlers
and African slaves.
Dinner is served at the site. The next day is spent in Dayton
visiting the SunWatch Prehistoric Indian Village, a site devoted to
the Fort Ancient Indians and their interest in alignments with the
sun.
Lunch is at the Peerless Mill Inn, Miamisburg, a former lumber
mill built in 1828.
Thereafter, the Miamisburg burial mound (900-foot
circumference), believed to be built by Adena Indians, is
viewed.
The day ends with an Indian dance performance at SunWatch. The
third day, spent in the Ohio Valley, covers the Fort Ancient State
Memorial, near Lebanon, built by the Hopewell Indians 2,000 years
ago for social and ceremonial purposes.
Lunch is at the Golden Lamb Inn, Lebanon, followed by a visit to
the Serpent Mound State Memorial in Peebles.
The day ends outside Chillicothe with the "Tecumseh Outdoor
Drama," a live production of the Shawnee chief's life. The fourth
day features a visit to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park,
containing 23 burial mounds.
The final attraction is the Adena State Memorial, home of Thomas
Worthington, one of Ohio's early U.S. senators and a former
governor who had met with American Indian chiefs.
The American Pathways 2000 partnership includes the U.S.
Department of Commerce's Office of Tourism Industries, the National
Tour Association, the American Bus Association, the Receptive
Services Association and the International Association of
Convention and Visitors Bureaus.
Nearly 100 American Pathways 2000 tours can be viewed at www.americanpathways.com.
U.S. Tours Wholesale Travel & Cruise
Phone: (888) 393-8687
Ross-Chillicothe CVB
Phone: (800) 413-4118
Dayton-Montgomery County CVB
Phone: (800) 221-8235, Ext. 292