Poverty Point World Heritage Site

I brought my 12 year old son to see the mounds as part of his personal studies and because it's part of his native heritage. We loved it. It was beautiful. A wonderful walk, and there was even a tour we could have joined but we traveled 3 hours to be there and only had enough time to do one thing. Next time we go to visit we will make sure we have more time. The management and grounds keepers were very kind and knowledgeable.

Who knew there was a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Louisiana? Not me! The site itself is shrouded in mystery. Stroll through woods, pastures and even atop yet to be excavated by archeologists, mounds. The site is sublime. The visitor center ranger is friendly and knowledgeable, the informational video fascinating and just being there is intriguing. There is even a driving tour if ambling through the countryside doesn’t suit you. This place is a marvel.

An amazing archeological site. It’s earliest inhabitants ate mastodon and ground sloths. When visiting, go straight to the visitors center. They offers guides for both a walking tour and a driving tour. They also offer a guided train ride. I strongly recommend taking the guided tour before doing your own driving and/or walking tour. The visitors center also has short movies about the site. These informative shorts were a great visual to help imagine the people and activities of the site. Touring with knowledge gives depth and meaning to the history of the site. Again, the history of the site is amazing. This site is one of the oldest in the worlds, older then Stonehenge and the pyramids. The site is food for fodder for anyone interested in the the early American natives. What happened to their dead? There were no burial sites. Is it the first city in North America? Who were the people who lived there? No bones for DNA testing. These hunter gathers were not nomadic. It’s estimated that 700 people lived on the site. Yet, it was not an agricultural site. The walk up one of the tallest mounds in Northern American is doable for people who can walk up stairs, but find stair challenges. There were two bench stops and rails when needed. Give your self several hours for the tour and bring a hat, sunscreen, bug repellent and water. Admission is free to anyone over 62 and only $4.00 for everyone else.

The guides did a wonderful job explaining the mounds, age, how long it took to build. Using tools like ground penatrating radar and see the mound's layers, finding where large wooden polls once stood. Great displays of found artifacts from the area and books of exploration and diagrams. Electric riding wagon with rows of seats for guests to ride throug the mounds with the guides.

Well worth the trip! Very affordable admission gets you in the museum and a guided tour of the mounds. The folks working here are very passionate about maintaining the integrity of the area, and with good reason. This was created long before the white man ever thought about "discovering" the area, and so much could have been lost before the area was deemed a national monument and put on the map for all to come and look at.