After having an incredible experience swimming with a manatee, we continued our Crystal River adventure.

We were still elated from our Crystal River Watersports tour, and we decided to do a bit more exploring in the area. We hadn’t been to the area before and wanted to see a bit more of the town.

We drove to the PaddleTail Waterfront Lodge where we checked in and had a good night’s rest. The staff was nice and the room was clean–Traveling with the Trapps approved. 😉

We woke bright and early to head over to the Crystal River Archaeological State Park. The morning chill was still in the air, but the sun was shining and felt amazing! Our first stop was the museum. The very knowledgeable volunteer gave us a map of the park and explained what the different sites were and the historical significance.

Before we ventured out to the grounds, we wanted to look at the artifacts on display inside. The amount and quality of the different items were quite impressive. In fact, many artifacts from the site are on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

We were amazed by the gorgeous jars and the fossils found during the excavations! The jars pictured below were from the Weeden Island Period 1000 A.D. The touch table was fun and educational, too!

We also were fascinated by the dug out canoe and the arrowheads with various tools that were found in Crystal River. It was very interesting that one of the projectile points was most likely Folsom. According to the sign in the display, “This specimen closely resembles Folsom points used in other parts of the United States to hunt extinct large bison. It probably dates to around 10,000 B.C. and is thus the earliest projectile point known for Florida.” Wow! That is so cool!

My favorite part of the display were the incredible sherds and vessels. I couldn’t believe the detail and amazing patterns they created. It is absolutely fascinating to me that these artifacts were found in such perfect condition from over 1,000 years ago. The shell beads and pendant are so beautiful, too.

This is the model of the Crystal River Site. It shows the complex complete with Mounds, Midden Mounds, and Burial Mounds that were built between 400-600 A.D.

Just to give you a bit of history and the significance of the Crystal River Site, prehistoric Native Americans occupied the site back to approximately 500 B.C. We learned that the site was a ceremonial center until around 900 A.D. Some of the artifacts in the burial mounds came all the way from the Great Lakes! There was a great trade network called the Hopewell Interactions Sphere that extended from the Great Lakes, Montana, and down to the Gulf Coast.

During the Weeden and the Safety Harbor periods, they would come to Crystal River to bury their dead and have religious ceremonies at the site. It was abandoned before the arrival of the Europeans to America. (Credit for this information and from the paragraph above comes from the educational video shown at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park.)

Mound H was the first mound we visited on the site. There is a hill which led to the top of a stage-like area. The top of the mound, where it is presumed ceremonies were performed, was flat and looked like a platform. In front of the mound, you could see the low area where the crowds would be gathered. It was so cool to visualize what it would be like at these huge ceremonial events and gatherings.

Main Burial Complex (Mounds C-F) is mostly sand and shell. According to the handout provided by the museum, “It has a layout that resembles burial sites in the Ohio River Valley. The Crystal River Site is the southernmost site in the United States currently known to have used this burial mound layout.”

Stele 1 is a mystery. It has a face carved in the stone with hair flowing off to the left. Although offerings were left at the Stele, there is no further information to indicate who the face represents.

The Midden Area is basically a landfill where the Native Americans disposed of all the oyster shells and animal bones from their time at the site. Pieces of pottery have also been found here. It gave clues of what life may have been like hundreds of years ago.

Mound A was absolutely incredible! “Originally, this mound made of shell and sand was 30 feet high, 182 feet long and 100 feet wide at the base, with an 80-foot-long ramp.” (https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/top-temple-mound) Although some of the mound was removed, it is still an incredible experience to climb the 51 steps to the top. The view was amazing! You could see where the people would most likely have gathered to watch the ceremony. It certainly felt like a sacred place. The wind was hushed as we stood atop the mound and looked over the grounds and beyond to the Crystal River.

Stele 2 is another mysterious structure. This Stele did not have any markings or indications on it, however it lines up to the second temple mound so there seems to be some significance. It is very curious!

Our family had the best time exploring and learning about the history at the Crystal River Site. It was one of those times where we felt completely immersed in the past.

Honestly, the pictures don’t do it justice, so I made a video of the Crystal River Archaeological State Park to give you a better idea of what it was really like. You can watch by either clicking on this link: Secrets of Crystal River Archeological State Park, or by clicking on the photo below.

After all that exploring, we decided we needed to have a nice lunch. Some of our friends in the area recommended Peck’s Old Port Cove. It was a bit of a drive, but the seafood was absolutely delicious! Our waitress Kylee was amazing and we appreciate all the kind people we met there.

We had such a great time in Crystal River, and we are already talking about coming back to the area. It’s a very nice town with friendly people and fun things to do. We loved it!

We hope you enjoyed traveling along with us!

If you’d like to keep exploring, you can find more family travel adventures here:

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We’ve also shared videos on our YouTube channel to complement this post and bring the experience to life.

Thanks so much for traveling with us — and stay tuned for more adventures with Traveling with the Trapps.

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