Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio -- May 26, 2011

During a walking and narrated motorcoach tour, OLLI enjoyed a day of discovery about Frank Lloyd Wright in historic Oak Park, Illinois.

On the private tour of Wright's home and studio, we saw how he used it as an architectural laboratory to test design concepts before sharing them with clients. We also took a walk along Forest Avenue to see some of the 25 Wright-designed buildings in the neighborhood, including the Hartley House and a home once occupied by Mamah Cheney, his lover and focus of the novel Loving Frank. Our day also included a private tour of the Unity Temple, where we learned even more about how Wright and his associates developed the Prairie Style of architecture.

Ancient Earthworks, Day 3 -- May 21, 1011

The final day of our three-day adventure to ancient earthworks in Ohio began with a private guided tour of the Hopewell Culture National Historic Park in Chillicothe, Ohio.

The park in south-central Ohio contains remarkable groups of large geometric earthworks as well as artifacts crafted by those of the Hopewell culture. We visited two of the five noncontiguous units within the park: Seip Earthworks and Mound City Group.

Next, we toured the Ohio Historical Center, headquarters of the Ohio Historical Society and the flagship museum of the society's network of more than 50 historic sites and museums. During our visit, we explored the 15,000 square-foot exhibit gallery that chronicles Ohio history through its plants, animals, geology, geography, and climate.

Lunch was a festive affair at Schmidt's Banquet and Meeting Haus in the Historic German Village near Columbus, where we were entertained throughout our meal by a strolling accordionist.

OLLI extends its heartfelt thanks to Dr. Michael Wiant, Director of Dickson Mounds State Museum, for his amazing commentary and guidance throughout this trip.

Ancient Earthworks, Day 2 -- May 20, 2011

The second day of OLLI's Ancient Earthworks learning trip began with an early morning visit to Fort Ancient State Memorial in Oregonia, Ohio. Park archeologist Jack Blosser welcomed our group and provided an in-depth look of the 9,000 square-foot museum and adjacent grounds, which feature more than 18,000 feet of earthen walls.

Next, we drove to Peebles, Ohio for a walking tour of Serpent Mound, known as the largest and finest serpent effigy in the United States. Nearly a quarter of a mile long, Serpent Mound represents an uncoiling serpent whose head is aligned to the summer solstice sunset. This public park, in operation for more than a century, also contains exhibits on the effigy and the geology of the surrounding area.

Archeologist and national park ranger Bret Ruby met our group at the day's third site, Seip Mound. Seip, the central mound in a group of geometric earthworks, is 240 feet long, 130 feet wide, and 30 feet high, and was built by the Hopewell Indians as a burial site.

Following lunch at the Chillicothe Country Club, we enjoyed a private tour of the Adena Mansion and Gardens, a 2,000 acre estate once owned by former Ohio governor and United States Senator Thomas Worthington. Our last stop of the day was a look at Story Mound, a large, rounded earthen mound located on just under an acre of ground in the heart of a residential neighborhood in Chillicothe.

Day Two ended with a delicious dinner at the Pump House Center for the Arts, catered by Old Canal Smokehouse.

Ancient Earthworks, Day 1 -- May 19, 2011

Dr. Michael Wiant, Director of Dickson Mounds State Museum, is accompanying 31 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Bradley University on a three-day trip to unique aboriginal earthworks in Ohio.

We began the trip with a visit to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis. The museum, opened in 1989, has served as the primary venue for Native American art and culture in Indiana. It is also the only museum in the midwest to offer extensive collections of both Native American and American Western art.

Next, we took a tour of the Miamisburg Mound in Miamisburg, Ohio. According to the Ohio Historical Society, the Miamisburg is the largest conical burial mound in the state. Archaeological studies of the surrounding area have shown the mound to be 68 feet high, 852 feet in circumference, and containing 311,353 cubic feet of dirt.

We wrapped up the first day with dinner at The Golden Lamb, recognized as the oldest continuously operating business in Ohio. Between courses, we were treated to an enlightening presentation by the hotel/restaurant's resident historian, who shared stories about The Golden Lamb's many prominent guests (including several United States Presidents).