Name: Secrets Beneath the Soil
Start: 2025-10-17T12:00:00-04:00
Location: 900 N Sanctuary Rd, Chattanooga, TN, United States, Tennessee 37421

Please read the description for program details!!!!
Early bird registration 5% off (auto applies at checkout) if you register by September 20
Members use code COOSA to receive 10% off
12pm-2pm
Learn about the fascinating history of conquistadors, chiefdoms, burning villages, and more. Plus our tour guide makes it extra dramatic by asking participants to reenact parts of the story.
Join us on a hike to one of Chattanooga’s most fascinating archaeological sites, Little Owl Village! Known to archaeologists as 40HA84, this site contains hints of what life was like for people living at the village during the Mississippian period (1000-1500 CE). Archaeologists from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga conducted investigations of the site in the 1990s to search for evidence of Charles Hudson’s historical account of interactions between Spanish conquistadors, the Coosa chiefdom, and the inhabitants of Little Owl Village. During this program led by a young archaeologist trained at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, get ready to retrace history on our trail along South Chickamauga Creek and hear Little Owl Village’s story of complex social and military relationships during a time of widespread change in the 16th century.

This hike is a 2-mile round trip. Most of the trail is flat, but be prepared for a few inclines and some roots along the way. You will walk along a suspension bridge that crosses S. Chickamauga Creek.
Best for ages 7+
This hike is not stroller-friendly

3:00pm-4:30pm
Join our Archaeology expert as we unearth the mysteries of the past in this engaging, hands-on archaeology experience! Designed for ages 3-12, this program brings history to life through exploration, discovery, and artifact analysis. Step into the shoes of an archaeologist and learn how scientists uncover history!

For the older adventurers, the experience continues with the Ceramic Reconstruction Challenge! Using broken terra cotta flower pots, participants will test their skills in piecing together fragments just like real archaeologists restoring ancient artifacts.