Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park

If you weren’t already aware, I am a big fan of National Park Service properties. I am also a proud holder of a National Park passport. So when we decided to go to Tallahassee over Labor Day, I scouted out what National Park properties were on the way. Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park sits just a few miles from downtown Macon, Georgia. It’s about a two hour drive away from Augusta and is a really cool site. This was the first of three National Park properties we visited on our trip.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park consists mainly of a series of earth mounds, witnesses to almost 17,000 years of human occupation. Start at the Visitors’ Center, which has a good timeline covering the different civilizations. The Civilian Conservation Corps also built the Visitors’ Center and helped with excavations during the Depression.

Address and Location

You’ll find Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park at 1207 Emery Highway in Macon, Georgia.

Cost

Admission to Ocmulgee National Monument is free. The park does charge admission during the annual Ocmulgee Indian Celebration and for other events.

What to do

Our first stop was the Earth Lodge. The Earth Lodge floor is original and is the oldest building floor in the United States. You have to duck through the tunnel-style entrance to walk to the center of the Lodge. Inside, you can play an audio recording that reviews some of the theories about how and why the Lodge was used.

Next, we drove to the Great Temple Mound, the largest mound on the site. This stands about 90 feet tall, with a series of stairs to the top. The park ranger actually suggested we drive because of the heat (it was already around 90 degrees with similar humidity), but you can walk. The prevailing opinion is that the Great Temple Mound was used as a religious or ceremonial site, with different cultures adding layers over the centuries. The Mound also gives you a good view of downtown Macon.

From there, we got back on the road. If we had more time, we would have checked out more of the mounds, but we wanted to visit two more sites. If you’re in the area, Ocmulgee National Monument also hosts the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration each year.

Have you visited Ocmulgee National Monument?

Georgia National Park Service sites: Andersonville National Historic Site  |  Jimmy Carter National Historic Site  |  Fort Pulaski National Monument  |  Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park  |  Our weekend in the Golden Isles  |  Fort Frederica National Monument  |  Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site  |  Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area  |  Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park