Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Georgia

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park is located in Macon, Georgia, and helps interpret the history of the area including an Earth Lodge. Ocmulgee National Monument has 17,000 years of human history.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

The Paleo-Indians first came to this part of Georgia during the Ice Age. The mounds found in the park were constructed for elite members of society in 900 C.E. when the Mississippians arrived.

The Mississippian culture thrived here until Europeans arrived around 1600.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park is a great park that offers a ton of history and walking adventures. You can easily choose between indoor and outdoor activities and how much walking you want to do at this park.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park was previously Ocmulgee National Monument.

The visitor center is the perfect place to start your visit. Learn about the 17,000 years of history of the park, pick up a Junior Ranger packet, and watch the park film to get started.

Explore the Earthlodge

The Earth Lodge floor has been carbon-dated to 1015. The earth lodge is a reconstruction of a ceremonial building that stood on the north side of the Mississippian village.

The entrance into the Earth Lodge is a bit tight so be prepared if you are not a fan of tight space. My wife gets claustrophobic and decided to not venture into the Earth Lodge.

Once you are through the passageway you can look down on the ceremonial area of the Earth Lodge. Make sure and check out the eagle shape in the dirt/clay.

Make sure and push the button inside the earth lodge to hear a verbal history of the lodge and what you can see from the observation landing.

Visit the Visitor Center/Museum

There are over 2,000 artifacts in the museum to explore. Make sure to check out the exhibit detailing what the Earth Lodge would have looked like in use.

Don't miss the ceremonial headdress that includes a copper-covered puma jaw and sun disks. Most likely this headdress was worn by a Mississippian Chief.

Watch the 17-minute park film

The park film is a great way to learn more about the history of the park. With over 17,000 years of history, the visitor center film helps break down the history and different cultures in an easy to understand manner.

Walk one of the six miles of hiking trails

There are six miles of hiking trails around the park. The trails include open areas and forested areas that are perfect for bird watching.

Be prepared that the mounds are farther than they look when you see them from the visitor center.

This park is great for walking your dog on a leash.

Dunlap Trail- ¼ mile
McDougal Trail- ½ mile
Heritage Trail- ¾ mile
Opelofa Trail & Loop- 1 mile
Bartram Trail- ¾ miles
Visitor Center to the Great Temple Mound-½ mile
The Southeast Mound Trail –¼ miles
The Hitchiti Village Site Trail –½ miles
The River Trail –1 mile
Funeral Mound Trail –¼ miles
Corn Field Mound Trial –¼ miles

Greater and Lesser Temple Mounds

You can choose to take a walking trail to many of the mounds or drive your car to a parking lot near the mounds.

Be prepared that the mounds are farther than they look from the visitor center!

Be prepared for the heat and the hills!

Greater and Lesser Temple Mounds

Funeral Mound

Village leaders would have been buried in this mound. To date, more than 100 burials have been uncovered in this mound. The mound would have been built over time. A large portion of the mound was destroyed when the railroad was built in the 1870s.

Cornfield Mound

It is believed that this mound was originally around eight feet high. They believe this mound was most likely used as a platform for a ceremonial building.

Cell Phone Tour

Dial (478) 257-9250 at one of seven sites in the park.

Junior Ranger Program

The majority of the Junior Ranger Program can be completed within the visitor center. There are a couple of sections that include hiking among the mounds and learning about them.

The park has plastic junior ranger shields when you complete the program.

Don't forget to pack

Insect repellent is always a great idea outdoors, especially around any body of water.

We use Permethrin Spray on our clothes before our park trips. Please read my article on preventing biting insects while enjoying the outdoors.

Sunscreen - I buy environmentally friendly sunscreen whenever possible because you inevitably pull it out at the beach.

Bring your water bottle and plenty of water with you. Plastic water bottles are not sold in the park.

Sunglasses - I always bring sunglasses with me. I personally love Goodr sunglasses because they are lightweight, durable, and have awesome National Park Designs from several National Parks like Joshua Tree, Yellowstone, Hawaii Volcanoes, Acadia, Denali, and more!

Click here to get your National Parks Edition of Goodr Sunglasses!

Binoculars/Spotting Scope - These will help spot birds and wildlife and make them easier to identify. We tend to see waterfowl in the distance, and they are always just a bit too far to identify them without binoculars.

Ocmulgee Mounds NHP Info/Things to Know

Park Address - 1207 Emery Highway, Macon, Georgia

Directions from Atlanta- Drive south on I-75 to Macon. Exit I-75 onto I-16 east (exit on left). Get off I-16 at exit 2 (Coliseum Drive), take a left under the highway, and proceed to where Coliseum Dr. ends at Emery Highway. Turn right on Emery Highway and proceed to the third light. The entrance is on the right side of the road.

GPS - Be careful with your GPS for directions. The national park website was a lifesaver when we tried to find the park. Our GPS took us in a totally wrong direction.

Park Hours - The park and the Visitor Center have the same operating hours of 9:00 am-5:00 pm 7 days a week.

All visitors must out of the park by 5:00 pm.

There is an electric gate at the front entrance.

The park is closed on December 25 and January 1

Park Phone number - (478) 752-8257

Park fees - There are no National Park fees collected to visit Ocmulgee National Monument. There is a fee collected during the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration.

Learn more about National Park Passes for parks that have an entrance fee.

$80.00 - For the America the Beautiful/National Park Pass. The pass covers entrance fees to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites for an entire year and covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and up to 4 adults for per-person sites.

2024 America The Beautiful National Park Pass

Buy your pass at this link, and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.

National Park Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the five free entrance days the National Park Service offers annually.

Hotel near the park - Marriott Macon City

Check out the other great Georgia National Parks