• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Park Ranger John

National Parks

  • Home
  • About
    • About Park Ranger John
    • Contact Park Ranger John
    • Advertise/PR
    • Disclosure
  • Travel
    • US National Parks
    • List of National Parks by State
    • List of US National Parks in Alphabetical Order
    • Cruise Travel
  • Recipes
  • Outdoor Life
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Travel / US National Parks / Ocmulgee National Historical Park

May 8, 2018

Ocmulgee National Historical Park

Ocmulgee 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.

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 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.

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.

 

Ocmulgee National Historical Park 

Contents

  • Ocmulgee National Historical Park 
    • Explore the Earthlodge
    • Visit the Visitor Center/Museum
    • Watch the 17-minute park film
    • Walk one of the six miles of hiking trails
  • Visit the Mounds
    • Cell Phone Tour
    • Junior Ranger Program
  • Things to bring with you to the park
  • Ocmulgee National Monument Info/Things to Know
    • Parks near Ocmulgee National Park

Explore the Earthlodge

The Earth Lodge floor has been carbon dated to 1015.  The earthlodge 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.  The visitor center is undergoing construction in 2018. The entrance to the visitor center has been moved but you can still access the entire visitor center.

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- 1/4 mile
McDougal Trail- 1/2 mile
Heritage Trail- 3/4 mile
Opelofa Trail & Loop- 1 mile
Bartram Trail- 3/4 miles
Visitor Center to the Great Temple Mound-1/2 mile
The Southeast Mound Trail –1/4 miles
The Hitchiti Village Site Trail –1/2 miles
The River Trail –1 mile
Funeral Mound Trail –1/4 miles
Corn Field Mound Trial –1/4 miles

Visit the 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 1870’s.

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.

Things to bring with you to the park

Water

Sunscreen/ hat/sunglasses – Many sections of the park are in open fields with no shade. Be prepared for the Georgia heat!!!

Bug Spray

Comfortable shoes for walking

Ocmulgee National Monument 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. Our entrance is on the right side of the road.

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

Hotel near the park – Marriott Macon City

Check out the other great Georgia National Parks 

Parks near Ocmulgee National Park

Ninety Six National Historic Park – South Carolina

 

Related posts:

  1. New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
  2. Women’s Rights National Historical Park
  3. Nez Perce National Historical Park
  4. Saratoga National Historical Park

Filed Under: US National Parks

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Photobucket
Hi, I’m Park Ranger John and I am so happy you are here!  I have been a Park Ranger for almost 20 years and can’t wait to share with you National Park Travel Tips, Recipes, and so much more!
Learn more about Park Ranger John.

Follow Park Ranger John:

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Top National Park Tips

  • US National Park List
  • 13 Hikes in Zion National Park
  • Muir Woods National Monument
  • Zion National Park Camping
  • 7 Epic Hikes in Arches National Park
  • Crater Lake Camping
  • 7 Things to do in Petrified Forest National Park
  • Arches National Park Camping
  • Things to do in Yellowstone
  • Joshua Tree National Park Travel Tips
  • Chisos Mountain Lodge

Top Recipe Posts

  • Irish Sour Apple Cocktail
  • Taco Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
  • 29 Chocolate Lovers Brownie Recipes
  • 27 Tasty Slider Recipes 
  • Tequila Lemon Sour Cocktail Recipe
  • Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
  • Iced Irish Coffee Recipe

Footer

Follow on:

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Great Resources

How to Become a Park Ranger

Printable list of US National Parks in Alphabetical Order

Printable List of all 419 US National Park Sites

 

Copyright© 2019 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks