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Categories: Sports & Recreation; Outdoor Adventures; History & Heritage
Overview.0 Just east of what is now Macon, in central Georgia, a thriving Native American community of Mississippians lived from about 900 to 1150 AD. Displacing another woodland culture, they farmed the bottomlands and built earthlodges and mounds, the ruins of which this park preserves. By 1350 they had disappeared, however, to be replaced by the Lamar culture. After contact with Hernando de Soto's expeditions in 1540 and later explorers, the Lamar died away, victims of disease and assimilation. When the English established a trading post in 1690, Creek Indians settled here, but by 1715 the site was again abandoned. The monument includes a reconstructed earthlodge, earthworks, some ruins, and hiking trails.
What to see and do.0 Begin your tour by stopping at the Art Deco Visitors Center and gift shop. Watch the 17-minute movie and look at the exhibits displaying pottery, beads and other artifacts gleaned from the site. You can see the ruins either by car tour along the Temple Mound Drive or on foot trails connecting the sights. Many earthlodges were built here, and one has been reconstructed. Inside the 42-foot-diameter building, 47 bench seats and a bird-shaped clay platform surround a firepit. Other features include the ruins of a funeral mound (destroyed by an 1870 railroad), prehistoric trenches, and temple mounds. Along the Lower Creek Trading Path, you'll find the trading post ruins. Take time to slowly absorb the reminders of cultures centuries old.
Ocmulgee also hosts many varieties of birds, plants, and animals. After you've seen the ruins, walk the Opelofa Nature Trail. Winding along the Walnut Creek lowlands, you may see anything from a swamp rabbit to a squirrel or a treefrog. With your fishing license, you can test your luck in the creek waters.
Call ahead for special events held throughout the year. Spring and fall are your best visiting times because summers can be hot and buggy. The Monument is open 9 AM to 5 PM daily. It is closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Leashed pets are permitted. Handicapped-accessible facilities and a picnic area are available.
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