During your visit to the Ocmulgee National Monument Visitor Center, step into the past and discover the various cultures that lived on the Macon Plateau thousands of years ago in the center’s archaeological museum, explore Earthlodge, or take a stroll and discover the temple mounds.
Mystery of the Mounds
During your visit to the Ocmulgee National Monument Visitor Center, take the time to watch Mystery of the Mounds. This 17-minute film explores Ocmulgee’s past and will provide you with answers to the mysteries behind the ancient mounds.
Ocmulgee National Monument Visitor Center Exhibits
The Visitor Center’s exhibits on the archaeology and prehistoric people are brought to life through ancient artifacts, some found during archaeological digs in the park. The first exhibition in the rotunda displays artifacts that cover the 12,000 years of human habitation around the Ocmulgee National Monument. In the second gallery you will find artifacts that deal more specifically with the Mississippians from ancient hunting tools they used such as atlatls, bows and arrows to a wide variety of pottery that attest to the different types of earthenware these innovative people used in their everyday lives. Other artifacts of ancient intrigue include the ceramic human effigies and decorative pieces made from conch shells.
Earthlodge and Temple Mounds
Earthlodge, the only mound visitors can enter while visiting Ocmulgee National Monument is just minutes from the Visitor Center, its’ reconstructed walls and roof help to protect the original floor which dates back 1,000 years ago. Explore the mound and learn about the politics, problem solving methods and spiritual ideas of the societies of the past, or stroll through the national park and discover other Early Mississippian temple mounds.
Stop by the Ocmulgee National Monument Gift Store. Whether you are looking for a keepsake to remember your time at Ocmulgee National Monument Visitor Center, or a gift for a loved one, a selection of books, Native American handcrafted jewelry, dolls and arrowheads are available to purchase.
Travel Tips
- Do not forget your camera. The Ocmulgee National Monument Visitor Center is not only surrounded by the Mississippian temple mounds, but its upland fields and forests with riverine woods and wetlands along Walnut Creek and the Ocmulgee River provide visitors with unique photo opportunities.
- Ask your tour guide about special events taking place during your visit to the Ocmulgee National Monument.