Ocmulgee National Monument

Wendy and I love history, that's most of the reason we travel. History teaches us about who we are as a person, and how far we have come as a people. History teaches us about our past successes and failures so we can improve our future. Well few sights in this nation can offer more history than the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon, Georgia, and few sites can show us a greater example of an amazing culture that was lost than the historic mounds there. I know what you're thinking, and yes, ancient mounds can be that cool. Different tribes of Native Americans have been living on this site for more than ten thousand years. From nomadic paleolithic tribes to the more modern Mississippian tribes, they have fought over and exchanged lands along the Ocmulgee River often holding on to the land for another thousand years before the next major tribe would rise to power and drive out there defeated enemies.

Ocmulgee National Monumeunt is located at 1207 Emery Highway, Macon, Georgia 31217. It is very easy to get too. Take I-16 right into the heart of Macon, then take the North Avenue exit to US-23. The park is around two miles down the highway on your right.  Another awesome part about the park is the price, it's FREE. Who doesn't like awesome free stuff? I'll tell you who, losers.  When you arrive there is plenty of parking at the welcome center, which has a great museum of Georgia's Native American culture you should plan to spend about half an hour in, but there is also a road that runs through the park that has periodic parking lots ever half mile or so if you would like to skip all the walking. 

After parking at the ranger station take the walking path to the left to the first site, the Earth Lodge. Discovered by archaeologists excavating the site in the 1930's, the lodge is labeled as the oldest ceremonial lodge in the country dating back to the 12th Century. Go inside for a view of the interior as the Mississippian tribe would have seen it. They were advanced enough to build the interior of the mound with an opening to let the smoke out.  This massive interior chamber easily could have held 20-30 people if needed.  I will warn you the opening to the interior chamber is not big, and by not big I mean tiny, but it's worth a little crawling once you are in there.

Continue walking towards the rear of the park and you will see the two 19th Century railroad cuts that ran through this land. You wonder if those workers had any idea what they were working near as they built the tracks for the great iron beasts that would run through this long held Native American land.  After you walk over the bridge you will come to the stone outline of a British trading post from the 17th Century. Traveling up river from Charleston, it took tremendous courage to explore unknown country in a time where one wrong turn could leave you lost in a wilderness forever.

Crossing over the road that cuts through the park you will come to the highlight of the site, the Great and Lesser Temple Mounds. The Great Mound stands nine stories tall from the base near the river's edge. Take the stairs to the top for a view of downtown Macon you will not get from any other site. You will also have a view over all of the domain of those who ruled this land. There is a ceremonial ball court for the stick game many Native American tribes played, and on the other side you will see the smaller Lesser Temple Mound for one would assume smaller ceremonies. Behind the Great Mound is a nature walk that takes you over the marshlands around the river and gives you a chance to view some wildlife. To the left of the Great Mound is a burial mound about half a mile away. There is no need to walk there, they have no information about that mound on display, and you are not allowed near it because of the nature of its use.

The whole site can be seen well in an hour and a half. If you want to take longer to explore the nature paths just stay as long as you like.  While you are there remember to be thankful for all of the modern advancements our civilization has made, but remember to understand most of our forefathers were able to make it in this untamed wilderness because of the skills they learned from the Native Americans who had lived here for millennia earlier. This site is a true piece of American history, and we should all take the time to understand it better.