While my sister was visiting from Tucson, we made time to go on a couple of day trips from Americus. One of them was to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Site, formerly known as Ocmulgee National Monument. It was a beautiful 90 minute drive through the Georgia countryside.
With over 17,000 years of continuous human habitation, Ocmulgee is a prehistoric American Indian site. In the early 1930s, Ocmulgee Mounds had the largest archeology dig in American history with over 800 men working under the supervision of Dr. Arthur Kelly.
During the Ice Age, the Paleo-Indians lived in this area. Around 900 C.E., the Mississippians arrived.
Ocmulgee's Earth Lodge allows visitors the opportunity to experience the inside of a ceremonial mound.
The Earth Lodge has been open to the public since 1937.
The Earth Lodge, a Mississippian Council House, has been carbon dated to the year 1015.
The Great Temple Mound also dates to the Mississippian era.
Check out the maze of stairs to get to the top.
The National Park offers 702 acres of history, nature and hiking trails.
There is so much to explore and we did not realize that we could easily have spent an entire day and still not seen all of it.
When we first arrived, we went into the visitor's center to get an idea of what we might find at Ocmulgee. After spending hours in the heat, it was a great respite to enter the air-conditioned museum to learn more.
There is so much to learn about our American journey in Southwest Georgia. Most people think about the Civil War historic sites and, of course, Jimmy Carter. It is definitely worth the time to dig a little deeper and explore the lives of those who lived here first.
So, the next time you are planning a trip in this direction, you might want to take the opportunity to discover a little more about the history of Georgia and our country.
Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn B&B blog. We look forward to hosting your visit in the near future.
Love,
Susan and Kim
Owners/Innkeepers