More than just birds

Visitors to Georgia have the opportunity to explore a variety of sites that highlight the rich heritage of the state’s original inhabitants, including the Mississippian, Creek, and Cherokee cultures.

Cherokee Indians © photographer name

Promoting Cultural Heritage

Georgia is home to numerous significant Native American sites that reflect the rich history and cultural legacy of the region’s Indigenous peoples. From ancient mound complexes like Ocmulgee and Etowah to smaller archaeological sites scattered across the state, these locations provide insight into the lives, beliefs, and traditions of Native peoples who have inhabited the area for thousands of years. These sites, which include burial mounds, village remnants, and sacred landscapes, serve as vital connections to Georgia’s deep Native American heritage and continue to be honored and preserved today. 

The Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns works to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of American Indians in Georgia while advising state and local governments on issues affecting Native communities. The Council also helps protect American Indian burial sites and cultural remains and supports their respectful preservation and repatriation.
 
Georgia’s State Parks and Historic Sites serve as stewards of thousands of years of Native American culture, showcasing prominent locations such as the Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site, Kolomoki Mounds State Park, and New Echota State Historic Site.

Significant American Indian Cultural Sites

Explore Georgia’s remarkable birdlife while discovering places that preserve and share the state’s rich Native American history and cultural heritage. From mountain parks and wildlife areas to historic sites and ancient mounds, these destinations offer opportunities to connect with both Georgia’s natural landscapes and the stories of the people who have called them home for generations.

New Echota State Park

Celebrate the cultural legacy of the Cherokee People while discovering the innovations, political sophistication and the daily life of the residents of New Echota, Capital of the Cherokee Nation, where the Cherokee removal on the Trail of Tears officially began.

Kolomoki State Park

Serene wiregrass scenes and sacred ground shaped by the Indigenous community that once thrived at Kolomoki Mounds State Park nearly 2000 years ago continues to attract those wishing to experience the Lower Chattahoochee River Valley’s scenic and cultural legacy at the Civilian Conservation Corps built park that welcomes today’s visitor.

Seminoles wearing traditional clothing, c. 1926. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (cph 3b05468)

Seminole State Park

On the sometimes-forgotten fringes of historic Southwest Georgia, the banks of the flooded Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers border the last remnants of a primitive longleaf wiregrass ecology at Seminole State Park where one hears nature’s beckoning call to wanderers to wet a hook, walk a trail, enjoy a boat ride, and watch a sunset.