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Moundville Archaeological Park: Echoes of a Mississippian Metropolis

Discover ancient Native American history at Moundville Archaeological Park, a preserved Mississippian culture site with mounds, museum, and village.

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Explore one of North America's largest and best-preserved Mississippian culture sites at Moundville Archaeological Park. Discover ancient earthen mounds, a fascinating museum, and a replica village, offering a glimpse into a sophisticated pre-Columbian society that thrived centuries ago [3, 9].

A brief summary to Moundville Archaeological Park

Local tips

  • Allow at least 2-3 hours to fully explore the park, including the mounds, museum, and village replica [10].
  • Wear comfortable shoes for walking and climbing the mounds [10].
  • Visit during the Moundville Native American Festival in October for a vibrant celebration of Native American culture [4, 10, 13].
  • Bring a picnic to enjoy on the park's grounds or by the Black Warrior River [4, 10].
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Getting There

  • Driving

    Moundville Archaeological Park is located at 634 Mound State Parkway, Moundville, AL 35474 [2, 10]. From Tuscaloosa, take US-82 W for approximately 18 miles [10]. Take the exit toward Moundville/US-43 S and exit onto Mound State Parkway. Follow Mound State Parkway for about 3 miles to the park entrance [10]. Free parking is available on-site [4, 7, 10].

  • Taxi/Rideshare

    From Tuscaloosa, a taxi or rideshare service (Uber/Lyft) to Moundville Archaeological Park will take approximately 20 minutes, covering a distance of about 17 miles [10]. Expect to pay between $40-$50 for the ride [10]. There is no public transportation available between Tuscaloosa and Moundville [4, 10].

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Discover more about Moundville Archaeological Park

Moundville Archaeological Park, situated on the Black Warrior River near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, preserves the legacy of a powerful Mississippian culture that flourished from around 1000 AD to 1450 AD [3, 14]. Once the political and ceremonial center of a regionally organized chiefdom, Moundville was a major trade hub and the largest city in America, north of Mexico [3, 14, 9, 11]. Called “The Big Apple of the 14th Century” by National Geographic, the park encompasses 326 acres and features 29 platform mounds surrounding a vast central plaza [9, 11]. Extensive archaeological investigations reveal that the mounds served as elevated platforms for civic and ceremonial structures and the homes of nobles [3, 9, 13]. Today, visitors can explore these impressive earthworks, climb the 60-foot-tall Mound B, the park's largest mound, and visit the Jones Archaeological Museum, which showcases artifacts unearthed at the site [4, 15]. The museum features life-size figures dressed in ceremonial clothing and jewelry, providing insight into the lives and beliefs of the Mississippian people [4, 11]. In addition to the mounds and museum, the park features a replica of a Mississippian village, offering a glimpse into the daily life of the community [11]. Visitors can also enjoy a half-mile nature trail, picnic areas, and scenic views of the Black Warrior River [4, 9]. The park hosts the Moundville Native American Festival each October, celebrating the culture and heritage of Southeastern Indians with storytelling, music, dance, and demonstrations by artisans [4, 10, 13]. Moundville is culturally linked to the seven Muskogean-speaking tribes [3].

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