8 day trips from Macon, with hours and admission from each park or site’s official page. Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and Andersonville National Historic Site both state they are free.
We list no drive times or miles because no official page prints them; check a map for your day. Every fact below was read on the cited official page and checked ; anything we could not read is listed under What We Could Not Confirm instead of guessed.
| What to know | Source |
|---|---|
| Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and Andersonville National Historic Site both state they are free. | nps.gov |
| Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site is open Thursday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | gastateparks.org |
| Parking at Georgia state parks is $10 per vehicle; an annual ParkPass is $70; passes are not valid at state historic sites, which charge separate admission. | gastateparks.org |
The Day Trips
| Name | Town | What it is | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park (Official site) | Macon | Walk the grounds and trails, see the Great Temple Mound and Lesser Temple Mound, and visit the Visitor Center and Earth Lodge. | Cost: Free; an entrance pass is not required (nps.gov/ocmu/planyourvisit/fees.htm) Hours: Grounds and trails 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; Visitor Center and Earth Lodge 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day Kids: Children’s Pottery Program listed on the Plan Your Visit page; Ocmulgee Indian Celebration listed (2026 dates not checked) |
| Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site (Official site) | Juliette | Tour plantation buildings, a film, museum, history trail and animal farm. | Cost: Adults (18-61) $7.00; seniors (62+) $5.25; youth (6-17) $4.50; children under 6 $1.50 (plus tax) Hours: Thursday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day Access: Trails partial (gastateparks.org/Accessibility/Facilities) Dogs: Leashed pets allowed on historic site trails, not in buildings Kids: Youth and child rates; field trips |
| Indian Springs State Park (Official site) | Flovilla | Spring House with spring water, nature trails, a small seasonal museum, paddling, fishing and miniature golf. | Cost: Parking fee required ($10 per vehicle per the ParkPass page; annual ParkPass $70) Hours: Park 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; office 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Spring House closes at sunset Season: Museum open seasonally (dates not published for 2026) Dogs: Per park rules: leashed, leash no longer than six feet; not allowed in state park and historic site buildings, swimming areas, beaches (gastateparks.org/ParkRules) Parking: Parking fee required ($10 per vehicle per the ParkPass page; annual ParkPass $70) Kids: Playground |
| High Falls State Park (Official site) | Jackson | Boating, fishing, hiking and paddling near the falls, plus a campground and yurts. | Cost: Parking fee required ($10 per vehicle per the ParkPass page; annual ParkPass $70) Hours: Park 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; office 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Access: Historic Trail is packed crush and run and wood, 0.5 mile (gastateparks.org/Accessibility/Facilities) Dogs: Per park rules: leashed, leash no longer than six feet; not allowed in state park and historic site buildings, swimming areas, beaches (gastateparks.org/ParkRules) Parking: Parking fee required ($10 per vehicle per the ParkPass page; annual ParkPass $70) Kids: Two playgrounds |
| Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge | Jones and Jasper Counties | Walking trails (0.9-mile Allison Lake Trail, 1.1-mile Pine and Creek Trails, 2.9-mile Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Trail), a 6-mile Little Rock Wildlife Drive, hunting, fishing and wildlife watching. | Hours: Sunrise to sunset; closed to the public during fall firearm deer hunts and spring turkey hunts (dates published annually) Access: Mostly gravel roads and foot paths; some moderate walking over uneven, hilly terrain; Little Rock Hiking Trail seasonally open Feb 16-Nov 14 |
| Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion | Milledgeville | Greek Revival house museum that was the residence of eight Georgia governors from 1839 to 1868. | Cost: Adults $10.00; seniors $7.00; students $2.00 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday 2-4 p.m.; tours start on the hour, last at 4 p.m.; closed Mondays, certain holidays, Thanksgiving week, week after Christmas Kids: Listed as suitable for all ages and family-friendly |
| Andersonville National Historic Site | Andersonville | Visit the National Prisoner of War Museum, the historic prison site and Andersonville National Cemetery. | Cost: Free; the page states the park is always free (nps.gov/ande/planyourvisit/fees.htm) Hours: Museum 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily; park grounds 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; National Cemetery 8 a.m.-5 p.m. every day; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day (cemetery open via Cemetery Entrance Gate) Kids: Page says most visitors spend at least two hours in the park |
| Roosevelt’s Little White House State Historic Site (Official site) | Warm Springs | Museum with the Unfinished Portrait and FDR’s 1938 Ford convertible, Walk of Flags and Stones, and picnic areas; historic area closed for renovation. | Cost: Adults (18-61) $13.00; seniors (62+) $9.75; youth (6-17) $7.50; under 6 free; guided tour $20.00 (plus tax) Hours: 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m., last ticket 4:30 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day Season: Historic area (Little White House, servant quarters, guest house) temporarily closed for renovation; museum and grounds open; ranger-led tours Sat/Sun 10 a.m., reservations required Access: Historic area paths paved pebble stone; free motorized carts for persons with disabilities Dogs: Leashed pets allowed on historic site trails, not in buildings Kids: Under 6 free; scavenger hunts and school field trip booklet |
Map of Day Trips From Macon
Not pinned (no confirmed location yet): Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion, Roosevelt's Little White House State Historic Site (Official site).
Keep Planning
FAQ
Is Ocmulgee Mounds free?
The NPS page says an entrance pass is not required. (nps.gov)
What We Could Not Confirm
- Distances and drive times from the city: deliberately not stated; no official page fetched prints them for these routes.
- Region assignments (the region field) are the compiler’s mapping of county to guide region, not from a source; verify.
- Georgia state park pages give ‘Fee required’ but not the dollar amount; the $10 daily / $70 annual figures come from gastateparks.org/ParkPass. Park pages do not state dog rules; the general rule is on gastateparks.org/ParkRules.
- Park-specific trail accessibility is not described on park pages; only the gastateparks.org/Accessibility/Facilities listing was used.
- 2026 seasonal dates and special events: not published on the fetched pages unless noted in the season field.
- Callaway Resort and Gardens (callawaygardens.com): page did not load, so hours and admission are unconfirmed and it is not included.
- Ocmulgee Mounds and Andersonville: county, pets, parking and accessibility not stated on the NPS pages read.
- Old Governor’s Mansion: county, pets, accessibility not stated on the Explore Georgia listing; operator page not fetched.
- Piedmont NWR: fees, pets not stated on visit-us page.
- The region of each entry is our own county-to-region mapping, not stated on the cited page.
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- Georgia State Parks ParkPass
- Georgia State Parks Park Rules
- Georgia State Parks accessibility by site
- Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
- Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site
- Indian Springs State Park
- High Falls State Park
- Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge
- Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion
- Andersonville National Historic Site
- Roosevelt’s Little White House State Historic Site
- NPS Ocmulgee fees
- NPS Andersonville fees
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
More from Destinations
Cite this page: It's Georgia, “Day Trips From Macon, GA”, itsgeorgia.com/destinations/historic-heartland/day-trips-from-macon/ (updated ). Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page.