Amid the shops and strip malls in downtown Fort Walton Beach, watch for the grassy tree-filled area that is the Indian Temple Mound and Museum. Behind its unassuming entry arch, discover 12,000 years of Florida history.
The mound is part of the city’s Heritage Park and Cultural Center. Begin your visit by examining the complex’s centerpiece, the mound. In about A.D. 850, the Pensacola people used sand, shell and clay to build this small earthen hill, which spans 12 feet (4 meters) high and 223 feet (68 meters) wide. It served as the platform for their temple and the residence of their chief. Imagine the centuries of political and religious ceremonies performed here.
Continue inside to the museum. Explore over 1,000 artifacts, including prehistoric ceramics and shell jewelry. Move forward in time and learn about the European explorers, early settlers and even pirates who lived here over the ages.
Pretend that you’re an early American student in the nearby Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum. Look at the desks and other educational accessories inside the one-room schoolhouse, which dates back to 1911.
Discover Fort Walton early 20th-century history in the Garnier Post Office Museum just behind the Indian Temple Mound. See where locals collected their mail and voted until the building closed in 1956.
Learn about Florida’s role in the Civil War at the Civil War Exhibits. See a recreation of a soldier’s campsite. Read the panels around the room to learn about Florida’s secession, Pensacola’s strategic location and more.
Get something to commemorate your visit in the Museum Store. Browse through replicas of the artifacts on display, including pottery and baskets. T-shirts, books and other souvenirs are also available.
Purchase your admission ticket at the Indian Temple Mound Museum building, located on the opposite side of the mound from the public parking lot. Access all the museums in the complex, which are clustered around the mound, with the single entry ticket.
Visit Indian Temple Mound and Museum any day of the week except Sunday. It remains open year-round, but operates on a reduced schedule between September and May.
