MACON, Ga. — The sign at the gate says the park closes at 5 p.m. but this weekend, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park is breaking the rules.
And that's a good thing.
This weekend and next, they're hosting nighttime tours of the park's big attractions, including the Great Temple Mound.
Hundreds of guests showed up Saturday night between 7:30 and 9 p.m. for self-guided tours lit by park-provided lanterns.
Park rangers gave history lessons throughout the roughly one-mile walking tour and volunteers like Scott McCardel helped make sure everything ran smoothly.
"It's a unique way to see the park," he said. "Normally we close at 5 p.m. You just don't get this perspective and it's really cool and unique way to enjoy the great resource that Macon has."
The tours start about every 10 minutes from the park's visitor's center. They run from roughly 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights during both weekends of the Cherry Blossom Festival.
It costs $6 for adults, $1 for kids between 12 and 6 and is free for anyone younger than that.