Heritage Park and Cultural Center museum addition

The centerpiece of the City’s Heritage Park and Cultural Center is a 17-foot-tall prehistoric mound built by the Native Americans living in our area between 800 AD and 1400 AD. The Fort Walton Temple Mound is thought to be one of the largest such structures on the Gulf Coast and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

The Indian Temple Museum opened in 1962.  The current museum building was built in 1970 and expanded to add an education room in 2002. Located at 139 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Heritage Park and Cultural Center consists of the Indian Temple Mound Museum, the Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum, the Garnier Post Office, and a Civil War Exhibit Building.  These museums document the human settlement of this area as far back as 12,000 BC.

Thanks to the generous donation of adjacent property by the family of longtime museum supporter Chris Gibson, the City was able to design and fund a much-needed expansion to Heritage Park.  In August 2023, City staff, Council members, and representatives from The Highland Group contracting company broke ground on a $1.8 million, 4,800 square-foot expansion. The 2-story addition will give the Indian Temple Mound Museum a new entrance facing U.S. Highway 98 and provide space for a larger Museum Store, administrative offices, storage, and an area for specialty programs.

The museum addition is nearing completion and will open November 1, 2025.  The new building will allow more gallery exhibit space to be developed in the old building. The museum will open in phases over the coming months as staff and volunteers use this opportunity to update exhibits and displays.