Tomoka Mounds and Middens near Daytona Beach, FL

For a fascinating journey into ancient times, visitors should not miss the Tomoka Mounds and Middens. For a fascinating journey into ancient times, visitors should not miss the Tomoka Mounds and Middens. Located in Tomoka State Park and dating back 5500 years, this archaeological site rests on one of the earliest Native American settlements in Florida and is an impressive complex of prehistoric burial mounds and shell middens. The most common sight in the park are the forty-foot-high shell middens, or piles of prehistoric trash, that are composed of millions of shells from oysters, clams, and freshwater snails that represent innumerable prehistoric meals. Over time, what were begun by the ancient inhabitants as small piles of refuse slowly transformed into the mountains of debris that visitors can still walk amongst today.