Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
A sophisticated Native American society of about 20,000 people that operated via a sun calendar and disappeared by 1400.
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  • Sara
    73 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a stop
    We visited on a trip to St Louis after seeing how close it was. It was very neat to see something with so much history and the view from the top of monks mound was incredible (and quite the workout). The visitor center/museum was closed, not sure if it was just after hours or for renovations but maps and info were available outside. There is an option for a virtual tour via a purchased app. I’m sure we missed some info but still enjoyed the visit and appreciated the history.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 12, 2024
  • RV Manifest Destiny
    165 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unique historical site
    The museum was closed for work, but you could go into the gift shop and bathrooms in the main building. Bathrooms across the way at the main mound were also open and well maintained. Dont forget to visit woodhenge right down the road from the main mound. You can get an amazing picture of the St. Louis arch from on top of the main mound.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 29, 2024
  • kenwilson569
    Farmington, New Mexico14 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great place to visit
    Wonderful place to visit. Easy to access and a unique and greatly overlooked experience. Very picturesque and definitely worth the visit despite some shortcomings. The main downside is that the State of Illinois needs to turn management over to someone who knows what they're doing. Few descriptions of what you're looking at. The visitor center has been and will continue to be shut down for "repairs" for the foreseeable future. The online tour for $5.00 doesn't work. Also beware that the area that surrounds the park is rather "sketchy".
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 13, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles838 reviews
Excellent
574
Very good
215
Average
41
Poor
4
Terrible
4

D J
RatherNotSay287 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Family
If you're a history / archaeology buff, do not miss this. The more you learn about this site the more you're in awe of it. We signed up for a scheduled tour that begins at the visitor's center (note: GPS guided us to a parking lot as we came from St Louis - go a little further down the road and you'll see the center). Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and we did some significant walking all around the 'lower' part of the site on one side of the road. If you can't do a scheduled tour, you'll get a lot of the same information along with a virtual reality view of the grounds back at the time it was occupied by purchasing the VR app they offer (it's $5 and VERY worth it). At each site you can visually see the site brought back to life super-imposed over the existing landscape. So cool. On the other side of the road is the pyramid called Monks Mound. A sad name for such an awe-inspiring ancient pyramid. Climb the steps to the top and use the VR app again for sites all around the top, looking out over what would have been a very large settlement with satellite villages off in every direction. I cannot recommend this site enough, it is likely my favorite stop on our "visit to St Louis" beating out the Clydesdales, the Arch, and the Botanical Garden. But much of that is because this type of site is a passion for me. If it is for you as well, you have to go, you won't be disappointed!
Written October 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chris M
Pocono Mountains Region, PA467 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Family
This is a cultural and historical artifact that I wish the site had done a better job putting into context. The museum was closed when we visited and I think that really hurt our better understanding of the site, which is clearly a big deal but it was hard to discern from just the signage on the mounds alone. To visit Monks Mound across the street, I recommend driving and parking there vs trying to cross the busy street on foot. Also be prepared to climb 155 steps one way to reach the top, where there are undeniably great views to be had on a clear day. We hope to return when the museum is open to better appreciate this site.
Written September 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Grover R
Pensacola, FL22,473 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
This is the largest native American settlement in the US or Canada, so for me it is an American essential. With that said the current museum and VC is closed for repairs, however, the mounds are open and can be visited and ascended. We actually had read much about the sight the day before in the Fields Museum of Chicago.

With that education, the site itself was a great experience. There are many mounds around the area; however, the main mound is a two level earthwork worth your effort to ascend. The first level is the prophet's mound where the religious ordained priest would live. Ascending to the highest level was reserved for the Chief and his family. One of the interesting things today is that the settlement seems a long way from the river, (You can see St. Louis in the distance). However, at the top you can see an oxbow lake that was once a part of the river, very close by, so at one time it was close to the flowing Mississippi.

Today the climb is the equivalent of 8 stories and despite temperatures near 100 we climbed to the top. In addition to surveying all around you, you do get great views of St. Louis. We ascended, enjoyed the view and returned to our car. Currently, the only facilities are portable toilets, but at least it is something. We climbed to experience the mounds and to see St. Louis. With that said, I did not see a lot more, but we enjoyed our visit to the historic native settlement.
Written July 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

susieQ304
Aledo, TX2,246 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
This is an interesting archeological National Historical site near St. Louis. It was first settled around AD 700 and is the largest prehistoric Indian site north of Mexico. There are a number of mounds and the largest, Monk's Mound, rises to 100' high. There are stairs to the top if you wish to climb it. There are also small reconstructions of a stockade and Woodhenge. I might have rated this higher but the park center is closed for remodeling so we did not get to see any of the displays. Restrooms are also closed so they have provided porta potties which were in serious need of emptying.
Written June 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Josef P
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
I was surprised by the high value of the museum. It is one of the museums with a lot of exhibits, prepared very well for a non-expert audience. You can see, hear, and touch, so you don't just have to read a lot and be an expert in the material to enjoy it. They also show a well made move as an introduction (about 15min). I would highly recommend for anyone coming near, even if you didn't hear so much about native American history as was the case for me. The outside area is pretty big. You can walk up the big mound, a nice experience. However, the biggest downside is that modern civilization is within the historic site. There seems to be a private house on the historic site, a big street separates the museum and the big mound, and some dealership is right next to the sun clock. I think America can do better than that for what seems to be a very important historic site.
Written August 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jen Travels
Detroit, MI6,801 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Family
This place is magical.

Just imagining past the pictures inside the museum, it's incredible how they operated that was pretty genius. The mounds, and sun calendar, and the hierarchy.
The fact the mounds are still even standing is uber impressive.

There's lots of mounds, but there's only a few really worth seeing, and only one that you can walk on.

Lots of paths between everything, some paved, some gravel, some more grassy.

It's like over 10 miles to do the big trails, so get your hiking shoes ready.
Half of the trails are shady, half are full sun I'd say, so be sure you put on sunscreen.

The only bathrooms are in the museum. They're very clean.

Very clean museum, and everyone inside is very friendly and helpful.
They offer evisual and audio exhibits, and self-guided tours.

Gift shop is chock full of all kinds of souvenirs and gifts, from face masks to keychains around $7, little Lego type sets to hair scrunchies around $7, to Native American items.

Everything inside the cases are much higher in price like going up into the $60s.

Plenty of paved parking outside, along the side and back. There is handicapped parking.

You are able to drive to both Monk's Mound and Woodhenge, and get closer to them. There is a paved parking lot and picnic tables at Monk's Mound.
The other mounds and outdoor exhibits are accessible via the walking trails.

There is a picnic area along the farthest side of the biggest mounds by the museum on the other side of the treeline.

There are a few benches spaced periodically, for if you get tired.

Please don't go on any mounds except Monk's Mound along the trail.
Less foot traffic all over the mounds help keep them from degrading.

Highly recommend stopping here!
Written July 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

vacationaholic
Central Oregon, OR438 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Business
Visited this site mid-afternoon. The museum is closed (not sure why). Sketchy folks in the parking lot near the museum. Across the street is the largest mound which you can climb stairs to the top. View was ok. The app you should use to interpret the designed signs (kinda like a QR code) is not user friendly at all and I gave up on the app and just enjoyed the view and read up on stuff later. The paths by the museum were appeared OK if you're mobility challenged - but forget going up the largest mound across the street. I don't have mobility issues - just want to put that limitation out there if you have issues.
Written March 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Janet DP
Burlington, WI33 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
Well worth the trip for history buffs. Signage on the trails was confusing as it was difficult to pinpoint their location on the printed map. Some trails marked on the map did not exist on the terrain or could not be spotted. Some of the features were unmarked and unidentified. The virtual tour does not work with all Android phones (check online before expecting to use it on-site). Staff at the museum is very kind and helpful even though that facility was closed for renovations at the time of our visit.
Written November 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bli1220
Eustis, FL315 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
The Mounds were absolutely awesome. So glad we finally pulled over on one of our Mo-Fl trips.
Would have loved to given this place a 5 star but currently the museum, gift shop and restrooms of main location were all closed. The port-a-potties across the road by Monk Mound were the worse things I have ever experienced. There were no alternative bathrooms. They were dirty, smelled bad and needed trash and hole cleaned. We have been traveling parks all across US for over 6 years and this is the worst ever!!
Will stop again when main facility is open and hopefully give higher rating.
Written October 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MapsnHammocks
Saint Louis, MO38 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Call ahead to make sure they're offering the audio guides (when I went back in November, they were not offering them due to COVID regulations). The guide was totally worth it! It gave good instructions on where to walk and look, was packed with information, and was well paced. I recommend going in the morning and starting outside with Monk's Mound and Woodhenge (you can drive or walk to them), then the Grand Plaza. Once it gets hot in the afternoon, continue the tour inside the Interpretive Center.
Written July 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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