Really a state of the art museum. Its very cool to learn about this ancient city that existed only a thousand years ago. If you love history or native American culture I highly recommend. Warning tho. There are depictions and statues of native Americans, including topless women. If that is something that would bother you, might just want to stick to checking out monks mound or taking a tour of the Mounds. You can enter the building without seeing them.

Went out there for St. Louis Small Business independence Day Stories of Statue. This place is rich in spirit and in history. Cool vibe-

The history of Cahokia is amazing and awe inspiring. The Mississippian peoples built hundreds of mounds in the region, and those in the state park represent just a small fraction of all the mounds that once existed. The museum provides a great overview of the history of the Indigenous people of the time. The mounds are even more impressive once you learn about the symbolism and spirituality they are connected to. Everyone should visit!

We recently visited chaco national historic site in New Mexico and there we learned about other important sites in the US. The Cahokia mounds is the largest native site in the US. We read about the archeological history before going. When you have a strong understanding of the site it makes it much more interesting. The size of the mounds are remarkable when you consider how they built them. I assume it was one basket of dirt after the next. Amazing. If you dont have an understanding or an interest it looks like a huge midwestern golf course and a fantastic place for a quiet walk. The museum is very impressive and provides visitors with a good overview understanding. Great gift shop with an excellent collection of native american jewelry. Highly recommend a visit.

Nice to visit if you have nothing to do .. quiet place and had beautiful top view

Wonderful park. I loved this place as a kid and brought my daughter yesterday. I love that theyre giving out qr codes to let people view the movie to make sure everybodys socially distanced. Very educational (even with interactive displays closed for safety during this), very well maintained location.

Monks Mound is the largest earth mound in North America...it is taller than the surrounding area with exception to the large buildings of St Louis and the Arch which are about 8-10 miles away.Museum was open and you can see various artifacts, learn about the culture, and some history.

It was a really cool place. I got to learn about the history of the mounds. I got to walk up a few. The staff was amazing. It is a really nice place to go, as long as your ready to do some walking.

1000 year old Missippian civilization of more than 10,000 people with the largest pyramidal mound in North America and a huge sun calendar. Should be a world heritage site. Very well done visitor center with excellent and extensive life size diorama and beautiful artifacts.

Now talk about a sunset view of St. Louis! This is BY FAR my favorite place to escape and think after a long day of work. I know that even after I move on from STL, ill always have the moments I spent here.

A great place to learn about the Mississippian culture which predates both the Viking discovery of America and the Colombian much latter discovery.

Absolutely amazing place. The museum is so well done, and the grounds are well managed. Theres a great hike that is flat and great for beginners. Go enjoy the beauty of this place!

The largest and most significant mound site in North America. I just absolutely LOVED this place back when I went a few years ago. I got to go again sometime. It was once a capitol city of Natchez Nation, and even a place where the City of the Shining Ones was.

Beautiful Place! So many interesting. There is hand on activity inside the museum. We learns a few games that Cahokia indigenous have. My kids and I plays some of toys that was exists before our times. Suggestion to bring comfortable shoes to get dusts on while take a hike entire the historic site to made the worth of visits and walk on top of the mounds is to do lists! Bring sun lotions and camera is a must. Visit on raining day is not recommend!

Incredible educational excursion. Well maintained. Friendly staff. The climb to the tallest mound was difficult but doable.

I won’t give all the details away, because I want you to research on your own, but this site was found and when the local tribe was asked if their ancestors had built it, they said no. What is curious, which you will read about when you research, is that now, there is An edifice in place saying that the Native Americans created these mounds, when they did not. I noticed a lot of people saying it was boring, but I imagine those people are not old enough to appreciate our ancestry and the spirits that surround places like this. I would say do all of your homework and research before visiting the place so it feels more magical and meaningful.

Really amazing place for a good walk, having the trees and the deers around you. I also like the view from the big mound, its just lovely!The museum is very informative, its so great to learn about the Mississippi culture!You enter the park anytime for free.

We loved it!!! The displays were amazing! I would have liked to be part of a dig!

This place is a must go for everyone. Its ashamed most of the mounds have been dug up, robbed, built over and destroyed. With all of the lack of respect and greed we have lost alot of our information, history and destroyed sacred land. Still beautiful of whats left to visit.

Always a joy to visit to see the past and a few miles away you see the trash mound as modern society bliss of disposable buy buy buy more!! What a joke we have lost touch with what really matters!!! Life goes beter when it goes by slow Buck Wheat Zidico...

I love coming here for a day trip! We have been going for almost 20 years. This place is great for exercising and learning about local native American history!

Nice and windy at the top but no shade. Make sure to bring an umbrella to get out of the sun. Parking lot is super close to the mound.

Museum, bathrooms and drinking fountains closed but trails/walking paths open.It was nice to see the mounds and paths. The views are great. I will definitely return. to experience the museum to learn more in the future.

The museum was very informative, the facility was well maintained and those working had the utmost customer care.The park itself was also well maintained.

Great native American historic site outside of St. Louis. Fun family time.

So, I love history! If you don’t, you may not see this as a worthwhile place to visit. I get into it, though.This is an ancient mound site of the Cahokia People. There are signs around and paths for you to follow that explain what everything is.While walking around this entire area I could picture in my mind’s eye what it may have looked like anciently...the homes, indigenous people walking around.From the top of the main mound you can easily see St. Louis although it looks a good distance away. I counted the steps to the top of the mound when I visited, but danged if I can’t remember how many there are now. Total shot in the dark, but I want to say around 188-ish...Great views from the top of the big mound.

So beautiful! Love climbing to the top and learning about before climbing. Could see St. Louis from the top. Sad to hear that they just got plowed down.

Very few people even know about this place. If you are traveling near E. St Louis or on your way to kentucky...make the detour. Its N. AMERICAS largest & 1st city by the Mississippi Indians 1150 years ago. Very informative museum too.Note: stay in Collinsville....its closer than Cahokia itself. But do stop at the sawmill Bbq! Better brisket than we had in Memphis!

First time, awesome visit! Museum has some great artifacts on display.

A great place to visit and learn about native American history in the St. Louis area. Make sure to climb Monks Mound and visit the center.

This is a good place for a few hours visit. The indoor area is like a mini museum, hiking outside, and mound sightseeing throughout the property.

Having grown up in Kentucky, it was a little odd that I had no knowledge of the Cahokia tribe and their burial mounds. Only after teaching elementary school years later did I learn about the Cahokia people and their custom of building burial mounds. Thats when I decided to visit the place so that I could relate in the first person my understanding and knowledge of the Cahokia people to my elementary school students. While you cannot see much -- except for the mound, it still provides a realistic connection with some of Americas indigenous peoples.

Due to the nature of what youre looking at (earth mounds) it isnt particularly stimulating, but the sheer size of the complex, the views from the top, and especially the rich Cahokian history thoughtfully illustrated in the visitor center made the trip well worth it.

Awesome site. Interesting background. Can see the arch from the top of the highest mound. Lots of walking if you want to tour the grounds. The museum is informative and contains a gift shop. They also guided tours.

Amazing place. I never knew about this historical location. The museum is well laid out and very informative. The staff and creators there need to be very proud of their work. The grounds are open and lots of signs and markers.

There was a lot to learn and it was a lot of fun to be there. But I believe that some of the information was incorrect. The amount of time they said it took to build the mounds didnt add up. If it was correct the tribe would have died of starvation before it was finished. If it was man made, the mound wouldnt be so well preserved. I personally think Giants made it.

Absolutely beautiful place, and has a lot of history tied to it. My family and I drove an hour to see it, and it was definitely worth it.

Beautiful park and great museum in the information center. Enjoyed the visit!

Excellent archeological ruins and interpretive museum. The grounds include many acres of ancient mounds built by the Cahokia people. The museum contextualizes the mounds and describes many aspects of Cahokia culture. There are many artifacts on display at the museum as well as dioramas depicting aspects of Cahokia life.Admission is technically free, but the museum encourages a $7 donation.

Awesome place. So much history you would not even know about unless you check it out. Nice facilities.

If you are visiting St Louis you do not want to miss this spot. Amazing interpretive center that is free (although a $7 admission donation is recommended). Well worth the money. There are up to 10 miles of trails winding throughout the area and the opportunity to take the stairs to the top of Monks Mound... Where the chief likely lived! You can see the photo of the massive mound here. You could spend all day or just and hour. I recommend plenty of time. And dont miss the 17 minute orientation video. The interpretive center does a great job explaining what life would have been like.. from tattoos to food gathering to games.. you can find it all here! Great for all ages.

Fascinating exhibits, lots of ground to explore, will be returning to see more, highly recommend

The history is interesting but there’s not much to see except large mounds. It was kind of underwhelming imo. But the museum part was closed so maybe that would’ve made the trip more interesting.

Cahokia Mounds city is nicely excavated and presented. One will love it if they are interested in ancient civilizations. Customers service is good. Requires good amount of time to enjoy.

Fantastic interpretive center and museum. The exhibits are great, and the kids will really enjoy it! The exhibits have drawers at the bottom with additional artifacts inside, so dont miss those! Really worthwhile.

Very underrated. Excellent museum and preservation of grounds

This place is awesome. A must see. The people are great. And the history is wonderfully displayed. Make the walk to the top of monk mound its worth it to see the arch from there.

Beautiful and serene. Offers nature trails, historical landmarks, museums and has a playground off of one of the four parking sites. Climbing the big mound is always a great workout as well.

Wonderful walking area! Beautiful grounds!!!!

Got there too late to go to the interpretive center but very much enjoyed the walk around the area. Thinking of what we know and don’t know about our ancient history is fascinating. The outdoor walking is largely out in the open so if you come in summer bring along water and such. Looks to be a good area for a picnic. Very friendly deer

No movie to watch because the theater was broken. :(

Historic lesson, great experience

A gem! Easy off the interstate. Beautiful free museum. Walking trails. A must see!!

Awesome piece of history that we know so little about. We know so much of European history because of written record. All we have left here are the earthworks created long ago. Its right in our backyard and everyone should spend some time here

Very interesting piece of history. Museum does a great job of providing details. Definitely climb Monks Mound. Awesome view and perspective for how big the city was.

Great way to get in some exercise while learning about early Native American history. Take the time to make this stop happen.

This place needs to be on all Illinois school curriculums. Its an amazing piece of work and history.

This place is really impressive. Its hard to convey it in words understanding the technology they had at the time building mounds of this size is an impressive achievement. The Visitor Center is a wealth of information and a real step back in history, a sunny day and strong legs is all you need.

Its the largest mound Ive visited so far! Great place for adults and kids alike! Plenty of parking space!

We love this place. Come here often with our dog. Museum is great too.

Lots of artifacts, large visitors center, quiet and pretty outdoors.

Absolutely an amazing place!!!!Visitor center is great but has way too much information. The exhibits are beautiful very very informative but after about fifteen minutes youve seen sooooo much it feels like your heads going to explode.But go there anyway. Its free so you have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain.

Impressive!! The whole experience was great, nice paths, trails. And plenty of educational information..

Very interesting place. I had no idea something like that existed. Be sure to check the days that they are open. We had to take the self-guided tour, because the center was closed. Everything is marked and described, but it took us a while to figure things out, with a little more information provided as we stopped at each station or mound. Cool place. Neat history. The view of the St. Louis MO Skyline was an added surprise.The website had 100s of photographs if I remember correctly. Enjoy! Take the kids.

Got a Groupon for Cahokia Mounds. About 20 mins from downtown St. Louis. There was plenty to see. The Center, the mounds, and the woodhenge. We started at the center. There was plenty of parking and it’s located next to a small lake. There is a gift shop for souvenirs. A theatre to show a video of the history. Staff members are super friendly. There is someone to greet you as soon as you walk in. Wear comfortable shoes because there is plenty of walking.

Calm and serene. Kinda bad that they allow trees to grow on the backside of the ruins/pyramids that are called mounds today. I would love to visit in each season, because its challenging to walk up the stairs in hot humidity.

This was the best site I ever seen. It was different from I have seen and it was nicer seeing it with my fiancé and I would highly recommend this to everyone to come and see it.

Was there on a day when the center was closed (conflicting info online)- always call if questions I guess. Interesting place and views of STL are good. Saw several deer below the big mound.

My very first visit. Very spiritual experience

Best Mississippian prehistoric city. 15/10, much civilization. Doggo frendly; very hike.

Love love love the stairs. Im moving to downstate Illinois just to do them. I love the energy I feel when Im out there running.

Been wanting to go here for 20 years, it did not disappoint. Definitely high on my list for returning

Awesome kids day, great staff, glad to see everyone helping to teach Hands On how they built their homes And made Asia breasts to hunt with, how to make the pottery &to throw soars to catch their food

What a workout! Nice quick hike will get the blood flowing AND you get to learn about native history!

Beautiful place. Interesting museum and worth the short drive out of STL to see. Plenty of interesting facts about this place that make it worth your time. Good for hikers and history buffs alike.

They had a great museum, and the site was a great place to stop just outside St. Louis.

The Best. A walk back in time for those willing to open ones eyes to a savagely, sophisticated way of life. Youll leave with more questions than answers. More ancient than they think. Mexico in Illinois. Ancient alien displacement. There are many possible connections and speculations one could ponder. Been many times and will probably join in on some future symposiums, cant wait. Frogman pipe is my favorite piece there. Cool place for stoners to see lots of effigy pipes.

Wonderful visit! Went for Archaeology Day. It was informative and interactive. Entire family had an enjoyable experience. Will be back!

It is a good way to burn some calories.

The scenery is beautiful here!!! Great for a workout, just a stroll or a full on historic experience. The trails are fantastic and quiet to get away from the hustle and bustle. Our kids love it and there is so much wildlife to enjoy on your journey. Worth a visit no matter if you want the full on experience or just a morning workout or coffee!!!

A nice place to learn more about an ancient civilization. Even though it is only a few miles from Saint Louis, it feels as though you are far from civilization. A great place to stop by if you want a few hours to calm down.

Went here with family when we visited St. Louis. This was a great and unknown gem. Learning about the history of the location and the views when a sending the mind were wonderful. I appreciate that there was an attempt to tell the story through the point of view of the native person and not the colonizers voice. This is not often the case. When needed, the answer of we dont know was given which is great instead of attempting to fill story in with inaccurate, assumed, or distorted views. I also really liked the remaking of what the village life may look like. Worth visiting!

The Cahokia MoundsCahokia is a pre-Columbian Native American city which existed circa 1050–1350 CE.Cahokia was the largest and most influential urban settlement of the Mississippian culture, which developed advanced societies across much of what is now the central and southeastern United States.The original site contained 120 earthen mounds, of which 80 remain today.Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas and the largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica. (Last pic)The beginning of its construction dates from 900–955 CE.

The museum was fantastic and was much more informative than I wouldve thought. Also the mounds were huge and it was awesome to walk around and check them out.

I love this place. I havent been here in 10 years and it was great to be able to take my daughters here again

Great park with good walking path. Loved watching the planes take off and people parachuting down. It was awesome. Smile.

Awesome historical site...FREE tours..great free museum

Absolutely a highlight of my cross country drive. I was so glad we decided to stop. The interpretive center has so much to offer about the history of the mounds. Both young and old can find things of interest here. They also have nicely paved trails around the site. The main and largest mound has steps up to the top. It is a bit of a hike to the top. I wouldnt recommend it for smaller children. I would also suggest a hat and water. The sun can be quite intense during the middle of the day. Overall we had a wonderful experience here. There is no required admission, but donations are suggested.

I thought this would be more exciting but they did a great portrayal of the Indians day to day task. Also tools n equipment. We stay for the movie it was short n I climb to the top of the giant mound..definently something I think everyone should do you can see the arch from there.

My husband visited here in jr high, I am so happy we stopped by here. Super cool standing on the mound looking over what used to be an ancient city and trying to imagine that area 900+ years ago and marvel at the mysteries beneath us. Beautiful view of St Louis made for some great photos- came home and watched all the documentaries we could find to learn more. The learning center itself was closed as we came through on a Monday- wish it was open every day.

It was a lot of facts and history to take in definitely worth goibg more than once!

Interesting little history museum with just suggested donations for entrance. Monks mound was a fun little climb to get some decent excercise just for the great view all the way downtown including the arch.

Great to explore American history. The 104 foot handmade mound gives great views with downtown St Louis in the background. Lots of people use the stairs for exercise. No bathrooms though.

I really enjoyed the mounds. Monk mound has 154 steps to the top. Maybe take water. The free movie at the visitors center is really well done. The diorama is spectacular the details are impressive.

This is such a neat landmark. Its so peaceful to walk around, has so many different sites to see. The visitors center is like a museum, and has a little movie theater to watch.

Wow, this place is hilarious and wide as huge, man, you can take you family here for spend time together at this beautiful nature. For real if youre a nature lover consider this place as your number one stop.

It was great and so pretty!

Awesome place to understand more of the Mississippian culture from back in the day. Great museum of a lot of helpful staff. They Mounds are quite nice to walk around and enjoy as well. There is also something called woodhinge which is something very similar to Stonehenge. They did a nice Recreation of it but be prepared for a nice walk if you were looking at the entire site as the place is quite big :-)

Its wonderful place to take your family, A bit of history up close and personal.

Beautiful historical sites, lot to learn!We enjoyed all,and best: its free( just donations)bring a hat,unbrella,sun screens, camara,plenty of water.