Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is off I-255 exit 24 (Collinsville Rd.), then w. 1.5 mi. This 2,200-acre site preserves 70 Native American mounds. Monks Mound, the site's centerpiece, covers more than 14 acres at its base and is 100 feet tall. Evidence of a once-flourishing Mississippian civilization—the center of the Mississippian culture, distinguished by complex social, ritual and political activity—spans the years A.D. 900-1400. At its peak the site is said to have supported an estimated 10,000-20,000 inhabitants. An interpretive center houses exhibits about the people who once lived in the region; a 15-minute film documenting the history of Cahokia; and a life-size, re-created Native American village. One-hour guided tours are available seasonally, as are self-guiding iPod and audio tours, a 17-minute video tour of the grounds for the disabled and hiking trails. There are reconstructions of the woodhenge sun calendar and the stockade wall. Guided tours are available. Picnicking is permitted.