The INTERPRETIVE CENTER (MUSEUM)
Exhibits & Gallery Will Remain Closed for Most of 2025 for Major Mechanical Renovations. The Museum Lobby, Restrooms, & Gift Shop may be Available During Select Guided Tour Times & Special Events.
The Grounds are OPEN to the public DAILY, from DAWN UNTIL DUSK:
- A WATER FOUNTAIN is located near the Monks Mound Parking Lot
- MAPS & BROCHURES are located in designated holders near Monks Mound Parking lot & in front of the Interpretive Center (Museum)
- DOGS must remain on a leash at all times
- A VAULT TOILET is available near the Monks Mound Parking Lot
CAHOKIA MOUNDS WORLD HERITAGE & STATE HISTORIC SITE is the largest pre-Columbian site north of Mexico. At its peak, around 1100, this metropolis stretched over 4,000 acres, encompassed about 120 earthen mounds, and hosted a population of nearly 20,000 individuals – larger than London at that time. The State of Illinois now protects roughly 2,200 acres of the central portion of the Site. Including 72 of the nearly 80 remaining mounds, as some mounds are situated in unprotected portions of the Site.
The Site was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1965, and designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1982, for its significance in the pre-Contact history of North America.
