Cahokia Mounds Museum Society (CMMS), the support group of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, is a recipient of a $250,000 Digital Projects for the public grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH). The grant was used to develop an Augmented Reality application tour that can be viewed on smart phones and tablets from the top of the 10-story Monks Mound and at various waypoints along trails that wind through the 2,200-acre site.
“Cahokia AR Tour” is available at both the Apple iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Download at home or after you arrive at Cahokia. Older Devices may not be compatible. Allow about 90 minutes for the tour. The app gives you access to both the Monks Mound Tour and Grand Plaza Tour… two great experiences that allow you to shift from the world of today to the world of a thousand years ago as the great fortified city of Cahokia takes shape on the screen of your viewing device. Download “Cahokia AR Tour” and examine ancient dwellings, artifacts, landscape features and more. Smart device cameras activate images places on concrete markers throughout the Historic Site. Follow the map and the cues in the app to experience ancient Cahokia like never before. Detailed 3D models bring the past to present with unparalleled realism,.
The augmented Reality (AR) application brings to life the incredible store of ancient America at Cahokia Mounds. Visitors can stand on the ground where only the mounds remain and through the lens of a digital device, see other cultural features that were present a thousand years ago. Icons that appear during the tour are knowledge points that add to your experience. Extra information about artifacts or structures are activated by touching these icons. As you walk between the various stops you can listen to audio and learn even more. To maximize the opportunity, earphones are recommended. Bring your own or Pick up a set in the Interpretive Center!
Starting point for the Monks Mound AR Tour begins at the parking lot beside the water fountain. The Grand Plaza AR Tour begins at the map board on the sidewalk behind the Interpretive Center near the large glass windows.
To activate:
Scan the image on the concrete markers positions at each stop. The application on your hand-held device tells you how to proceed.
The app may be purchased in the App Store on your device, cost is $4.99.
*Headphones are required as to not interfere with co-visitor experience.
On this tour you will see:
- The temple that once stood on top of Monks Mounds and its interior
- A typical Mississippi dwelling
- The stockade wall
- A charnel house on Fox Mound
- People performing activities… and more!
How It Works
Camera View:
Augmented Reality Project View:
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