"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time, it illumines reality, vitalizes…read morememory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquities." Marcus T Cicero Mounds the remains of the past . This site is not as studied as other sites in the United States. We all think "Serpent Mound." Of all the area of the United States, Cahokia Mounds, the past area of the Mississippi people's of the past is the largest. It's the most influential pre Columbian that we have yet to know of in the Americas. Now they believe that early settlers started here in 6th century AD. Early indigenous peoples were burying their dead and they have found personal effects with the ancient burials. The French in the 17th century arrived and found an early settlement of Illinois inhabitants. These are not the first! No written language exists. Just the mounds. It's been preserved for us all to see. It's an hour from Springfield to Colinsville, Illinois. This is one of the top 25 things to see and do in Illinois. You can walk on the actual mounds . Come and see lost history preserved for us all!

Visiting the historical Cahokia Mound. This was a advertise of learning…read more Upon entering a wonderful lady asked was it my first time visiting. Then she proceeded to give a history lesson on the Cahokia Mounds. I learned a lot. The staff were excellent. There was a huge canoe that was hollowed out from a huge tree. There were many artifacts. I went an one of the trails and discovered many things in the process. If you haven't been you must go. It's a great experience.

I took this tour for the first time this year (2022). It is now one of my favorite tours in St…read more Louis. For a $30 fee you are given access to over a dozen historic homes, free horse drawn carriage and trolly rides, and admission to a holiday market with seasonal food, beverages, and gifts available for purchase. Parking is a bit difficult, but easier than Soulard. There a a table set up near the park where booklets with map and home information is handed out. Port-a-potties are scattered around the square. I felt very safe and thoroughly enjoyed talking with the residents in this area of St. Louis. They are very passionate and welcoming. Some of the lines can be a little long. I arrived around 130pm and had plenty of time to see every home before the tours ended at 5pm. I chose to walk for the scenery and the exercise, but the jingle bells on the horse drawn carriage were very festive to hear. It was interesting learning about the history of this area and hearing stories of the swans, arbnbs, and restoration projects from the folks I met while standing in lines to see the homes. I highly recommend this tour.1

Lafayette Square Holiday Parlour Tour is an annual event that you should definitely add to your…read morelist!! These mansions, townhouses, and row houses are part of the early French settlement just south of downtown and includes the finest intact neighborhood collection of the architectural styles that were in vogue from the Civil War until 1900. The Holiday Parlour Tour begins in Lafayette Park and includes lots of homes that are not only beautiful, but beautifully decorated for the holidays. This is a neat event and is usually followed by dinner at one of the charming restaurants located around the square. This is my favorite of all the house tours. Grand South Grand Tour (spring Tour) is always a good one too. This years event will take place on December 14, 2008. Ticket info can be obtained at http://www.lafayettesquare.org. Money raised supports neighborhood and park improvements.

This 10 story, 135 ft terra cotta office buildings from 1890 is in downtown St. Louis. It is…read moreconsidered to be one of the first aesthetically fully expressed early skyscrapers. It's a locked & empty city office building now.

This was a fun stop along our rainy morning stroll through downtown St.louis. I noticed the handful…read moreof reviews and that it was only a couple of blocks from where we were staying. This is also BBC an easy walk from both the Arch abc City Park. Speaking of which, goodness, I love City Park... Back to the Wainwright...you'll see a marker on the corner of the building noting that this building is on the national landmark registry and cited as being the grandfather of the modern day skyscraper. The building was built in the late 1800s and features a striking red facade and ornate archways over each of the door entrances. Somewhat related...two blocks away from here you can find delicious fluffy doughnuts from Pharaoh's Doughnuts. Enjoy your walking your if downtown St.Louis!

My first time visiting the Gateway Arch, and I'm so glad I finally got to see it up close!…read more I've seen this thing from about 10,000 feet, but seeing it from the ground is a completely different experience. The architecture is seriously impressive, and I loved getting close enough to actually see the welding beads in the stainless steel. It made me stop and think about how in the world they actually put this massive thing together. There's something really cool about seeing the little details on something that looks so impossibly perfect from a distance. Parking on a Saturday afternoon was not exactly easy, so thankfully a friend dropped us off and we were able to walk around, get a closer look, and take some photos without turning the visit into a parking expedition. We didn't go up to the observation area this time. I'm not entirely convinced I'm ready to be packed into a tiny tram going up inside the Arch. But I think I'd like to give it a try someday. I also had no idea there was an underground museum! Apparently I need to do a little more research before my next visit because I definitely want to check that out too. Overall, this is one of those places that really lives up to its iconic status. It was fun finally getting to see it from ground level instead of through an airplane window. If you're visiting St. Louis for the first time, definitely make a stop here. Even if you just walk around the Arch, it's worth seeing up close.

This is the second time that I've been to Gateway arch. Whether you are traveling solo or with your…read morefamily, this is definitely worth a stop. The staff here were very friendly and answered all kinds of questions. Our tour guide for the arch was funny and kept us entertained. You can either explore the history before or after going up into the arch, but it is worth checking out. If you're claustrophobic, this is not the place for you. You will need to ride up in a very small cart on the way to the top. It's very secure. I am 250 pounds and 5Ft 7in and I fit with 3 kids and one another adult, but there is not a lot of space. There is air flowing which does help. You can also see, as the doors are glass. You will have about 10 minutes up at the top to take a bunch of pictures which honestly is more than enough time. It takes about four minutes to go up in about three minutes to come down. The gift shop had plenty of stuff, so make sure to stop there as well. If you're going to St. Louis Missouri, this is definitely a stop for you

The oldest brick house in Illinois (completed in 1810 after three years of construction) is…read moreavailable for tours, 3 days a week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday). Be sure to go to the Old Cahokia Courthouse (on 1st and Elm) on any of those days, or visit the website. It is part of the Colonial Cahokia State Historic Sites complex. Visitors from all around, as well as from outside the United States, have toured this restored mansion. You will learn a lot about the architecture at the time, along with how the house was put together - which included a lot of the technologies at the time (1800s). You'll also learn plenty about the man, Nicholas Jarrot, who was a French prince who escaped the French Revolution to come to America and start a new life. He was very wealthy, so he owned plenty of the land surrounding present day-Cahokia. Jarrot and his wife and son slept upstairs, while his slaves were in the cellar. There's lots I can share but the tour guide will provide a lot of information surrounding the family and why they were important to the area. If you are into local history, or even the history of Illinois, I strongly recommend touring the house, along with the Old Cahokia Courthouse and Church of the Holy Family (located two doors down from the mansion).

Eads Bridge is a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by James B. Eads to cross the…read moreMississippi River in 1874. Eads connects railroads across Illinois & Missouri. It was a pioneering engineering feat, the first steel arch bridge, and it remains the oldest bridge on the Mississippi River

Completed in 1874, the Eads Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge across the Mississippi River…read more To scale the mighty Mississippi, the construction of the Eads Bridge required novel engineering feats. It was the one of the first bridges to employ steel as opposed to wrought iron. It's foundation was 100 feet below water level a big challenge in the late 1800s. The 520 foot center arch was the longest span at the time of construction using a cantilever suspension to build, a method which would later be used in the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge had to be elevated to accommodate the steamboat captains who wanted to keep residents dependent on their services. They thought that it would not be possible to build such a lofty bridge. The City of St. Louis, however, wanted to capture more railroad traffic which necessitated construction of a bridge. Eads earned multiple patents for his innovations during construction. The bridge was dedicated by President Ulysses S. Grant. Testing of safety was done by locomotives. An elephant even walked across the bridge to guarantee pedestrian safety. That must have been a sight to see. The bridge cost $10 million to build. Unfortunately many of the railroads boycotted using it due to the tolls. It was then sold for 20 cents on the dollar. This led to the collapse of the Bank of Missouri. Many were indicted following the largest bank failure in the U.S. at that time. Today, the Eads Bridge is still considered an engineering pioneering landmark. While being constructed The NY Times called it the World's Eighth Wonder. It is quite a remarkable and beautiful historic bridge that still helps people cross the mighty Mississippi River.

An adorable, rustic log cabin in the midst of a modern-day subdivision, the Bacon Log Cabin is…read moreworth a trip. The cabin is open May-October on the 1st & 3rd Sundays from 1pm-4pm and maintained by the Old Trails Historical Society. 2015 marks the 180th anniversary of the cabin, which was built by William Douglas Bacon. Unfortunately, the structure contains little to no actual bacon (boo) but it has been restored as a pioneer cabin. The stone fireplace is original as are the logs, beams, and some fireplace bricks. The cabin houses period furnishings and a museum display of West St. Louis County historical memorabilia. The docent, Irene, was highly knowledgeable and extremely spry for 86. In addition to giving tours, she helped fund the preservation of the root cellar on the property, cans her own raspberry preserves, and quilts. I felt as though I had taken a step back in time to a simpler, but definitely not easier, way of living. There were a lot of things to take in during the walk through the cabin, including a kitchen, bedroom, working gun above the mantelpiece. In June 2015, the Forget Me Not Garden Club dedicated a Blue Star Memorial byway marker, honoring service men and women, that can be found near the front entrance. The dedication that members of this historical society have shown to restoring this structure and open it to public viewing is inspiring. A must see, underrated historical attraction for anyone with an interest in historic houses and Americana.

While this building no longer serves the same function it did when it was built, there is no…read moredenying that the place is architecturally sound and built beautifully. Currently, it serves as a place for state, federal, and private purposes. I come here for the 'state' related purpose. To be honest, I would not have ventured here until I had to as part of my current work routine. There are street parking available but you could easily pay about $2 at a parking garage across the street, the same one that Schnucks uses. I park there and cross the street to go over to the Old post office. It's also a great way to check out the beautiful design of the building. There are several different entrances, normally there is a guard at the lobby and sometimes, there are some guards by the door. No ID checks or anything. I'm not an architectural expert but this grand design is something to behold. I've only been on the main level but my first visit, I got lost and ended up in a big ballroom area where you can look up and see the magnificent ceiling. Quite a view! It's also where I got to peek at the other floor but it was around 3pm and the building was not busy. There are bathrooms inside and yes, they are clean and well-kept. Apparently, this used to be where the Webster university downtown campus was but is now a Maryville university satellite campus? I'm not sure if it still is or not but I wouldn't have minded going to classes in a building like this with so much history. Of course, I read all about it after my first trip but won't bore you with the details. You should see it for yourself if you happen to be downtown and have a bit of free time to explore and most importantly, a fan of grande old architectures!

The Old Post Office is one of the coolest buildings downtown. It was built from 1873-1884 and…read morerepresents the last U.S post office of its kind from that period, as the other ones were all demolished. The building has not been a post office for many years but today it is still in use as a library branch, a satellite campus for Lindenwood university, and it also has other offices. It has a museum on the ground floor where you can see the history of the building. As one of the oldest buildings downtown, the Old Post Office is truly unique and it's one of the hidden gems in St. Louis.