Cahokia Mounds, Tours and The Zoo

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

We ventured over to see what the Cahokia Mounds were all about. It’s really hard to get the splendor of it all from the ground. After all, this site at one time encompassed 4,000 acres. Today it’s around 2,000 acres. Some of the best depictions of it are aerial views.

As we were approaching, it was easy to see the enormity of what this used to be. We could see poles peeking out of the ground. We wondered if that was part of the pre-historic village. Then a huge mound to our left. Finally, we arrived at Cahokia Mound State Historic Site.

There was a lot of open spaces, indicating a huge plot of land finally being preserved from ruin. Many of the mounds had already met their demise. A highway had been erected right through the middle of one of the most important archeological sites in the United States. One has to ask “Why”?

Some of the mounds had been toppled by farmers as they used the land for crops. But well into the 1900’s, the land sat unprotected. History waiting to be told and protected for generations to come.

I brought along our furry crew member, Loki. I knew there were a lot of trails so I figured instead of being locked up in his crate, he could get some exercise and fresh air. However, that limited the time I could spend in the visitor center, where a good source of information lies.

I purchased “Journey to Cahokia” to read to the kids as well as get a better understanding of this amazing place. We walked around and saw what are called the “Twin Mounds” as well as a few smaller ones. We also drove over to “Monk’s Mound”.

So you may be wondering the same thing I was. Why did the Native Americans build all these mounds. There were over a hundred in this amazing civilization. It seems it was the Indians of the Midwest who practiced mound building.

At their settlements, they would build mounds for ceremonial centers as well as for burial. The twin mounds in the picture are located beside each other. Both believed to be burial mounds.

They were constructed several miles apart along waterways, such as the Mississippi River in this instance. It would take them a long time to mound up all the dirt to build these ceremonial sites. Monk Mound was the greatest of them all and took years to build.

The visitor’s center did a great job of showcasing these Indians and their way of life. It wasn’t just a bead and moccasin display, you know what I mean? There were many artifacts found on site to include pottery, a canoe, hunting tools, cooking tools and more. There was also a film.

I wish I’d had more time to go through and really look at the artifacts and read the depictions on the numerous displays. But it was really easy to see the depth and breadth of it all. On our way out, we stopped by Monk’s Mound. It is one of the largest man-made earthen mounds in the North American continent!

Our final stop was the site with the poles sticking out of the ground. The theory is these poles acted as a calendar and were called Woodhenge. There were as many as five Woodhenges on site.

Trolley Tour

We took a tour on ‘Charlotte the Trolley’. I really wished we’d done this when we arrived. The tour was pretty informative and gave a lot of pointers on things to do in the area.

Turns out there are a lot of free things to do. The St. Louis Zoo (if you hunt down free parking), Art Museum, Science Museum, Botanical Gardens and more. I wish we had more time to explore a few more things but at the same time, I’m ready to move on.

It was really hard to get any decent pictures while on the trolley. But I guess the point is to go off exploring the points of interest on your own. So, it was a win for the trolley. But next time, I’ll do a trolley tour upon arriving, not when we’re ready to head out.

We learned about the history of St. Louis. We rode down garment street and got to see the replica of the ‘big zipper’ impression running down the middle. I drooled over some houses in Forest Park. This is a city with so much history.

One thing is clear, St. Louis natives are proud of their city. It’s a city with a hometown feel. We happened to be touring the day the St. Louis Cardinals were playing the Cubs (supposedly big rivals). And boy are the St. Louis fans faithful to their beloved Cardinals!  As we passed the Anheuser-Busch Stadium, the excitement was definitely in the air.

I was blinded by all the red-wearing fans! Tailgating was going on in the parking lots, bratwurst vendors (it’s a thing here) everywhere, the air was thick with pride. It made me want to pull out a red shirt, that is if I owned one. And it looks like the Cardinals came out on top, winning two out of three.

The St. Louis Zoo

The zoo was free and we were able to hunt down free parking as well. If you have to park in the zoo lot, it can be expensive. This takes away from the ‘free’ feel. I wish we’d packed lunches but alas, our free day came to an end at lunchtime.

The St. Louis Zoo is a pretty big one! We walked and walked and walked until the kids feet were hurting. A sign of a good nights sleep to come, mwahahaha. This weekend was considered Oktoberfest weekend. So they had some German food for sale and Halloween decorations energizing the scenery.

While the zoo was free to enter, there were a lot of things that cost money. Train rides, sea lion show, sting rays, a separate ‘children’s zoo’ area, etc. We avoided all of them. Otherwise you could rack up quite a bill. The kids still had a good time and the zoo was pretty impressive.

I did miss seeing our beloved pandas though. That is the big draw for the National Zoo in Washington D.C. The rest is meh but the pandas are fun. We’ve also been to two zoos in China so the kids wanted to know where they were………Well kids, they’re not in every zoo.

The zoo enclosures were pretty nice. You can tell the animals are fairly well kept. The polar bear was pretty darn dirty though. And his exhibit didn’t look icy cool to me. He was actually laying out in grass. Not sure what that was all about.

We spent nearly the whole day at the zoo and the weather was fantastic. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Not too cold and not too hot, just right. I think our little turtle friend is feeling a bit sassy, don’t you think!

Well, it’s that time when we need to be pointing Perl in a different direction. Tomorrow we’ll be wrapping things up – goodbye dear old St. Louis. I have to say you grew on me. Monday we’ll be leaving these harbors and sailing into Table Rock State Park in Branson, Missouri. We’ll be hanging out there for nine days (if all goes well). I can’t wait to get back to a state park. It’s getting pretty tiresome going down the road looking at smog.