dickson mounds museum

It had been awhile since I visited Dickson Mounds and I was in the area so I gave it another look. I arrived during a weekday afternoon in October so I pretty much had it all to myself. You start at the top of three floors and work your way down. The museum tells the story of the river valley from the Ice Age to the present. The movie shows how the land and its inhabitants have changed over the millennia. Be sure to walk out on the balcony for the panoramic view. While working down visitors are introduced to the succession of flora, fauna and civilizations that have shaped the valley and made it their homes. The ramp surrounding the now covered burial ground invites us to let our minds drift back to the time of the Indians.Dickson Mounds is a bit off the beaten path. If you are in the area it is worth an hour or so, but I would not recommend going far out of your way for it.

This museum concentrates on the story of the native peoples who lived in the Illinois river valley. They have a lot of artifacts and cover a lot of information. But the organization of the information could be better. A film is offered on the third floor. The narrator never breaks the metronome beat and never has any inflection in her voice. I almost ran from the room screaming.

I stopped by for an hour on a recent Sunday afternoon. Small Illinois State Museum (with 3 floors though) providing discovery and reflection on early inhabitants of the Illinois R Valley from “Ice-Age Hunters to tribal groups of the 19th century.” The museum has the usual dioramas and display cases with arrowheads and shards of pottery and exhibits showing progression from hunter-gatherer to farming cultures in the Valley. A hands-on area is on the ground floor. But it is nicely, if simply curated and has what I call “just the right amount” for my 60 minute visit. And hey, it’s free—make a donation if you like. Nice brief video to start and a neat observation deck to view the Illinois R Valley. There is a picnic area on the grounds as well. And just down the hill is the Emiquan National Wildlife Refuge all along the Illinois River. Here’s my take. A curious adult will be engaged for an hour, but don't expect too much with children unless you work a little. With a little effort this can be a nice, brief air conditioned educational break from your travels. Throw in a picnic in a nice spot on the grounds with a little baseball and playground fun for littler ones and hey you got a nice afternoon. Score more points if you are here in the fall for views and trees. A nice “break place” for those travelling central Illinois.

I realize I am flying in the face of previous reviews but frankly, I can't imagine this being worth most peoples time.Visited many years ago when burial area was viewable-realize this was a sore point with native peoples and it was resolved in their favor.But it was part of the history of the place and it is glossed over in one placard.The exhibits are done as well as possible in my state which is bankrupt.Nonetheless, it is pretty light weight.Just one person's opinion. If you go and enjoy it -that is great

This a relativley small museum that can be covered in a few hours. They always have special events planned, from Mom and tot play days on Thur mornings to Indian camp weekends. It is located a few miles from the Amiquon wetland restoration area where many interesting bird and fish species live or migrate through.

Dickson Mounds is a great place to visit, not only for historians but also for persons just moderately interested. Plenty of activities for children, and the burial site is suitably eerie and somewhat respectful, although the recorded narration is a bit over the top (do you really think the Mississippians buried under there actually spoke English?) There is also an extensive wooded area around the building for hiking and exploring, plus a playground and picnic area to the west of the building. Best of all, there is no admission charge.

We took our grandson, who just turned 3, to Dickson Mounds Museum on Sept. 9, 2013. The museum was clean and neat and the exhibits were very educational. The first floor happened to have a Lincoln exhibit at the time which was very interesting too. I believe those exhibits change periodically, which is nice because there is something different to learn about. We watched an interesting video in a theatre on the 3rd floor which even kept our grandson sitting still. He also loved the beautiful butterfly on the wall of the 3rd floor. On the 2nd floor as he was looking at an exhibit he said to his Papa..."can you say hieroglyphics?" so as we were thinking he was just walking through all the exhibits, he was actually really looking at them! No matter what age you are, you will enjoy this museum. You can choose to take the stairs or use the elevator. Very enjoyable time for our family! The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because the gift shop is not open on weekdays, only on weekends, so we were disappointed. Overall great experience.

there is a lot of information you can gain here, if you spend the time, its nice to have something like this near us, and for free. the kids enjoyed the hands on area with the little people and boats to play with. the gem of this place was the burial area, I understand the reason for covering them up, but it was really a huge attraction to see. still plenty to learn and see.

This great museum does a wonderful job of telling the story of the native people from the area. Talk to a staff member to realize just how important this site is for North American archaeology. The displays are engaging and the artifacts are fascinating. The high quality staff are part of the Ill state museum.

Had a great time. The 170 foot tall mound was very cool to climb the stairs to the top overlooking the rest of the mounds and the area. You can see St Louis i the distance. Also has a very nice Visitor Center that has alot of exhibits and was very nice.

Take a tour back in time and discover the native americans that lived here years ago. Love the history of the place. Makes a peson realize that many cultures have come and gone in this country.

It's a prehistoric mound and center with a museum, great for kids and archaeological enthusitics to think about early Native cultures. Part of the IL State museum.

Larger place than expected. It has 3 stories; and takes at least a couple of hours to cover. There are quite a few exhibits on what things were like in Illinois 1000 years ago, 500 years ago, even 200 years ago. It goes into the archaeology, the culture, the environment, and the migrations of people. They have some kids games and hands on activities for the younger set (pre-age 8, I'd say) in a room on the first floor. Early teens would likely prefer more hands on activities. There was also a section (not sure if it is a permanent exhibit) on how Illinois moved from being Native American to populated by the European settlers' descendants. They focus on inception to the Abraham Lincoln era. When Lincoln moved to Illinois, there was no Chicago to speak of. Most of the northern half of the state was all Native American as was much of the southern part. I found the changes fascinating. If you are anywhere in the area; stop by - we did it en route to elsewhere and spent almost 3 hours.

This place is well worth visiting if your in the area. Good for children and adults. This teaches the young what things used to be like around the Illinois river valley.

We visited the museum on Dec. 31st in a snow storm which created the only problem we had: we could not really see the mounds from the lookout because of the foggy snow. This museum is incredible and I really am shocked it was free! The cafe wasn't open but it was no big deal. I would HIGHLY recommend this museum--the displays were incredible, we learned a lot, it was large. It was one of the best museums we have ever been to, and I am married to a history professor!! If you are anywhere near, you MUST stop!!