Most tunnels have just one function - they allow traffic to go under a mountain or hill as an…read morealternative to going over the mountain or cutting a big gap in it. Expensive to build and maintain. So to find this tunnel in Cairo that provides a dual function was special. Yes, it takes US-51 under the Canadian National Railroad line, the tunnel was also built to function as a flood control gate, protecting downtown Cairo from the Ohio River. It is a riveted steel plate floodgate that operates as a counterweighted structure that was originally designed to be lowered into place during floods. The flood gate was built by Stupp Brothers Bridge and Iron Company of St. Louis, Missouri. No longer used, it has been replaced by modular flood control gates that are stored off-site which would be inserted into a slot into the abutment of another nearby bridge in the event of a major flood today. Clever engineering. [Review 1244 of 2024 - 199 in Illinois - 22267 overall]

This bridge carries I-57 over the Mississippi between Missouri and Illinois. It is a steel truss…read morearch bridge with four lanes (two in each direction). It is 107 feet above the river. This is one of three bridges in the area that cross the Mississippi or the Ohio in Southern Illinois. There is a small sign to indicate the state line in each direction. There is no pedestrian lane and no breakdown lane. The edge of the lane is only about 12 inches from the barrier. If you get stuck here, you're going to be blocking traffic. There is a huge difference in firearm laws between the two states. I stopped just before the bridge, removed my concealed carry gun from the holder, unloaded it, locked it in the case, and put it in the trunk. Sigh. [Review 16296 overall - 96 in Illinois - 1802 of 2021.]

I've visited multiple historical sites similar to this mound site, across the country. Of all the…read moreexperiences this one stands out for a very specific reason. All the others are just the mounds with their accompanying history explained. This is the first one I've been to that goes above and beyond just seeing a grassy mound and actually has a fully excavated, and protected site within it. I find this fascinating. This type of historical location is only as exciting as the person visiting it wants to make it. Having this extra layer of dirt removed to actually see what's under one of these mounds is much more gratifying. In any event, I think it's important to take a moment and imagine life at the time the mound was created almost 1000 years ago and how different it is from what we experience today, standing in the same spot. This is an excellent site with great documentation and a very friendly and helpful staff. Definitely worth taking an hour out of your day if you're in the area to stop by and experience this place.

Stopped here on our way to explore Cairo staff was wonderful learned a lot about the mystery of the…read morearea

Been through Cairo many times and always enjoy taking a couple minutes to look around. I am sure…read moreit use to be booming in its day. The Historic District does have some pretty elaborate homes. If you are on a road trip take a couple minutes and check it out. Yet, don't go out of your way as the town is pretty small yet they do have a great BBQ joint too!

Crossing the Ohio River between Wickliffe Kentucky and Cairo Illinois, the Cairo Ohio River Bridge…read morecarries US Route 51, US Route 60 and US Route 62. It was completed in 1938 and updated/refurbished in 1979. One lane in each direction, it has a total length of 6863 feet and is a "cantilever bridge." Note that this is the Cairo Ohio River Bridge. There is a separate Cairo Mississippi River Bridge which obviously crosses the Mississippi River. There is no toll to cross the bridge. There is no pedestrian or bicycle lane. [Review 1240 of 2024 - 271 in Kentucky - 22263 overall]

Used to be a toll bridge, now it isn't! 5-stars just for that!! plus the bridge and scenery and…read morehistory and another toll-free bridge!! this is probably the best mile of driving in Illinois :-) The Cairo bridge is your last (first?) chance to cross the Ohio River. This 5865-foot cantilevered warren through truss is low slung with just 60 feet of clearance. Please be aware that the bridge was erected without regard for or understanding of the New Madrid fault zone running through the countryside so expect a newer, fancier, and much less interesting bridge sooner rather than later. As hard as it is to believe tollway-to-freeway conversions were regular occurrences throughout northern america prior to the turn of the century but this is Illinois, the Prairie State, where no palm has ever been left ungreased this sort of thing just doesn't happen here! and don't expect this to ever happen again, anytime, ever. Perpetual payments are now well established; the excuses are as numerable as they are specious but the sad truth is that once a revenue stream has been established it will only disappear when it is absorbed by a much larger and more wasteful one - picture swine and a trough and you get the idea (my apologies to the farm animals.)

Crossing from Kentucky into Missouri, you'll spend all of 1000 feet in Illinois between the two…read morebridges. Or you can continue north into southern Illinois if that's your preference. This bridge is two lanes wide with a simple double-yellow line between them. There is a low wall on each side and there is no pedestrian or breakdown lane. The bridge did get a rehabilitation in 2005 and there is now a 15 ton weight limit on the bridge in an attempt to extend its lifespan. It's been closed a couple of times for repair and inspection. The other bridge is the Cairo Ohio River Bridge https://www.yelp.com/biz/cairo-ohio-river-bridge-wickliffe but this one is the Cairo MISSISSIPPI River Bridge. It runs north to south carrying US Route 60 and US Route 62 across the Mississippi River. It joins the communities of Cairo Illinois to Bird's Point, Missouri. The bridge is 5175.5 feet long with a main span of 700.9 feet. It has a clearance of 114 feet above the river. The bridge opened in 1929 as a toll bridge. The toll was removed in 1954. As an alternative, you can bypass to the west and cross on the I-57 bridge https://www.yelp.com/biz/i-57-bridge-cairo which also does not have a toll. [Review 287 of 2025 - 220 in Illinois - 23850 overall]

Along US-62 west of Paducah, the signs let you know that there is a historical marker ahead. At the…read morespot, there is room to pull off the highway but you still need to be aware of traffic. There is a detailed caption and a stone that points out the site of the 1939 Sharecroppers Strike which made local and national news at the time. The Missouri Sharecropper Strike of 1939 was a pivotal protest led by African American minister Owen H. Whitfield, vice president of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. On a freezing January morning, around 2,000 black and white sharecroppers gathered along Missouri highways to protest the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, which allowed plantation owners to keep federal subsidies meant for sharecroppers. The demonstration drew national attention, embarrassing the state government as reporters covered the crisis. Despite harsh conditions, the protesters remained steadfast, even as state police relocated them to isolated areas. The strike highlighted the severe injustices faced by sharecroppers and spurred broader discussions on labor rights and racial inequality. [Review 288 of 2025 - 412 in Missouri - 23851 overall]

Not far from the bridges that cross the rivers mentioned in the marker, this points out some of the…read moreearliest explorations of the area. There is plenty of space to pull over to read the marker and there's a BBQ place nearby. The marker reads, "ccompanied by Pere Jaques Marquette, the Sieur Louis Joliet. Commissioned by the French government at Quebec to explore the Mississippi River. Stopped on this bank in 1673. According to the "Jesuit Relations" by Thevenot. They were feasted by the Indians on buffalo meat, bear's grease and white plums." There is no number but it was erected in 1940 by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. [Review 286 of 2025 - 301 in Kentucky - 23849 overall]