Location: Alton
Top Things to do in Alton
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9 Budget-friendly Things to do in Alton That You Shouldn't Miss
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles (24 km) north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. It is famous for its limestone bluffs along the river north of the city, for its role preceding and during the American Civil War, and as the hometown of jazz musician Miles Davis and Robert Wadlow, the tallest known person in history. It was the site of the last Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate in October 1858. The former state penitentiary here was used during the war to hold up to 12,000 Confederate prisoners of war.
Restaurants in Alton
1. Beall Mansion Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 32 reviews
No visit to Alton, IL is complete without a tour of the turn-of-the-century mansion built as a wedding gift. Museum tours are by appointment. Call now to schedule.
2. Great Rivers Scenic Route
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 231 reviews
Reviewed By apkh0828 - Granite City, United States
AMAZING RIVER VIEW, LEAVES TURNING, QUAINT LITTLE TOWN OF Elijah, Bike Trail, Bird Watching, with many great shops in the town of Grafton. Nice wine tasting places, book shops, antique shops, ice cream parlor, and of course my favorite rock shop just as you enter Grafton on the right hand side of street. Beasley Fish and Find Inn our favorite places to eat. And for the bikers HogPit is the place to go! Head North to Pete Marquette State Park for great hiking and horseback riding. Spend a day or a weekend here, you will love it!
3. National Great Rivers Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 106 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The National Great Rivers Museum is one of 11 planned visitors centers operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that tells the story of the Mississippi River. Located on the Great River Road (State Highway 143) south of the Clark Bridge, adjacent to the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, between Alton and Wood River, Illinois, the 12,000-square-foot facility features state-of-the-art interactive displays and exhibits that help visitors understand the many aspects of the Mississippi River and how it affects our lives. The natural ecosystem of the Mississippi River and how humans interact with it is one of the major themes of the museum, which was opened in 2003. A large model of the bluffs of the region is in the center of the museum and provides information on the various wildlife from prairie plants and trees to birds and other animals. An aquarium displays the various species of fish that inhabit the river. Also learn about the mechanics of the river, how soil is made, the effects of erosion, what causes floods. Another them is how the Mississippi River has been home to many people throughout the ages, including nearby Cahokia Mounds. The construction of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam is explained and visitors can make a free tour of the facility. In addition, two video presentations are offered daily--"Power of the River," which tours the river from its source, and "Lewis and Clark: A Confluence of Time and Courage," which tells the story of the Corps of Discovery.
4. Alton Hauntings Tours
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 56 reviews
Looking for the real story of why Alton, Illinois, is know as one of the most haunted small towns in America? Come along on one of the award-winning Alton Hauntings Tours! Based on the book by author Troy Taylor, it has been called the "most authentic" tour in the region and after almost 20 years, we take you behind the scenes of the most haunted places in town. According to legend, author Mark Twain once called Alton a "dismal little river town," largely thanks to the dark history that the city had already endured prior to its heyday as a thriving river port. From those days, through the early 1900s, Alton saw more than its share of death, disease, disaster, violence, murder, and even the scars of the Civil War. Today, come see how the events of the past have created the hauntings of what is now being called "one of the most haunted small towns in America." Our tour is an entertaining, often spine-tingling trip back in town to discover the true story of why our little town has become so haunted over the years! See the calendar for upcoming dates and join us on the eerie streets for Alton for a tour!
5. World's Tallest Man Statue
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 153 reviews
Reviewed By EwanderingMan - Hendersonville, United States
Yup, check the "Guinness Book of World Records." Robert Pershing Wadlow, born and reared in Alton, is the tallest person to ever have walked on earth for whom there is irrefutable documentation. His statue is on the site of the former Shurtleff College campus (now Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine) that he had attended. There is visitor parking on campus about 60 yards (by paved walkway... behind the statue); i.e. the parking spaces are not visible from College Avenue. To access the small "Robert Wadlow Statue Visitor Only" parking lot, turn north from College Avenue onto Seminary Street. (The Upper Alton Baptist Church is at that corner.) About 100 yards from that intersection, there is a right turn into the campus. The small lane goes directly to the Visitor parking spaces.
6. Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
Reviewed By Q1815QZbryanw - Roseville, United States
This is a powerful monument about an influential abolitionist who influenced the anti-slave sentiments of both John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. Walk about 200 yards behind the monument and witness Lovejoy's actual grave--and stand where a youthful Abraham Lincoln stood before his trip to Washington D.C.
7. Fast Eddie's Bon-Air
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 38 reviews
Reviewed By nbj1003 - Key Biscayne, United States
A glowing review of Fast Eddie's Bon-Air is probably overkill. How many more superlatives can be written about this fun bar across the Mississippi from St. Louis in Alton, IL? The question is not how recently I visited but how I grab every chance to go back. I've been there in the winter for birthday parties inside, in the summer for superb music on the patio. with friends of a certain age for bargain shrimp at lunch, danced madly on other nights. Day or night, definitely a must visit if you're in the neighborhood. It is such an institution that the city closed off a street to allow Fast Eddie to expand.
8. Curiosity Museum
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 38 reviews
Exhibits and information have been researched and are historically accurate. The curator of our museum has visited Torture Museums in Europe where most of these devices originated. A collection of books on the sublect is available to browse while at the Museum. We are always on alert for information and adding new exhibits to our collection. Over 50 exhibits of torture devices from all over the world, some very simple, some diabolically clever, some still in use today. We have new Torture exhibits, and are expanding the museum to include curiosities, oddities, illusions and hands-on exhibits. Formerly the Historic Museum of Torture Devices this expanded attraction is now the Curiosity Museum.
Reviewed By anderson213 - Hannibal, United States
This place is small. Some might even call it a hole in the wall. But, we liked it. My boys especially enjoyed all the gross details about historical torture. This pplace is not for the squeemish. If you like gross, then this place is for you. If your stomach flops because of the movie SAW, avoid this place.
