Children's Museums

National Great Rivers Museum

Name: National Great Rivers Museum
Address: 1 Locks and Dam Way, Alton, IL 62002, Alton, IL, US
Telephone: (618) 462-6979
Rating: 4.7

★★★★☆ 4.7 (783 reviews)

📍 1 Locks and Dam Way, Alton, IL 62002

📞 (618) 462-6979

🌐 www.mtrf.org

Visit Website 📍 Get Directions

🕐 Hours

Monday	9 AM–5 PM
Tuesday	9 AM–5 PM
Wednesday	9 AM–5 PM
Thursday	9 AM–5 PM
Friday	9 AM–5 PM
Saturday	9 AM–5 PM
Sunday	9 AM–5 PM

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About National Great Rivers Museum

Mississippi River exhibits & tours. Educational exhibits about the Mississippi River & tours, plus a working lock & dam. The museum features a barge simulator interactive exhibit where visitors can experience piloting a barge, with multiple reviews noting that 'being a barge pilot is harder than it looks'. Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by 783 visitors.

Quick Facts

Type: Natural History Museum
Focus: Mississippi River history and education
Admission: Free
Hours: Daily 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tours: Free Locks and Dam tours at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m.

💡 Did You Know?

⭐The museum features a barge simulator interactive exhibit where visitors can experience piloting a barge, with multiple reviews noting that 'being a barge pilot is harder than it looks'
⭐Offers completely free admission to both the museum and public tours of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, with three daily tour times (10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.)
⭐The museum hosts a well-organized plein air art competition, indicating it serves as both an educational and cultural venue for the community
⭐Fall is the optimal visiting season as it coincides with harvest season when significantly more barges travel the river, providing better opportunities to observe the locks and dam in action

💬 What Visitors Say

🕐Visit during fall harvest season (September-November) when barge traffic is at its peak. This significantly increases your chances of seeing barges in action during the lock and dam tours, making the educational experience more impactful.
💡Plan to take one of the three daily free tours of Melvin Price Locks and Dam (10am, 1pm, or 3pm) as a centerpiece of your visit. Combine this with the barge pilot simulator exhibit inside the museum to understand how commercial river navigation actually works.
💡After visiting the museum, drive the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway toward Grafton to see barges in their actual operating environment. This real-world context helps visitors fully appreciate the scale and significance of what they learned indoors.
💬Allow at least 1-1.5 hours for your visit despite the museum's compact size. The interactive exhibits and well-presented information are dense, and families typically spend longer than expected exploring hands-on activities.
💬This is an ideal Monday-Friday destination with completely free admission and free tours, making it excellent for school groups and families looking for budget-friendly educational outings. Weekend crowds may be lighter than typical museums.