CONNECTING CULTURE AND SKY
Explore the connections between the infinite cosmos and the people of the Mississippian culture at the place where they come together — Angel Mounds State Historic Site. Located on the banks of the Ohio River near Evansville, Angel Mounds was built between A.D. 1100-1450 and remains one of North America’s best-preserved, pre-European contact Native American sites.
Spanning 600 acres, the historic site includes 11 original earthen mounds built with the special purpose to elevate important buildings in the vast city where people lived, worshiped and worked. Angel Mounds also highlights a cosmological brilliance of the people, woven together as a tapestry of their relationship with the cosmos and how everything is connected. Discover how the mounds are aligned in perfect harmony to highlight many celestial events, such as sunrise on the day of the summer solstice and the sunset on the winter solstice.
Children Under 3
Admission: FREE
Youth (Ages 3 - 17)
Admission: $8
Adults (Ages 18 - 59)
Admission: $12
Seniors (Ages 60+)
Admission: $10
Members
Admission: FREE
Purchase Tickets
In preparation for the opening of the newly transformed Angel Mounds interpretive center, we will be closed from Nov. 11-15. Please join us for opening weekend Nov. 16–17 to experience this historic site in a whole new way. See you there!
Visiting on a free day? Specific site access and tour space will be limited. Please contact the site in advance of your visit to learn more and reserve your space.
Purchase TicketsOperating Hours
Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
**Nov. 11-15: Closed**
Holidays
Easter – Closed
Memorial Day – Open for preregistered tours only
July 4th – Open
Labor Day – Open for preregistered tours only
Thanksgiving – Closed
Christmas Eve – Closed
Christmas Day – Closed
New Year’s Eve – Closed
New Year’s Day – Limited hours with preregistered tours only
Free Days
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 20)
Presidents Day (Feb. 17)
Juneteenth Celebration (date tbd)
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
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Nov 16, 2024 10:00 am - 5:00 pmAngel Mounds
Historic Tour of Angel Mounds
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Nov 17, 2024 10:00 am - 5:00 pmAngel Mounds
Historic Tour of Angel Mounds
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Nov 20, 2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pmAngel Mounds
Homeschool Adventures: Gourds Galore! (ages 6-11)
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Dec 18, 2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pmAngel Mounds
Homeschool Adventures: Native American Food (ages 7-12)
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Dec 20, 2024 3:45 pm - 5:30 pmAngel Mounds
Winter Solstice Alignment Event
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Dec 21, 2024 3:45 pm - 5:30 pmAngel Mounds
Winter Solstice Alignment Event
The Power of the Mounds
Nearly 1,000 years ago, Angel Mounds was a thriving center for agriculture and trade. Today, you can see recreations of fortification palisade walls and visit a new interpretive center where guests can engage in the stories of the past told by the living descendants of this Mississippian society.
Ancestral Echoes in Today’s Voices
Step inside our newly transformed interpretive center to hear modern perspectives of Angel Mounds and the significance it still holds today directly from native descendants of the Mississippian culture. Discover beautiful artworks created by the indigenous artists of today alongside the artifacts that inspired them.
The transformation was completed in collaboration with artists and historians from federally recognized tribes including Miami (in Oklahoma), Osage Nations, Quapaw and Shawnee among many others, and the IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (IUMAA). The project was made possible by $4 million in funding from the state of Indiana and a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Take a Hike!
Walk outside the new interpretive center and take in the expansive view before you head out to explore the natural beauty of the Angel Mounds loop trail. Stop at the interest points dotted along the roughly 4-mile trail for a unique perspective of how the mounds were constructed and what they looked like to the Native people who lived here long ago.
Meet Glenn Black
Explore a new experience that guides visitors through the life of noted Indiana archaeologist Glenn A. Black, who conducted fieldwork for many years at Angel Mounds. An interactive area also allows visitors to reconstruct a broken clay pot, explore a recreation of Black’s desk, and experiment with a simulated, tabletop magnetometer to uncover hidden objects in the ground and more.
BOOK A FIELD TRIP
Students can try their hand at archaeological activities and see Black’s real tools and desk. They can also wind their way through interactive exhibits in the interpretive center and explore 600 acres where the earthen mounds built by the Mississippians still stand today. Call 812.853.3956 to schedule your visit to Angel Mounds or click below to learn more.
Learn moreMississippian culture
Mississippian culture was innovative and the first to extensively exploit agriculture and build permanent communities. This economic and social system was made possible by the widespread cultivation of corn, which was nutritious and could be stored in large quantities. The town here lends its name to the Angel phase of Mississippian culture, found near the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers from the late 11th through the 15th centuries. By 1450, the site was empty and no one knows for sure why the inhabitants left. Maybe the wood and game would have been depleted. Or intense agriculture might have overworked the soil. The reasons they left are questions archaeologists continue to research.
ARCHAEOLOGY AT ANGEL MOUNDS
In historic times, the site was a working farm of the Angel family. In 1938, with a donation from Eli Lilly, the Indiana Historical Society purchased the land to protect it from development. Starting in 1939, under the direction of Glenn A. Black, a crew of 277 WPA workers began excavating the site, recovering more than 2.5 million artifacts. Black’s efforts had a major impact on North American archaeological thought and technique, and at one time, the project was one of the largest of its kind in the United States.
Unearth History All Year Long
Our members enjoy exploring the life and times of Indiana’s original inhabitants, hiking and biking through the grounds, as well as pursuing archaeological interests all year long! What will you learn today?
explore our membership plansPlan Your Trip
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Admission
Please note: In preparation for the opening of the newly transformed Angel Mounds interpretive center, we will be closed from Nov. 11-15. Please join us for opening weekend Nov. 16-17 to experience this historic site in a whole new way.
Visiting on a free day? Specific site access and tour space will be limited. Please contact the site in advance of your visit to learn more and reserve your space.
Purchase Tickets -
Contact
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Group Rate
Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 visitors or more. To receive group rates, please call the site in advance and purchase all tickets with one payment. Find prices below.
Adults – $5
Seniors* – $4
Youth* – $3
Children under 3 – FREE
*Seniors: Ages 60 and older, Youth: Ages 3 through 17For group transportation to a state historic site, contact our partners at CharterUP.
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Discounts
Special discounts are available for educators and education groups, military, Access Pass holders and more.
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Tours
Self-guided tours of the site are available during regular operating hours. Hiking trails are also open during regular operating hours.
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School Groups
Field trip admission is free for pre-scheduled, accredited schools and homeschool groups of 10 or more Indiana K-12 students. Members of the Indiana Association of Homeschool Educators receive free daily admission with proof of membership. Call 812.853.3956 to schedule your visit.
Academic topics covered include Prehistoric Native American culture (Mississippian ca. 1000-1400 A.D.), archaeology, nature and star lore.
Learn more -
Commercial Photography And Videography
If you are a photographer looking to book a shoot at Angel Mounds State Historic Site, please review our commercial photography policy and application process. Learn more >>
8215 Pollack Ave, Evansville, IN 47715
Visit Today
Angel Mounds has a distinctive Visitors Center that looks like the mounds, so you’ll be able to see it from the road once you reach Pollack Avenue. Parking is available at the Angel Mounds Interpretive Center.
