Fort de Chartres State Historic Site

Fort de Chartres is an early French fort along the Mississippi river. It never saw action and was vacated and abandoned after the Louisiana purchase. A number of years ago the fort was partially restored and now provides a fairly good representation of what the fort was like during the time it was in use by the French.
The grounds are open all year and there are shaded areas and picnic tables near the parking areas. Great to bring a picnic lunch while visiting the fort since you are a little bit away from towns with restaurants or fast food.

If you are in St. Louis area and have a few hours to spend, this is a great historical site to visit, although it's off the beaten path. This fort was built by the French in 1720 to help manage the Illinois territory from this Mississippi River location. The Fort is built with limestone and laid out in a traditional European way. It must have been amazing for the local native Americans to see because they built nothing out of stone and brick. Included in the buildings is a powder magazine and of course there were cannons which together with the muzzleloading guns would have seemed amazing to the native Americans. This is a very pleasant site with picnic grounds but it takes about an hour to get to and you'll probably only stay less rhan an hour.

Highly recommend going here very educational. This was almost the site of St. Louis, but they moved further north if able to go to one of the renovations. A lot to see and learn, this is free no charge

We came here for the annual rendezvous and had an amazing time! They do an excellent job recreating this time period. Everyone is dressed in that time period as well as a lot of the activities, shows, and items for sale. The fort and the grounds are great to see and explore. There is so much history here for everyone to enjoy. I highly recommend stopping by to see for yourself.

Wonderful place, so much beautiful history and amazing volunteers. Absolutely worth any drive to visit.

Really great historic site. The reconstructions and museum are very well done. Seems like a bit of a hidden gem that doesn't get much foot traffic, but would be fun to revisit during the rendevouz gathering.

This fort is truly remarkable! I was thoroughly impressed by the historical significance and the meticulous effort put into reconstructing the buildings and grounds from the 17th century, with a museum open and free to the public. The drive to the fort is picturesque, and the site itself is impeccably maintained. It's definitely worth a visit, and staying for a picnic only adds to the experience. One of my favorite spots in the area!