Piasa Park Byway Discovery Center

Hitchcock Design Group was commissioned by the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau to develop a Byway Discovery Center at Piasa Park in Alton, Illinois. The Byway Discovery Center is a facility to welcome visitors to the Great Rivers & Routes corridor along the Mississippi River in Southwest Illinois. The area is a regional draw for tourists from Illinois, the St. Louis area, and increasingly is a stop for Mississippi River cruise line travelers.

The Byway Discovery Center is a visually striking, environmentally sustainable facility, including an interpretive center to tell the story of the Mississippi River and the history of the area. Located at Piasa Park, it will include space for gatherings, programmed events, and staging for outdoor activities. The area is popular with bicyclists and the Discovery Center will act as a trailhead including bike rentals, restroom facilities, and concessions. It is anticipated that the area will be programmed for special events and is designed to accommodate tour buses, food trucks, vendors, and exhibitors. The redesign of the park includes new landscaping, water retention ponds, parking with access for coach buses, outdoor gathering areas, interpretive panels and kiosks, and a new Piasa Bird observation deck. The site will also include walking trails, viewing areas of the nearby bluffs and caves, along with rejuvenated landscape and native plantings.