The Ohio River bridge.

Cairo (pronounced CARE-ro) is in Illinois on a small strip of land in between Missouri and Kentucky as well as the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, made famous in Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn".

Understand

The town was in former times a major port, but is now a semi-ghost town as a result of the decline of the river trade. During the American Civil War, it was used by U.S. Grant as a supply hub, but his military occupation of the town diverted much trade towards Chicago and Cairo could never quite get it back.

Get in

By car

• US 51. Head south on US Highway 51 from Interstate 57.

By plane

• 1 Cairo Regional Airport (CIR  ^IATA) (4 mi (6.4 km) northwest of town on the other side of the interstate.).  

See

The confluence of the Ohio & Mississippi rivers.

• 1 Cairo Custom House Museum, ☏ +1 618 734-9632. 14th and Washington Ave. An American Civil War and local history museum. M-F 10AM-noon, 1-3PM.  
• 2 Fort Defiance State Park. This once neglected state park has come back into better days thanks to local efforts. It looks out over the Ohio and Mississippi rivers as the two powerful water flows attempt to combine.  
• Safford Memorial Library, 1609 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 618 734-1840. M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-noon. Home to Civil War documents, antiques, and paintings. 
• 3 Magnolia Manor, 2700 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 618 734-0201. (updated Dec 2017)

Do

• Levee Footrace, ☏ +1 618 734-4400. A 5000- and 10,000-meter run held on the Mississippi River Levee is held the second Saturday of November. 
• St Mary's Park. This city park once played host to Theodore Roosevelt, but now hosts the city's residents with recreation facilities. 

Eat

• Andy's Drive-In, ☏ +1 618 734-4361. 
• Cairo Truck Stop, ☏ +1 618 734-9161. 
• Chris's Cafe, ☏ +1 618 734-9880. 
• Dairy Hut, ☏ +1 618 734-1266. 
• Mack's Barbecue, ☏ +1 618 734-9847. 
• Nonny's, ☏ +1 618 734-1883. 2203 Sycamore. 
• Nu Diner, 300 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 618 734-2373. 

Sleep

• Belvedere Motel, 3901 Sycamore St, ☏ +1 618 734-4020. 
• Days Inn, ☏ +1 618 734-0215. I-57 and US 51. 
• Garden Inn Motel, ☏ +1 618 734-9554. US 51. 
• Relax Inn, 214 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 618 734-0285. 

Go next

Routes through Cairo

Effingham ← Marion ← Jct to Metropolis ←	N  S	→ Sikeston → END
Carbondale ← Cobden ←	N  S	→ Memphis → Jackson
Springfield ← Sikeston ←	W  E	→ Paducah → Evansville/Elizabethtown
East St. Louis ← Cahokia ← Jct W ←	N  S	→ END