I always wanted to live here as a kid. Hiking trails nearby. Gorgeous in the fall. Check out the…read moreobservation tower nearby you can see it from above.

Great 15-minute scenic drive - on one side, a variety of nice historic, fancy homes and on the…read moreother side, various views overlooking the Illinois River. Nice walking path alongside. A few places to park, get out, walk around, and take in the views.

This is an historical marker in Ware Illinois in Union County and is part of the Lewis & Clark…read moreexpedition that was lead by Sacagawea. There's many historical markers in the near traveling areas that you'll want to see especially if you're a history buff.

Great tour, highly recommended and will love to come back for the full 4-hours hour. I love the…read moreguide tour lady!!! Come and enjoy!!

My friend and I had an errand out in this area and decided to see what else there was to see while…read morewe were here. This museum (the home of the Hegeler and Carus families, who were involved in a local zinc company and also a publishing house, Open Court Press) is a national historic landmark and is unique because it was owned by the same family the whole time, & they never made any fundamental updates to the house so it's largely as it was when designed by WW Boyington (who also designed Chicago's Water Tower and the old Joliet prison) in the 1870s. Several rooms have been restored, but you can see in areas where it hasn't where time is taking its toll (for example, the main hall was painted with egg tempera paint, and that organic element [the egg] is now degrading after 150 years). Still, the parquet floors are amazing, and details like pocket doors, carved wooden decorations and historical elements like the speaker tube system in the walls for speaking through the house are unusual! The house also contains the only German-style turnhalle (gymnasium) in a historic home in the US. Other interesting details include an ornate butsudan (buddhist cabinet shrine) due to Hegeler's interest in Eastern religions. We just took the general tour ($15), but you can do half house (upper or lower half for $50 each) or whole house tours ($100). The longest one is apparently 3.5 hours with two breaks and children are discouraged since it is long. You must register for the tours as they max out at 6 people. Despite it saying "masks are required" and our temperatures taken at the door, our guide was initially trying to take his mask off to talk and the other couple on the tour followed suit. When my friend and I left ours on, they all put them back on at some point. The rooms do have 6 foot markers on the floors, but since some of the rooms aren't big, if you had a full tour group this would be an issue. There is an elevator so the Mansion is handicap accessible. Overall, this seems to be one of the bigger attractions in LaSalle, so take a tour if you're in town.

We followed the signs getting off at the cemetery. We passed different war memorials before finding…read morea lot in front of Lincoln's grave. There were restrooms at the gravesite. Visiting Lincoln's Tomb was free. Pres Lincoln, Mary, & 3 of their sons' remains are here. The Lincoln Tomb was formally dedicated on October 15, 1874, 150-years ago. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources presents "Porch Talks" on the grounds of the Residence at the Lincoln Tomb providing :20 programs about lesser-known facts surrounding this monument. We drove into the cemetery, passing From 1865 to 1901, Lincoln's coffin was moved 17 times due to construction & fears for the safety of the president's remains. There was actually a plot in 1876 to steal his body and hold it for ransom. The coffin itself was opened on five separate occasions. Lincoln Cemetery is a 112 acre historically African American cemetery in Blue Island, with over 16,000 interments. Many famous black musicians, scientists, aviators, athletes ... are also here.

A wonderful monument. Make sure you go inside the memorial if it is open…read more We wanted to visit Springfield to see all the wonderful sites in Lincoln's hometown. We visited teh Presidential Library and Museum and ate lunch at a nearby park with a pool. The Museum was lovely and I could have spent days there but we decided that we wanted to see his tomb since is was nearby. It is a short drive from the Museum (about 5 min) through a cemetery on the northwest end of the city. It is very pretty. There is a parking lot down the hill from the memorial that serves as his tomb. The tomb has a bust of his head in front that superstition says is good luck to rub its nose. You can walk around the entire structure. When we visited, there was a tour that was able to walk up to the second story of the structure but noone else was allowed. The hidden gem here is a door at the base of the monument that is beautiful inside. It circles the tomb in air-conditioned walkway. The four corners of the have small status of Lincoln in different periods of his life. It is very nice and well done. I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

Review Visit: September 17th, 2014…read more "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders." The Metamora Courthouse Historic Site was a fun little stop during one of my times exploring the little town of... well... Metamora. My girlfriend at the time was from around this area, so I thought we should explore most of what the town and surrounding area has to offer. If you are a fan of historical things, Metamora itself has a ton of it's lineage still around and open for visits. This courthouse is no exception. I was pleasantly surprised that we got a bit of a tour/guide at the Courthouse. We got to look at stuff going our own pace but the people there were helpful in explaining the history of the things we were looking at. They also took us from room to room and explained what each one was used for. After spending maybe 30 minutes of browsing and getting some history lessons, we decided we had enough of the little courthouse and the history of Metamora, and to some extent, Illinois. The folks there were lovely and took the time to explain a lot of stuff to us. They are never overbearing or overloading on the information. It was the perfect informal tour. Metamora itself is a great place to bring kids for a field trip from school. Between all these historical places to see and the beautiful Black Partridge Park and Partridge Point Orchard, you couldn't ask for a more fun small Midwest town to explore.

Lots of history here. Perfect place for photo ops. Abraham Lincoln had a few cases here in…read moreMetamora. Definitely worth a visit.

A fantastical site to see. Literal history right before your eyes. Walked through the same house…read morethat Lincoln lived in for 26 years. Amazing. And all for free. No reason not to go.

You can walk through the actual house that Abraham Lincoln lived in. How cool is that!…read moreThe Lincoln Home National Historic Site is located in downtown Springfield, Illinois, just a few blocks from the Illinois State Capitol. The site is operated by the National Park Service which preserves not only Abraham Lincoln's home but also much of the surrounding neighborhood. Your visit begins at the Visitor Center, where you obtain your free tour ticket and can browse several exhibits about Lincoln, his family, and the history of the neighborhood. The staff and park rangers were friendly, helpful, and well organized. When it was time for our tour, our group was briefed in the small theater and then escorted the several blocks through the historic neighborhood to Lincoln's home. The guide lead our group to outside the home first and talked about the history and then we went into the house and moved from room to room. The tour guide did a great job of explaining everything and answering the many questions that our group had about the house. Seeing the actual home where Lincoln lived before becoming President makes the history feel much more personal than simply reading about it in a book or hearing about it on the web. The rooms are furnished in period style, and the guides do an excellent job pointing out interesting details that you might otherwise overlook. Because this is a carefully preserved historic home, visitors are asked not to touch the furniture, walls, or other interior features. There are also several stairways, narrow hallways, and uneven transitions between rooms, so those with mobility limitations may find portions of the tour challenging. The National Park Service works hard to preserve the home while still allowing visitors to experience it as authentically as possible. I would suggest after touring the house that you take some time to walk through the surrounding neighborhood. Many of the neighboring homes have been restored, creating the feeling of stepping back into the mid-1800s. Overall, this was a highlight of our visit to Springfield. The knowledgeable guides, beautifully preserved home, and historic neighborhood made it a memorable experience. I would highly recommend the Lincoln Home National Historic Site to anyone visiting Springfield or anyone interested in American history. Enjoy!

What a cool place with a neat backstory. Unfortunately we missed being able to get inside the home…read moreby about 30 minutes but enjoyed exploring the picturesque grounds regardless. It is sad to see the building falling apart in places, it is definitely in need of restoration. Still, the place is in a gorgeous setting with massive trees that make it truly peaceful. Bathrooms on site were open even when the home was not and were clean. There are plenty of videos on YouTube and history to be found online. I found a cool tie in to my personal family history. Apparently the builder of this unique home, Fred Francis, had a run in with my great grandfather and great uncle who were hunting on his property. Francis, being a naturalist and vegetarian disliked hunting and chased the two off his property. My uncle recounted the story to us and we walked the grounds. A neat place with an amazing story. Check it out here: http://www.cityofkewanee.com/document_center/FrancisParkBrochure.pdf

Don't miss an opportunity to tour the Woodland Palace. It was built by a recluse named Fred Francis…read morewho was way ahead of his time. He transported the bricks with a bicycle. It has the equivalent of air conditioning by underground tunnels. The doors opened and closed automatically. There is quite a story around this place, tours are cheap, and the inventions are fascinating. The house can be toured in 20 minutes. The surrounding park has plenty of camping spaces and hiking trails.