Very nicely done. Clean, well maintained and safe feel throughout the square. The giants all look…read morefresh and vibrant each making for great photo ops. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Got our Passport stamp and got some great selfies with all the giants. The shops all close early, but its still an awesome experience and classic stop along your Route 66 journey.

Another one of the fun landmarks along Route 66. This one is a little more tricky to get pictures…read moreof, as it's large enough to get a distorted angle if you're taking pictures underneath Paul Bunyon, but the composition isn't great if you're standing across the street. Ideally, try to use 3x zoom if you can and check out some of the local sights in the area as well.

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.

I think I got out of the car expecting to be "unimpressed". I was wrong. I do think that the park…read moreranger you get and their level of knowledge and ability to relate to the tour make the visit. We had an excellent Ranger. He shared tidbits that really brought out what it would have been like to live in the home. I absolutely think if you are ever in the area, invest the time and take the free tour.

A Greater Task "Why…read moreshould there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world?" Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address Located in a small park across the street from the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, this statue highlights the burden and complexities that Lincoln faced as he began his journey to Washington and became a wartime president. Visit this and the nearby Acts of Intolerance Sculpture to reflect on the past, the present and the future.

Do the tour! The tour of the Carillon's is about 30 minutes and you learn about how they're played…read moreand how they came to be and how they're made. Then if you can stay or come back for the concert when they play, it's worth it. The concert is about another 30 minutes and sounds just wonderful. There are places to sit and relax and geese to feed too. The tour costs a nominal amount but listening to the Carillons is free.

Have you seen it? have you heard it? It's pretty amazing…read more... super tall, 32+? bells that one person plays! Hello? Awesome! Wednesdays in the summer take wander around the area and take a listen! I think it's pretty awesome. Now, if we could get rid of the bugs... Anyway - it's great! Go, enjoy!

Mary Todd, the widow of Abraham Lincoln chose a quiet place for her husband to rest…read more On the outskirts of town, Oakridge Cemetery has revolutionary war laid to rest here. A simple family burial and tomb. It was unheard of. After having his body taken. Yes the original tomb under the larger one it needed a better resting area. In fact the care taker for years relocated the presidents body to preserve it for the family. The caretakers mansion is next store to the tomb still today. What an undertaking. The large obelisk above his tomb and depicting statues are dedicated to his legacy. Keeping the union to together; eventually abolishing slavery. A man's heart and soul are here along side most of the Lincoln family. No one will ever be able to take his body again it's buried in lead coffin and covered in concrete. This burial now celebrates Lincoln's life and his final resting place. Now you can come and celebrate his life and death. All his contributions to history in his hometown. Make sure and rub Lincoln's nose for good luck.

I mean, it's a tomb. Nice landscaping, nice bronze, I think the monument is a nice touch. Short…read morevisit. Knowledgeable staff.

The Old State Capitol is a reconstruction of Illinois' statehouse from 1840 to 1876. During the…read more20th century's civil rights movement, its restorers faithfully recreated the building in which John Jones & Frances Gage worked to expand the meaning of freedom. Lincoln served his final term as a state lawmaker in 1840-41. As a lawyer, he pleaded cases before the state supreme court in this building (1841-1860). In the Illinois House chamber, Lincoln made his House Divided speech in June 1858, announcing his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. It was to the same chamber, in May 1865, that his body was returned to lie in state, arriving from Washington, D.C., prior to final burial in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery.

We had a great time here at the old Capitol. We enjoyed the self guided tour and listening to the…read moreLincoln Troubadours sing in the rotunda area and in the old house chamber. This statehouse was not used very long, but Lincoln was in here when he was alive. It was also the last place he lay in state before they closed the coffin and buried him and his son Willie in the Springfield cemetery. We enjoyed the Underground Railroad display and stories in the old Supreme Court Chambers. This place is kind of big and you can schedule at least an hour to see everything. As of June 2025 it's open Thursday through Saturday.

The Route 66 Museum is great and close to the other attractions in Atlanta. There is a pride in…read moretheir history that shows. Every one we spoke with at every stop in town was kind and knowledgeable.

It has been celebrated in song, story, poem, and yes, even a Route 66 TV show (1960-1964); historic…read moreU.S. Route 66 was established in 1926 and ran east-west across the central United States. According to the popular song "Route 66" by John Mayer "...it winds from Chicago to LA, more than two thousand miles all the way". 2448 miles or 3,940 KM to be precise. Tourist attractions designed to get a motorist to take a break from their journey (and spend some cash) along "the mother road" or the "main street of America" are scattered here and there among the small towns that are found along Route 66. One of these attractions is the Route 66 Arcade Museum located in the prototypical small town of Atlanta, IL. At the Route 66 Arcade Museum it is possible to misspend your youth all over again; one quarter at a time! The Museum is chock full of vintage pinball and video games from the 1930's-1970's. The Route 66 Arcade Museum is only open during the tourist season April through September. The museum is opened and closed by a third party but is usually open from 9am 4pm in season. Hours are currently impacted by IL state COVID-19 regulations for entertainment businesses so please check before your visit.

We reserved a free tour at Eventbrite. Jennifer brought 15 of us through this massive, historic…read morehome. She pointed out specific pieces, told stories about the owners & was very knowledgeable about Frank Lloyd Wrights work. We started our tour with a brief video about the glass work. We went into several sitting areas, Dana's bedroom, nursery, dining room, pantry & kitchen.library, bowling alley & billiards room. The 3rd largest home Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed. this remarkably preserve Prairie School icon dates from 1902 until 1904. It's more interesting than his home in Oak Park. The 16 floor home was considered experimental with a duckpin bowling alley & 2 barrel vaulted ceiling's. There is exquisite color shifting art glass & 90% of the furniture is original. Susan Lawrence Dana (1862-1946) was an heiress to a silver mines fortune . She was widow in 1900 & had complete control over her household & fortune. She was a leading philanthropic figure in Springfield. Dana decided to completely remodeled her home commissioning Frank Lloyd Wright. Her new home reflected her flamboyant personality & was designed for display & entertainment. The concept of "expanding space" was evident throughout the house with windows placed to continually draw the attention to the outside. Wright designed approximately 450 art glass windows, skylights, door panels, sconces & light fixtures for the house. The interior Torii gates are magnificent.hallway into two of the largest rooms in the house. The musical gallery for entertaining and the library contains special easels. Wright designed white oak furniture for Dana to display Japanese prints. In1928, Dana had dementia & financial constraints. In1944, the home and its contents were sold to Charles C. Thomas, a medical publisher. Thomas lived here & used this home as his publishing company. He sold the house to the state for a million dollars. It became a historic site. Jennifer shared that the house is still being utilized for social community events.

Absolute perfection! This is one of the best Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the world. It is the…read morebiggest. it also has 95% of the original furnishings inside including a lamp that the state of Illinois had to pay $700,000 to reclaim. They also paid $1 million for the property. It's a bargain at any price. FLW fans cannot miss this one! No pictures are allowed inside, but it is stunning! Look at the pictures on their social media and then go see this place. My wife and I have toured several Frank Lloyd Wright homes including Taliesen West. This one takes the cake. By far. Marcel was our guide and he was amazing. Just go see this place. It's a national treasure!

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.

Review Visit: March 11th, 2014…read more To quote my friend; "It's not even covered!" Now, to be fair and to preface this blog post, we did stop by after it received some storm damage. So the state it was in when we visited is not a representation of what it actually looks like. The low score is from my initial visit. Should I happen to make it back, I will update the score and post new photos to reflect what it really presents. Looking into it for this blog post, I would rather like to see it in it's former glory as it looks really cool! Okay, so with all that in mind, my friends and I left Springfield after a day of exploring. On the way home, we saw the sign for this covered wagon. I asked everyone if they wanted to stop and check it out. They didn't care... so 10 minutes later, we find ourselves looking at the wagon... or the damaged wagon. As stated above, it seemed to have received some storm damage and was in the process of being restored, so it was in really bad shape. But we had some fun taking goofy photos in front of it. It was muddy out, so we couldn't explore around the area too much. I have visited Lincoln, IL a few times since this photo was taken, so next time I am down there, I hope to have new/better photos of the wagon. It really does look cool from seeing other people's online photos. Plus, it's a nod to Illinois and the USA's history since it has Abraham Lincoln on it. The link to the website provided below is not to the Wagon's actual website... because it does not have one. But I do like Atlas Obscura, so I linked to their website. That way there is some reference material if you are interested in learning more about the wagon.

Exactly as advertised, this is the World's Largest Covered Wagon. It's worth a quick stop on your…read moredrive along Route 66 to take a fun picture as it's located off the main road in a large parking lot so you can feel free to slowly take as many pictures as you need. It's free to visit and not too far off the highway.