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.

This was so cool! What an amazing experience! This was my first Wright house, and I'm not sure it…read morecan be topped! I understand why photos aren't allowed inside, but I was expecting more postcards depicting the various rooms to be available in the gift shop. There was cool stuff, for sure, but more postcards of the interior would be great since photos aren't allowed. My tour guide was Allicent and she did a great job talking about all the artistic and architectural features of the home. There was also a video at the beginning about the manufacture of some of the glass. I was sorry that the intro video didn't tell us more about the historical and social context of Mrs Dana, but I imagine most visitors would be more interested in the architectural technique. My only complaint with my tour is that there were two little kids on it. They were like 3 and 5. They were totally distracting the whole time--talking, whining, trying to grab at things. I'm not sure why the museum has such strict rules about other things but also allows in kids under 12. There's nothing they could possibly glean from the tour. It's really not designed for kids. Nor should it be!

Great Art Deco theater, check out their facebook page!! Sorry the category says Cinema but Theater…read moreisn't an option.

Review Visit: July 31st, 2012…read more A museum dedicated to more than Illinois. Matt and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to when we decided to check out the Illinois State Museum. We set our sights on this place while trying to do all the big Lincoln-y things in Springfield. We had assumed it was just your normal museum dedicated to the state of Illinois, corn, and Lincoln. It was all that and much more. It's hard to put in words how cool this place was. It's also hard because it's been over 8 years since we came here and my memory is a bit fuzzy on it. Who is to say the exhibits haven't also changed or been redone since 2012. Any who, I will say that if you find yourself in Springfield and love awesome museums, check this one out. There is a lot to see pertaining to Illinois but it's all so super cool and really well done. One of the best museums I've ever experienced. I know this is a shorter-than-normal post. If it gets even one person interested in seeing this place, then I feel like I've done a great job.

This was such a nice museum! We were in Springfield for less than a day, but still wanted to check…read moreit out! We are in the Curious Toddler Phase right now so all museums are on our go list. The staff here was VERY welcoming as we entered and explained to us what each floor was. Entry here is completely free! The first floor had a lot of history of Illinois and the common species that could be found. When I say history, it went back millions of years ago. It more of a science exhibit. It was very interactive for little ones with pull out drawers, spinning cranks, and windows at kid level for them to see fossils. We then went to the basement level that was the kid's area. My son loved it. And it was crowded with other kids who loved it. There was a pit to excavate fossils, another area to examine TONS of fossils and bones. My son particularly loved driving the fake jeep lol. It was a very fun experience for us. There was a whole other level dedicated to art that we did not get to see, but maybe the next time we are in the area we will!

There were several aspects of this tour that I really enjoyed. It was super cool to get to see the…read morecouch on which Abe courted Mary Todd! The servant's quarters in the attic were absolutely fascinating. The recreation of the wallpaper was a super cool story. The tour guide James was a bit odd but very knowledgeable. His jokes felt somewhat canned rather than organic, but that's probably just one of the hazards of the job. My main issue was that, as we were touring the house, there were random kids hanging out in various rooms doing art projects. This somehow felt strange, given the reverence with which James was suggesting we should treat the house. And then you turn the corner and there are a bunch of 8 year olds sitting in the floor of the main room. There's also one room upstairs that hasn't really been restored to the same period as the rest of the house. The guide had a reason for that, but it didn't make total sense to me. Not sure I'd make a second trip, but I certainly don't regret the hour or so I spent touring it!

A beautifully restored historical home-a treasure for Springfield IL. If you love history and…read morecraftsmanship you will enjoy the Edwards Place. Hand sewn wool carpets, silk screen wallpaper, walnut and oak wood graining by artisans, custom made draperies, make this a unique home. The original home was build in 1830's. Multiple additions to the home are apparent by examining the trim and woodworking changes. This house is a living museum.

I haven't been too a drive in theater in years. I was happy too discover there is one in…read moreSpringfield. They review the rules and everyone pretty much followed. We were in the back due too having a truck. But it was a great view. And I love the people watching.. My husband liked the nachos. I brought my own popcorn. Very clean facility. And friendly people. Great movie selection as well.

Springfield, Illinois ---…read more There are only about 338 drive-in movie theaters left in the USA (from about the 4300 peak), so I attend & SUPPORT all of them. The "Route 66 Twin Drive-In Theater also has Route 66 in its favor. It's unique "no speaker poles" parking allows the 1st cars arriving to set the pace. Tall vehicles in the back (where "Flo" & I park), gets to see the crowd, as well as the movie. The "experience" is why I attend drive-in's. Watching people with their creative pick-up truck seating, people walking around with their buddies, kids in their PJ's & families being families. The $7.50 ticket price is fair & the concession prices are fair too (not LOW, but fair). SUPPORT Drive-In's! Attend & buy their concessions to keep them in business for yourself & for the future! #RunAwayBill #DUSA2018 #DriveInMovieTheaterRAB #Route66 #Route66RunAwayBill #HistoricRoute66 #USroute66 #MotherRoad #Ruta66 #WillRogersHighway #MainStreetOfAmerica #RAB66_2018 05.19.18 "Run-A-Way Bill" was here!

This is such a fun place. If you love native plants or monarch butterflies or other pollinators,…read moreyou've GOT to visit the courtyard.

Cute, clean, and plenty to do for a 5 and 7 year old. Was not too busy during winter break and half…read moreof admission with ACM reciprocal network. Parking only on street but meters were not running.

On July 18, 2025 we attended the 'Grease' performance at the Legacy Theater. The theater was full…read moreof people enjoying the musical. The actors were amazing, the singing was incredible, the dancing was awesome, the band was terrific and the scenes were incredible. Professionally done by talented performers. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

I went to visit the SAA gallery today on 4th street and found the space to be bright and clean…read more (There's another SAA building for art classes ) and the front desk woman to be lovely and informative about the gallery and classes offered . The art work was a mixture of local artists with ongoing featured artist that change periodically. I'm so happy to have found this wonderful place, I'll be back !

A beautiful property with a Historic Home, Gallery and Classrooms. My children LOVE art camp each…read moresummer and I enjoy the "Canvas & Cocktails" events on Friday evenings!