The drive from Chicago to Springfield is a pretty boring one. There is not much to see while…read moredriving down I-55. On the way home we decided to see a few roadside attractions to break up the monotony. Be sure to put this into your GPS because you'll see one sign on the highway about eight miles from the exit and no more. It is not difficult to find or to get to. There is a parking lot, as it sits just in front of the Best Western Lincoln Inn. This makes for an interesting sight to see and a piece of conversation on your drive. The website description on the explore Illinois website perfectly describes what you'll see: "The Railsplitter Covered Wagon is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest covered wagon in the world. A statue of Abe Lincoln reading a law book sits in the huge wooden wagon, which stands 24 feet tall." If you have the time, this is a good way to spend it.

I was just passing thru Springfield but i HAD to stop by and take a pic of this. It was bigger than…read moreI thought it was going to be. It is very well maintained too. As you can see it doesn't have the cover which is understandable because it was still winter/spring time when I was there. I hope to go there soon!

From the owner: Tourism and information center all about Logan County with deep roots in Abe Lincoln and Route 66.read more

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!

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!

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.

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.

Shaded playground, huge shaded picnic area, bathrooms, walking path around creek, volleyball/sand…read morearea and massive sports facilities. Great park in a nice area close to the mall!

Clean, well shaded playground with lots of equipment to entertain the kids. Huge pavilion, walking…read moretrail, baseball fields, volleyball court, tennis courts etc very nice community park.

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.