No way! A fire breathing dragon right off the Interstate? I am not going to miss this!…read more Yes, the Kaskaskia Dragon takes tokens (You can buy them at the neighboring shops) and will breathe fire at you. Each token is good for about 15 seconds of real actual FIRE! How flipping awesome is that? And then you're back on the highway. Super easy. [Round number review 22300 overall - 1277 of 2024 - 205 in Illinois]

What cooler roadside attraction is there compared to a fire breathing dragon. Hehee…read more For a $1 coin, you can see 15 seconds of glory. It goes super quick so I recommend at least purchasing two coins. You purchase the coins at the liquor store across from the dragon. Side note - the liquor store doesn't have bathroom , but there is one available at the laundry/pet wash next door.

This is the old Illinois Statehouse where Abe Lincoln served in the legislature. It served as the…read morestatehouse from by 1819-1839. It was constructed in 89 days in a desperate attempt to have the state capital located in Vandalia. There is no admission charge but free will donations are suggested ($4 per person). Well worth the visit. Allow 30-60 minutes.

My cousins from W. Texas were visiting us in Central Illinois, so we ask for a tour of the…read morebeautiful Vandalia Statehouse where President Lincoln literally got his political start. A historian of incredible talent that could make the empty walls come alive gave us a tour we will never forget. The history of the building was riveting. If you are ever able to spend some time ask when a guided tour is available. You'll never forget it. Kids will especially love it.

We paid two dollars an hour to park in the lot. We went into the theater to meet our free half an…read morehour guided tour through Lincoln's house. Ranger Nate brought 12 of us through the 12 room house. We went into the parlor, family room, upstairs to the bedrooms, down the back staircase to the kitchen & outside. An entire 4 block neighborhood has been preserved here. At the national Park Service Visitor Center we picked up a ticket to enter his 12 room home. This is the only home Abe & Mary ever owned from 1844 until they moved to the White House in 1861. A remarkable 80% of the home is original. We were told that they moved into a one story home when their first son was born. They added this second floor when they were a family of five. The neighborhoods around Lincoln's home has been preserved . We were able to walk into other people's backyards and inside for more exhibits, just fascinating.

This is a wonderful place to visit especially if you are a Lincoln fan as we are. You can only get…read moretickets day of, but we walked up and got on the next tour (up to 15 per tour). The gift shop is very nice and has lots of goodies. The tour was led by a very knowledgeable guide with the national park service. The house is in immaculate condition and over 50% of the furniture etc is original, which I thought was amazing. So cool to see Lincoln's real chairs, bed, etc. The streets and houses around have been preserved and some are open to self tour. Street parking can be found for free or you can pay $2 and hour at the headquarters. House tours are free.

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 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.

Come to Casey and see the World's Largest Things. They're all over town and it's only a couple of…read moremiles off I-70 as you're passing between Terre Haute and Saint Louis. On the the big ones in the downtown core is this, the World's Largest Wind Chime. It is accessed through the patio area of what looks like a cute restaurant, Whitling Whimsy Cafe, which was closed on Sunday when I was here. In fact, most of the town was closed on Sunday. Still, the Things are accessible. The Wind Chime is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records and are 49 feet tall with the largest chime being 42 feet long. There is a center rope pull so that you can make the chimes sound if it's not a windy day. I like that this one is interactive. [Review 19676 overall - 131 in Illinois - 648 of 2023.]

The World's Largest Wind Chime is located right in the heart of downtown CAsey, IL, (a quaint…read morelittle town with a population of 3,000). The Wind Chime, Rocking Chair and tetter totter are all located right outside or across the street from the Whitling Whimsy Cafe. This is one of a dozen "things" offically recognized as the World's Largest: World's Largest Wind Chime World's Largest Golf Tee World's Largest Pitchfork World's Largest Rocking Chair World's Largest Wooden Shoes World's Largest Mailbox World's Largest Gavel World's Largest Truck Key World's Largest Barbershop Pole World's Largest Teeter Totter World's Largest Golf Driver World's Largest Swizzle Spoon Well worth a detour off of I-70.

This is a review of not only the monument but the museum as well…read more We were totally blown away by the Mother Jones Museum in beautiful downtown Mt. Olive, Il. Comprising only one room in a city municipal building it packed a lot of wallop and we spent at least an hour learning about a most remarkable woman. The historical displays told in reprints from newspapers of the day gave us perspective on how desperate the situation of the common working family was a hundred years ago. Mother Jones is an overlooked champion of what we take for granted today, that in her time, was at best a fantasy. Moving, and inspiring, this museum is a must stop in understanding our American culture and how dearly the American dream was fought for and how fragile it can become without a full understand of how we got here.

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.

You will find this nice sculpture on the Mississippi Riverfront, in St Louis, just behind the…read moreGateway Arch. It is the work of Harry Weber who completed the piece, which is made of bronze and sits 22 feet tall, in 2006 The 3.5 ton sculpture depicts explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their Newfoundland dog, Seaman. It is owned by the city of St Louis and was commissioned by the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation to commemorate the bicentennial of the explorers' return September 1806. According to Weber, it "took seven months of long hours to complete the structure in clay, make molds and reassemble it like a giant jigsaw puzzle. It is a nice sculpture and Weber does a great job encapsulating Lewis and Clark's feeling of accomplishment, sacrifice and pride. It is very detailed and well done. The viewer can really connect to the piece. The sculpture is designated a national Lewis and Clark site by the US Park Service and spending on how high the Mississippi River gets, sometimes the statue is submerged in the river. In 2014, the statue was removed and restored to repair damage it had received from the flood. In 2016, the statue was returned to the riverfront to a location slightly south and about 17 feet higher than before. Before it was moved, during a flood situation, it would look like the duo were sailing into shore Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 10 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. I would recommend checking out the Gateway Arch and Park while visiting this sculpture.