Springfield Union Station opened in 1898 that has Romanesque architecture. It served trains until…read more1971 until Amtrak moved services 3 blocks away. Sadly, it's temporarily closed but very beautiful inside when we visited several times before. It is a museum with historic memorabilia from days past and is currently part of the Abraham Lincoln Museum & Library.

This gorgeous train station was built in 1896 is on the Natl Register of Historic Places. The…read morestation was mainly used by the Illinois Central but others such as the B&O and the Chicago, Peoria and St Louis Rrds shared the facilities. If you think that the outside is a wonder, then make it a point to visit during operating hours and view the interior. Note that the upper level in not open to the public.

The IL State Fair offers so much to do!…read more First off they have regular events here all year round plus the annual state fair! During the yearly fair they offer it all . How about a cow made of pure butter? They have all sorts of different animals to pet. They have a chair lift that moves people around. Lots of Ferris wheels and the fair foods. Mmmm! All those good things coming soon. On the fair grounds they have relics to the past of Route 66. Do you remember the drive in? Those days! They have died out but they have captured what the drive in looked like. They have pieces of Route 66 history that was headed to be destroyed, they have saved it here. Walk in the past days of those road trips that we have taken. You can share them yet again with those who have not seen them. Now we were here to see a bike show. Every lap around the track the bikes wiz by so loudly you cannot even think . Now how about that for an afternoon. Parking is free and the fair grounds are open year round. Now what's stopping you the joys of the fair are upon you.

Updated review: I came back earlier in the fair to see the animals which was fascinating, with the…read morefamily culture of camping out by the animals and displaying/competing them. This time around I had a hard time tolerating any of the food, everything I tried other than ice cream just did not seem appetizing. It was hot ! Always fun to see the bustling nature of things here, explored the Route 66 and some of the other parks filled with all kinds of activities.

It is a great museum for all ages. The shows "Ghosts of the Library and the Lincoln Union Theater…read moreare very informative. You can start with Lincoln's childhood in an Indiana log cabin, through his early law career, to becoming President and his unfortunate death. It is accessible to all, and the volunteer docents are very helpful. There are plenty of interactive things for kids and adults, and plenty of photo ops

Well worth the time (give yourself at least 90 minutes) and the price of admission. The displays…read moreare well done and informative. The docents/volunteers are excellent, everyone that we talked to was warm, informed and clearly enjoyed their time with us patrons. The day we were there two musicians were playing period music. They were very good, and while it did get a little personally annoying, it did really put you in time and place for the subjects. Both of the relatively short theater presentations are worthwhile, so plan accordingly so you can watch both. There was one display depicting the slavery auction block. It is a gut punch to anyone with a human heart, regardless of your outer wrapping.

We didn't know this was in Springfield until we went to Lincoln's tomb. As we left, we saw a small…read morebuilding with its name on it and pulled into the driveway. This museum is new, and they are just growing their collections. What we saw was fascinating. It primarily focused on several African-American families with many generations in and around Springfield. Some of the stories were very informative, and we learned a lot, most of which we should have learned in school. This is one of the reasons I like museums like this. Rather than bland education painting a pollyannaish picture of our history, these museums show how minorities were treated (or mistreated). It preserves a part of our history that many would like to forget or gloss over. But without information like this, history is destined to repeat. Why four stars and not five? This has to do with the current state of the museum - essentially just starting up. They don't have a lot of items yet. They just received a large grant and are expanding the museum. They are soliciting additional items, most of which were donated. We were so impressed we bought a family membership, even though we live almost four hours away. Once they complete their new wing, we're taking a trip back. Incidentally, if you do go for a visit, their Executive Director is amazing. She gave us the tour, and we learned a lot. If you are even in Springfield, IL, I recommend stopping here before or after Loncoln's tomb. Since the museum is small, seeing everything takes little time. But it is well worth stopping for. Take advantage of this informative museum that tells some tragic and happy stories.

This place is very welcoming. I joined a few years ago and have met some great people…read more We love going there to eat with the kids because it's so affordable, and we don't have to worry about them bothering anyone. The homemade pizza is very good, the appetizers are always a hit, and the patty melt is especially good. Every time we walk in, everyone is so friendly. If you sit at the bar, people around you will usually greet you and say hello. Even when you sit down at the gaming machines, everyone is friendly and often cheering each other on to win, which really adds to the sense of community. We also use the pool, and the kids absolutely love it in the summer. The Sunday Fundays are always a great time--they usually have a band out by the pool and tiki bar, plus a food window so you don't have to go inside to order. I highly recommend this place for friendship, a place to hang out, enjoying the pool, or just spending money knowing it's going to a good cause.

I haven't been here in a while, but I used to use the swimming pool every summer. Fun times and…read moreit's right on the lake.

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.

Great place for special events, nice venue and excellent service (Jay behind the bar and Chuck at…read morethe food stations were both awesome) and really appreciated it and highly recommend

My friend had her wedding reception here. Very pretty place with TONS of windows and an outdoor…read morepatio. Wedding had no more than 200 in attendance and we were CRAMPED into this room. Food was good.

I love this place! They offer about 4 performaces a year. They are great productions. Offering a…read moredisplay of many talented people. I attended for my first time last summer. It was a surprise from my boyfriend. We saw Grease, which is my favorite movie. We took our lawn chairs and stood in line to purchase tickets and luckily we got in. We had amazing seats. You can bring in coolers full of food and drinks (even wine!) or there is a highly affordable snack shop there. I saw a lot of people before the show hanging out under a clear summer sky and having a ton of fun eating, drinking and visiting with friends. For $8 a pop who can beat that? I plan on going at least twice this summer.

I was shocked that I could enjoy a stage play while sitting under the stars... the night was…read moreperfect, the performances were incredibly professional (look out American Idols!). I mean, this is Springfield... I believe all of the performers were local people... geez, we have a lot of talented people living amongst us! I would love to take my parents to this theater next time they're in town.