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.

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.

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.

The monument itself is massive and majestic. There are many statues on top of it in every…read moredirection. The grounds surrounding it are decorated with lovely flowers and plants. There are benches nearby to sit too. Unfortunately somehow years ago thru word of mouth, someone said any visitor should rub Abe's nose on the bust of him outside for good luck. I'd like to get ahold of whoever started this as I feel it's extremely disrespectful. It's been rubbed to a point is a blaring gold color. People are so rude and parents get their kids so hyped up about doing it that once inside the tomb they're wired for sound in what's an echo chamber. Real solemn, huh? Inside there are several beautiful statues of Abe before entering the actual area where he and most of his family are interred. At times there's many visitors and not enough room to spend much time inside as people keeps arriving. Other times you can be in there at your leisure with little to no one else. The most I hope for is for people to be respectful and keep the voices low as again, everything echos in there, but unfortunately many are as chatty as they are in church before a service begins, paying no mind to anyone else around them. Still, I wouldn't miss visiting this grand tomb for Abe and family.

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.

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.