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!

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.

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.

Abraham Lincoln's Tomb is in the Oakridge Cemetery just a short drive from downtown Springfield…read more He's buried there with his wife Mary and his 3 sons. This is his final resting place after his coffin was moved 17 times due to potential grave robbers and construction of this site. The obelisk outside the tomb is 117 ft tall there are several rooms and bronze statues of Lincoln duplicating him at different times of his life. The inside is solid marble! There's even a grave keepers home alongside the grave that appointed custodians lived and watched over his tomb from 1874-2014. Due to state budget issues, the last custodian retired and wasn't replaced.

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.