Springfield, Illinois was the adopted hometown of America’s most renowned President, Abraham Lincoln, and is filled with historic sites and memorials honoring the great man. The Illinois state capital is also filled with national travel deals and hidden treasures such as the prairie style Dana-Thomas House and family friendly Knight’s Action Park.
Getting there
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, the closest to Springfield, offers daily flights to and from Chicago and to other locations around the state. Chicagoеs OеHare International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, but the cityеs second airport, Midway, is also very well served. Springfield has daily rail service to Chicago, Amtrakеs Midwest rail hub. The cheapest but least comfortable means of transport is Greyhoundеs extensive bus network. These transportation hubs all include national travel deals.
From rental car to Springfield, I-55 goes north to Chicago, south to St Louis, Memphis, Tennessee, and on to New Orleans, Louisiana. I-72 also passes through the city. Elsewhere around Illinois, Chicago is the hub of the Interstate System. I-90, running west from Chicago, goes through Madison, Wisconsin, and all the way to Seattle. Going east I-90 goes all the way to Boston. I-94 connects Chicago with Milwaukee and Minneapolis going west and Detroit going east.
Key attractions
For Lincoln fans and history buffs alike, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Lincoln Home and the Old State Capital are a must see. The Library and Museum has the most extensive collection of Lincoln artifacts and documents in the world, the restored Lincoln Home shows how he lived for 17 years before becoming president, and the Old Capital is where he delivered his famous дHouse Dividedе speech.
A lesser known Lincoln landmark is the only surviving building where the former president kept working law offices. A historic exhibit dominates the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office’s first floor. Springfield is also home to the Illinois State Museum, the Illinois State Military Museum, the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Museum and for something bizarre, the Museum of Funeral Customs.
Out and about
West of the city by rental car in Springfield lies the Mississippi Palisades Park, a great place for hiking, picnicking, fishing, camping, and winter cross country skiing. An interesting thing to keep in mind as you hike over the rock palisades and bluffs is that the trails you are walking on have been there for thousands of years. Another popular park west of the city with car rental is Castle Rock in the Rock River Hills region of Illinois.
Leisure options
Even most of Springfield’s relaxing green spaces are related to Abraham Lincoln in one way or another, from the Lincoln Memorial Garden along Lake Springfield to Abraham Lincoln’s New Salem State Park just a short car rental drive away in nearby Petersburg. Native Illinois trees and flowers grow around the restored Ostermeier Prairie farmstead, while more than two dozen log cabins from Lincoln’s time have been rebuilt at New Salem State Park.
Safety
Springfield may boast a lower homicide rate than most other Illinois cities, but visitors should still take all the proper precautions when exploring the state capital, especially after dark. Another thing visitors should do to protect their safety is buying travel insurance in advance.