A Tourist's Guide to Springfield, Illinois

If you're visiting Springfield, Illinois, there's no shortage of tourist attractions, shops, and parks to check out.  Here are just a few historic sites, popular museums, and quirky stores to check out during your stay.

If you're at a complete loss for what to do in Springfield, your first stop should be the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (109 N. 7th St,), where you can pick up maps and brochures and find out if any seasonal events are going on.  Be sure to check out when the attractions you want to see are open; many sites tend to be closed on Sundays and/or Mondays.

As the home of Abraham Lincoln for seventeen years, Springfield's tourism industry relies heavily on Lincoln sites.  If you're into Presidential or Civil War history, you've come to the right place.  A good place to start would be Lincoln's house itself, The Lincoln Home National Historic Site (426 S. 7th St.)  Run by the National Park Service, the Home is actually a beautifully restored neighborhood centered on Lincoln's house and made to look of the time period in which the Lincoln family lived there (1844-1861). Walk the wooden sidewalks and gravel streets, see the period homes, check out the exhibits at the Visitor's Center, and take a guided tour through the Home itself.  For a more modern, hands-on treatment of Lincoln history, go to the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum (212 N. 6th St.), where you'll see life-size statues of the Lincolns, a recreation of the White House circa 1861, a log cabin display, and various interactive, computerized exhibits.  Lincoln's Tomb is in Oak Ridge Cemetery and is open to the public; if you're traveling in the summer, try to visit on a Tuesday evening, when the 114th Illinois Volunteer Reactivated Infantry performs a flag retreat ceremony.