Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Springfield & Central Illinois
Abraham Lincoln and Route 66 sights are sprinkled liberally throughout central Illinois,
which is otherwise farmland plain. East of Decatur, Arthur and Arcola are Amish centers.
Springfield
The small state capital has a serious obsession with Abraham Lincoln, who practiced law
here from 1837 to 1861. Many of the attractions are walkable downtown and cost little or
nothing.
Sights & Activities
Lincoln Home & Visitor Center HISTORIC SITE
( 217-492-4150; www.nps.gov/liho ; 426 S 7th St; 8:30am-5pm) Start at the National
Park Service visitor center, where you must pick up a ticket to enter Lincoln's 12-room
abode, located directly across the street. You can then walk through the house where Abe
and Mary Lincoln lived from 1844 until they moved to the White House in 1861; rangers
are stationed throughout to provide background information and answer questions.
Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum MUSEUM
( 217-558-8844; www.presidentlincoln.org ; 212 N 6th St; adult/child $12/6; 9am-5pm; )
This museum contains the most complete Lincoln collection in the world. Real-deal arti-
facts like Abe's shaving mirror and briefcase join whiz-bang exhibits and Disneyesque
holograms that keep the kids agog.
Lincoln's Tomb CEMETERY
( www.lincolntomb.org ; 1441 Monument Ave; 9am-5pm, closed Sun & Mon Sep-May) After
his assassination, Lincoln's body was returned to Springfield, where it lies in an impress-
ive tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, 1.5 miles north of downtown. The gleam on the nose of
Lincoln's bust, created by visitors' light touches, indicates the numbers of those who pay
their respects here. On summer Tuesdays at 7pm, infantry reenactors fire muskets and
lower the flag.
Old State Capitol HISTORIC SITE
 
 
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