Springfield Illinois and Abe Lincoln

It was about a 6 hour drive for us to get to Springfield Illinois.  This is definitely one of those towns we have wanted to get to for some time.  We took advantage of a recent 3 day weekend to finally make the trip.

Why go to Springfield?  Well, our hero Abe Lincoln spent a lot of time there before becoming President number 16!  And because of that, there are a lot of sites devoted to him in the area.

So, we arrived in the evening with no expectations.  We figured we would hang out at the hotel, and just enjoy being in Springfield.

AND, we were excited about staying at the President Abraham Lincoln Double Tree Hotel.  I thought staying here would be novel, PLUS it was close to almost all of the Lincoln attractions.  It was a block or two walk from the Lincoln Home, the Museum and Library, and the law office.

We REALLY liked this hotel!  The staff was great the entire time we were there.  Though it is part of a chain hotel, it had a unique, individual vibe to it.  This is an attractive hotel.

I was excited about eating in the Globe Tavern at the hotel.  Sure, this isn't the same Globe Tavern that Abe and Mary hung out at right when they moved to Springfield, but it is still the Globe Tavern.

I had a Horshoe Hamburger, a local item that the staff at the Globe recommended.  It was a burger and toast covered in french fries and then with cheese.  It was amazing, but it seemed more appropriate to have this sort of meal at a minor league ballpark.

The meals here were huge and reasonably priced for a hotel.  Our second night here we shared a nice sized salad and a club sandwich for about $15.

We walked around downtown quit a bit while in Springfield, and it felt like a bit of a ghost town.  Maybe it is just that we have been in several larger cities recently, and the place felt a little more vacant...  but we kind of felt like we had the town to ourselves.

For our full day in Springfield, we made sure to get up early, and to be at the Lincoln Home, managed by the National Park Service, right when it opened.

We went on the first tour of the day, after watching a nice short film in the visitor center.  Oddly, we were the only Americans on our tour group.  I was still surprised when our tour guide asked what Abe's wife's name was and no one else knew.

Our guide, Bill, pointed out all of the original furniture in the home.  I was personally very excited about seeing mirrors that Mr. Lincoln would have looked directly in.

And there was something almost supernatural about just being in his old home, and in walking through the front door that he must have walked through thousands of times.

We spent some time chatting with another ranger after our tour was over.  He told us about the National Park Services efforts to preserve the area, and some of the homes.

One of the other homes across from the Lincoln Home has been made into a small museum with various models of the Lincoln Home, shown during different phases of upgrading.  The home also has various relics found on the old Lincoln property.

Before leaving the area, we did stop at the gift shop to pick up some postcards and a patch.  I also wanted to see if there were any books on Lincoln that I couldn't live without.

At the gift shop, I started chatting with yet another ranger about Abe, history, and other topics.

I really wanted to explore the area around the home more, and to talk to all of the rangers some more too, but we had to budget our time.  We still had museums, law offices, and burial sites to explore!

It was still exciting talking to all of the rangers (and later, other staff at the other sites) who care a great deal about Lincoln and history.  The people in this area care about what they do!

After spending more time at the Lincoln Home than we anticipated, we headed over to the Lincoln Presidential Museum.

With our AAA discount, it was a little over $20 for the two of us to get in to the Museum.  This was still a great value, but it was by far the priciest attraction we saw in town (all of the others were free).

AND, just like at the Lincoln Home, we talked to several enthusiastic staff eager to talk about Abe, the museum, and its displays.

The main area in the museum is huge, and a wax family of the Lincolns stands out, waiting for you to take your photo with them in front of the White House.

There are some very well done wax figure type displays throughout the museum, including tributes to various moments in Mr. Lincoln's life.

It was interesting seeing the replica Indiana cabin, after visiting the actual site (which is basically a bronzed foundation) some time ago.

AND, debatably the coolest thing on display at the Museum is the Everett copy of the Gettysburg Address.  Yep, it was exciting seeing that!

We walked across the street to the Lincoln Library.  They do have some displays on the first floor, but this is mostly a resource for researchers.  It is still worth going into for a few moments.

After we spent some time at the Museum, we made our way to the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices.

The rooms where Lincoln would have practiced law are nicely preserved, and furniture and other items are displayed in a way that Lincoln (who was known to be sloppy) would have maintained.

The tour here was brief and a bit informal.  Others joined our tour about half way through.  Knowing that Abe walked these floors (our tour guide pointed out that they are the same ones from Lincolns time as a lawyer) is exciting!

We briefly took a break from Lincoln sites to stop by the Cozy Dog Drive In in Springfield!  I'll save that for another entry but a corn dog break sounded perfect while in town!

After our stop at Cozy Dog, we went to visit the final resting spot of Mr. Lincoln, at Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Actually, it took many years before Abe found his ultimate resting spot in the Tomb, but you can read about that elsewhere.  Abe had many adventures in life, and he had several in death too, from the train trip following his assassination, to a failed attempt to hold his body for ransom.

Also inside of the monument are the remains of 3 sons and Mary Todd Lincoln.  The only family member not here is Robert.  He is in Arlington.

AND there is something very sweet about being able to visit Abe and his family here.  He is our most admired President for a reason.  I think he was a good guy with a good heart.  The books I have read all note his honesty and kindness.  Kids loved him.  Unlike some politicians, he was not motivated by ego.  Going to Springfield was a bit of a pilgrimage.