Lincoln and Springfield
As to be expected Lincoln is a big deal around here both figuratively and literally. Lincolin, Illinois was named to honor Lincoln after he gave legal advice to his friends who founded the town. The college has a nice little
museum that gives a good overview of Lincoln's life. The presentation is a bit creepy. In the main exhibit visitors enter Lincoln's box at Ford theater just before he is shot, then follow his life through a series of darkened rooms that come alive with audio and visual displays. The last room features a death bed scene. The main exhibit is timed with a tour starting every half hour but there are other exhibits to see if you have to wait for a tour to start. Admission is $5.00. The parking lot is huge.
For a less somber experience visit the other big Lincoln attraction in town. A
giant Abe on an giant covered wagon! Very large parking lot.
Lincoln has lost all of it’s old Route 66 era buildings except for
The Mill, which opened in 1929 as a Dutch themed restaurant. The Mill has been empty since 1996 but an effort is being made to save and restore it. Enough room to pull over and stop.
Lincoln lived and worked in Springfield for 25 years so there's a lot to see. We passed through Springfield a few years ago, visited some places then and saw more this time through but there's much more that we skipped.
A
30’ tall Abe made by a local man for the 1968 Illinois Sesquicentennial. Drive into the state fairgrounds at gate 1 and park on the right side of the road to view the statue
The
Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the home where Abraham and Sarah Lincoln lived when he practiced law in Springfield. The Lincoln home is opened for guided tours. The houses along two blocks of Eighth Street have been restored and two of them have exhibits inside. The visitor center has a film and a few exhibits. This is a good one because it's completely free. There is a parking fee of $2.00 an hour and a special lot for buses and RVs.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum - This is more an experience than a museum. The story of Lincoln’s life is told with dioramas featuring realistic full size figures and elaborately detailed scenes. Overall it’s very well done but lacking in substance. A parking garage is located north, in the next block, on the opposite side of the street. The garage also has a lot for buses and RVs – $5.00 a day.
The
Illinois State Museum is another free museum. It covers the natural and human history of Illinois. A free parking lot is located on Edwards Street, one block west of the museum. Large RVs will not fit in this lot but there are metered parking spaces along the street. Visit on the weekends to avoid traffic and crowds. Visitors can park in either of the large State parking lots to the east and west of the building on weekends and State holidays.
Springfield is losing one of it's Route 66 icons -
http://www.oldgas.com/info/sheasroute66.htmlShea's Gas Station Route 66 Museum. Bill Shea and his wife Helen run a gas station at this location for years and when he retired Bill made it into a museum to showcase his extensive collection of Route 66 memorabilia. Bill died it 2013 and an auction is scheduled for this weekend.
Fortunately the p
atriotic giant at Lauterbach Tires isn't going anywhere!
One last stop before we leave Springfield -
Cozy Dog Drive-In - home of the deep fried corn dog and owned by the family of the famous vanswelling artist Bob Waldmire. In the best interest of our health we've been avoiding road food but Cozy Dog was calling. :-D A mistake? Let's just say we'll be ordering an ice cream cone the next time we want to see the decor of another roadside diner! Cozy Dog does have a lot of cool Route 66 memorabilia though.
The parking lot is small so if you have a RV you might want to skip this stop.
http://www.museum.state.il.us/ismsites/main/
