A weekend trip to Springfield, Illinois-Home of Abraham Lincoln

Who doesn’t love traveling back to time and get amazed with historical facts about any great legend. Springfield ,capital of the state Illinois, USA is one such place. Called by the name”Home of Lincoln”, the place offers legendary tours, exciting information about Lincoln and much more. Much to my surprise this is the only place where Lincoln ever owned a house. It’s a perfect place for weekend getaway.

 

My journey started from Saint Louis around 11.50 am. It was around one and half hour drive. The roads were smooth and there were not much traffic. I halted in between at a place called Litchfield to have lunch. There were lot of food options in almost every exit. The beautiful fall colors made the drive even more pleasant.

I reached Springfield around 1.50 pm. The first thing I wanted to explore was Lincoln Home National Historic Site. This was the place where Mr. Lincoln spent most of his life with family. So without wasting any time I headed there. Once I reached, I found a big museum which had historical exhibits about Lincoln. There were also antique shops. I grabbed a small token of Lincoln memorial from the shop. The tickets for the guided tour to Lincoln’s house needs to be collected from the museum itself. The tickets were free. The tour starts every five minutes. The last tour ends by 4 pm.

I got my tour tickets for 2.50 pm. The tour guide was very well spoken and very informative. Once I entered the house, it took me to Lincoln’s time. The house was very well preserved with authentic Lincoln’s belongings. The house gives a perfect picture of Lincoln’s daily activities. Overall the tour gives you all the important events that took place in Lincoln’s life. I couldn’t have asked myself more than that.

A view of Lincoln’s living room

After the tour ended, it was time to head for my next destination. Just about a mile from Lincoln house, is the famous Dana-Thomas House. The house is well known for its stupendous architectural beauty. It gives an expression of the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School. There are guided tours available to experience the view inside. There are also free parking lots available. The house is open for tours between 9 AM -5  PM. Unfortunately I couldn’t avail this tour as I reached only after 5 PM. So I would definitely suggest you folks to keep the time in mind. But walking around the place was amazing.

 

My next target was Lincoln’s Memorial Tomb. It was the last resting place for Lincoln and his family. The tomb is situated inside a large cemetery. The parking place is just next to the tomb. I found the place very peaceful and well maintained. There is a person sitting inside to whom you can ask any query. Also he will provide you information about the history of the place. Once you entered the tomb, it leads to a big burial room which is made up of black and white marbles. At the center stands a monument with Lincoln’s name written on it. There are nine flags arranged in a semicircle around the monument. I was very humble to pay my respect to one of the greatest legend of all time. Outside the tomb, a beautiful sculptor of Lincoln is situated. People believes that rubbing the shiny nose will bring them luck.

 

The path leading to Lincoln

Lincoln’s lucky nose

There were also couple of more places to visit but due to time constraint I couldn’t make it. Few of them are Old State Capitol, Illinois State museum, Abraham Lincoln Memorial, Henson Robinson Zoo, Henson Robinson Zoo.

By now the day ended and I headed to grab something to satisfy my hunger. There were lots of food options around the downtown. After having some snacks I headed back home. Overall the place is a worth visit. It was an wonderful historic weekend trip.