Springfield

Springfield was founded in 1821. In February 1837 the Illinois General Assembly authorized moving the state capital from Vandalia, and nine Sangamon County legislators, Abraham Lincoln among them and known as the “Long Nine,” led the effort on Springfield’s behalf; state government began functioning in Springfield in December 1839. Lincoln arrived in Springfield on April 15, 1837, at age 28, and became the junior law partner of John Todd Stuart.

For 24 years, from 1837 to 1861, Lincoln lived, worked and raised a family in Springfield. He argued cases before the Illinois Supreme Court in the Old State Capitol, kept a law office at Sixth and Adams streets with his partner William Herndon, and lived with Mary and their sons at Eighth and Jackson — the only home he ever owned. Several sites on the “Lincoln in Springfield” walking tour charge no admission, and each is within a fifteen-minute walk of the next.

The other Springfield is smaller than most road-trippers expect: about 114,000 people, a compact walkable downtown, a strong Frank Lloyd Wright house museum (the 1904 Dana-Thomas House is one of the largest and most complete Prairie-style interiors he ever designed), Illinois’s current gilded-dome State Capitol from the 1880s, and a legitimate stretch of preserved Route 66 including the Cozy Dog Drive In and Shea’s Gas Station Museum. It is also, by state legislative resolution, the “Chilli Capital of the Civilized World.”

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is the anchor of a Springfield visit (opened 2004). Two full floors of Lincoln’s life — not the assassination framed as spectacle, but the actual arc: New Salem, Springfield, the White House years, the family. In the Plaza, lifelike figures of the Lincoln family stand with the White House as a backdrop, and the library holds more than 1,600 documents in Lincoln’s hand. The State of Illinois owns one of the five known copies of the Gettysburg Address in his hand, called the Everett Copy; an earlier museum announcement listed it as on display for part of November, around the Nov. 19 anniversary of the speech, and returned to a climate-controlled vault afterward. Ask the museum for current display dates before planning around it.

The horseshoe is the signature sandwich of Springfield, according to Visit Springfield, the city’s visitors bureau: toast topped with a choice of meat, a pile of French fries and homemade cheese sauce, created in 1928 at the Old Leland Hotel by Joe Schweska. Visit Springfield says the dish can be found at most local restaurants serving pub and American-style food, and it publishes a Springfield Horseshoe Trail of participating restaurants.

Two long-running Springfield stops are Cozy Dog Drive In, at 2935 S. 6th St., whose own site describes it as the home of the “Original” hot dog on a stick, and Maid-Rite, at 118 N. Pasfield St., whose listing on the Enjoy Illinois state tourism site calls it “America's first ever Drive-Through” and mentions a ground beef sandwich and homemade root beer. For real Springfield chili — usually spelled Chilli here, per an 1890s local recipe — the classic order is at Joe Rogers’ on the north side.

4 breweries within 10 miles of Springfield, one of them a brewpub with a kitchen.

Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)

4 more Highway Heads places lie within about 180 miles of Springfield in a straight line — far enough that most are a night away rather than an afternoon.

• Gateway ArchMissouriabout 85 mi
• HannibalMissouriabout 90 mi
• Iowa CityIowaabout 160 mi
• Jefferson CityMissouriabout 160 mi

• Paul Bunyon Hot Dog GiantGiant statue / World's largestAtlantaabout 38 miles away

  Cost to see it

  Free

  When you can see it

  Any time — outdoors, visible from the road

  Nearest road

  Route 66 / I-55

  Muffler Man clutching a giant hot dog.

  Read on the page we checked

• American Giants MuseumQuirky museumAtlantaabout 39 miles away

  Cost to see it

  Donation

  When you can see it

  Seasonal — not open all year

  Nearest road

  Route 66 / I-55

  Museum devoted to fiberglass Muffler Men and roadside giants.

  • Open seasonally, not all year

  Read on the page we checked

These are things you can go and look at, not a recommendation of any of them. Oddities move, get sold and quietly disappear more than anything else we list, so check anything you are driving a long way for. Some sit on private land and can only be seen from the road — please do not go onto anyone’s property. Every entry links the page we read it off.

A day and a night is the honest minimum for the Presidential Museum, the Lincoln Home neighborhood, and one Frank Lloyd Wright site. Two full days if the Old State Capitol, Route 66 landmarks and New Salem are on the list.

Several Lincoln sites charge no admission. The National Park Service lists no fee to visit the Lincoln Home or tour it, the state lists no charge for the Old State Capitol tour (donations welcome), and the Secretary of State’s tour page links a brochure titled “Illinois State Capitol: Free Guided Tours.” The Presidential Museum sells tickets; its Plan Your Visit page lists adult admission at $15.00^*. The state’s Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices page lists no admission price and currently carries a closure note.

Book Dana-Thomas House ahead in season. Wed–Sun 9–4, guided tours only, and a small daily capacity. Weekday mornings are the reliable slot.

State Fair in mid-August fills the town. If a hotel search comes up empty in a specific August week, that’s why — either lean into the fair or pick a different week.

*Fees subject to change, please check presidentlincoln.illinois.gov for updated information.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Address

212 N 6th St, Springfield, IL 62701

Hours

Check the official site for current hours

Price

Check the official site for current admission fees

Link

presidentlincoln.illinois.gov

We checked fees, operating status, seasonal opening, reservations, contact details and closures on 2026-10-15. These change without notice — confirm with dnrhistoric.illinois.gov, presidentlincoln.illinois.gov, nps.gov, ilsos.gov, springfieldparks.org, cozydogdrivein.com, enjoyillinois.com, shoesbaseball.com and nprillinois.org the week you travel.

Straight-line distance from Springfield, not drive time.

• Abraham Lincoln Capital (SPI) — 3 miles
• Decatur (DEC) — 41 miles
• General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International (PIA) — 60 miles