Wondering what to do in Springfield IL? Then know about Springfield which is famous as Abraham Lincoln’s hometown or capital of Illinois state in the Midwest USA. It is much admired by history buffs and therefore read more about exciting things to do in Springfield IL this weekend or check out some worth visiting places to visit in Springfield IL. In this city for a few hours, you can walk into the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln – a legendary man in American politics and know some facts about the shaping of American constitutions and its great history.
So explore a place where history comes alive with the very humble lifestyle of Lincoln which cannot be found anywhere else in the whole nation. Located centrally in the state, it lies in a valley near to Sangamon River, and therefore this city is wonderful and has many stunning parks, lakes, and natural scenic drives.
WHERE TO STAY IN SPRINGFIELD, IL
Downtown has many historic attractions. Therefore, it is great to stay in this neighborhood. Check availability at Downtown hotels by clicking below
Things To Do In Springfield IL This Weekend | What To Do In Springfield?
LINCOLN’S HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Abraham Lincoln’s Greek revival-style house with 12 rooms where he and his family lived for 17 years before his Presidential status is now a historic site and many travelers around the world come here to see the lifestyle of this legendary man. This house has free access to visitors and opens daily but can be visited by ranger group tours. Inside the house you can have a look at Lincoln’s simple lifestyle, free short movie on him, and artifacts from the Lincoln era neighborhood.
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
The beautiful and historic church next to the Lincoln Home National Monument. It has many beautiful Stained glass windows. Located near the Lincoln Home Site and this was built in 1841.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM
The famous quote on Democracy – “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” was given by legendary man Abraham Lincoln who abolished slavery, preserved the Union of states, and modernized the US economy. Many people also refer to him as America’s greatest President as ever.
Springfield is his hometown, so a unique museum depicting Abraham Lincoln’s life and political career has been constructed here. Here you can view Lincoln’s early years, his family letters, his relationships overview, and his assassination letters. Many short rotating movies, visuals, and hologram acts are played here to depict the life of Lincoln. This museum is one of the best things to do in Springfield Il this weekend.
It opens from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
This museum is indoor style and is a historic place.
ENTRANCE TICKET COST – Adults – 12 USD
Children(5-15) – 6 USD
ILLINOIS OLD STATE CAPITOL
Not a present state Capitol which was previously seat to the State Government and center of political life from 1839 to 1876. It has witnessed many heated political debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A Douglas. Lincoln’s famous speech in 1858 – “House Divided” was given from here.
ENTRANCE is free for all but donations are always appreciated.
ILLINOIS STATE CAPITOL
If you are visiting a state capital city then to visit a Statehouse is always a great way to of knowing the capital city. Illinois state has magnificent State Capitol with huge gardens all around its grand building. Not only its exteriors are beautiful but its interiors are also enchanting. Admire the interiors of a huge central dome with beautiful and colorful stained glass patterns.
ENTRANCE is free and opens daily. You can also take guided free tours for upper levels to see House, Senate, and Supreme Court Chambers.
DANA THOMAS HOUSE
Built-in 1902 by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This Prairies style of the finest creation was this architect’s first creation of this style. This house is built in area of 12,000 sq.ft. with 35 rooms and 250 glass doors and windows. This house was designed for Springfield’s progressive socialite Susan Lawrence Dana.
GREAT WESTERN RAIL-ROAD DEPOT
This historic depot is famous for Abraham Lincoln’s farewell speech given in 1861 before moving to Washington DC by train after being elected as President. The building of railway station is still as it is and it is historic for this famous farewell and speech. This station also houses many historical artifacts in which the most famous is the Great western Railroad safe.
UNION SQUARE PARK – ACTS OF INTOLERANCE
Small beautiful park with green grassy areas and with many statues and sculptures. You can find statues of Abraham Lincoln.
Here you can also spot Acts of Intolerance sculpture to commemorate the Centennial of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots. This sculpture was built in 2008.
Located just opposite to Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum beside the famous historic Railroad depot.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH – LINCOLN’S CHURCH
Founded in 1828, this church was regularly attended by Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln for church services. Therefore attend the prayers where President Lincoln used to attend his services here and therefore it is also known as Lincoln’s Church too.
CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST. PAUL
Located on Washington Street between 3rd and 4th street this church also has historic significance.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S STATUES
Spot Abraham Lincoln’s statues all over the city squares, parks, streets in many various forms.
You can find them in the street which is front of Old State capitol. There is huge statue in front of museum. Also you can find them in Union Park. Not only Lincoln’s statue but there are many statues of Stephen A Douglas who lost 1860’s Presidential election to Lincoln and many war memorial statues.
MURALS – STREET ART IN SPRINGFIELD
You can spot many colorful walls across the museum when you walk toward the Old State Capitol.
WASHINGTON PARK BOTANICAL GARDEN
This beautiful garden consists of approximately 1800 species of plants and truly an oasis of nature in between the city. It has 5000 plants of rose and many other flowers that always emit floral scents throughout. So while strolling in this garden, smell your favorite flower.
LOOK FOR LINCOLN SIGN BOARDS
This historic downtown area of Springfield can be done by walking tours. While walking you would spot many Lincoln signboards where you would find his famous sayings or life story which is very inspiring and interesting thing to know.
HOW TO REACH SPRINGFIELD IL – Best Places to visit in Springfield Il
- By Car – From I-55, US-36, I-72 National Highway. Downtown has metered parking and a huge Public Parking Building.
- By Air – Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is the national airport that is connected to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.
- By Train – Amtrak trains runs daily from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Springfield is located between Chicago and St. Louis, and therefore many trains from these two cities stop here.
- By Bus – Greyhound Bus connects this city with nearby cities. Book online tickets.
WHERE TO EAT IN SPRINGFIELD – RESTAURANTS IN DOWNTOWN
- La Piazza Cucina Italiana
- Coldstone Creamery
- Pitman’s Popcorn
- Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop
FAMOUS SHOPPING SPOTS IN SPRINGFIELD
- Downtown Shopping
- Southwest Plaza
- The Gabbles
- White Oaks Mall.
NIGHTLIFE IN SPRINGFIELD
Check some famous Nightlife options by genre
- Blues at Third Base Sports Bar
- Jazz at Robie’s
- Comedy Acts at Donnie B’s Comedy Club
- Karaoke at Blue Grouch Pub
- Open Mics at Craft Beer Bar
- Acoustic Performances at Pease’s Bunn Gourmet
Check timings of the performance or nightlife as many of them are performed on certain weekdays or weekends only.
SOME OF THE GREAT FESTIVAL – EVENTS OF SPRINGFIELD
- Holiday Walks
- Holiday Light Parade
- Fall Festival
- Family Fun Fest
- Blue Grass Concerts
- Sangamom Valley Wood Carvers & Annual Shows
- Art & Craft Fairs
- Illinois State Fair
- Music, Beer & Art Festival
- Springfield Farmers’ Festival
WHEN TO VISIT SPRINGFIELD – Springfield This Weekend
April to June for warm and vibrant weather. July & August are the hottest months but I loved the more sunshine hours and hot sunny days. Winters are icy and chilly. Snowfall peaks from mid-January to March. November is the least visited by tourists, and therefore you will find inexpensive hotel deals.
If you are visiting Mid-west then have a tour to
- CHICAGO CITY TOUR.
- CHICAGO FOOD TOUR.
- CHAMPAIGN – URBANA CITY TOUR.
- BEST PLACES TO EAT IN CHAMPAIGN.
Other places to visit in the USA –
- EAST COAST ROAD TRIP.
- NYC TOUR WITH BEST PLACES TO STAY IN NYC.
- NIAGARA FALLS TOUR.
- PHILLY CITY TOUR.
- WASHINGTON DC TOUR.
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I love how you have explored and discovered all the cool things there are to do and see in Springfield. We might be in the midwest but we sure do have some interesting history and structures here in Illinois 🙂
I can’t wait to visit. Thanks for all your wonderful ideas!
Illinois is a good road trip from Toronto for us. So interested to check out Springfield. It would certainly be interesting to see Lincoln’s home. The capital buildings look like good spots to visit. That ceiling in the Statehouse is stunning. We saw similar ones in Chicago. I do love colourful street art so I would go searching for that when I tire of learning about Lincoln. It would be good to tie a visit to a festival.
You would love this small town.
Wow, I had no idea of the amount of things one can see and do in Springfield! Plus, the Capitol looks really stunning!
To be honest I have never heard of Springfield before but it looks amazing in your photos. Very interesting architecture. I was intrigued by Grace Lutheran Church as well as the Ilinois State Capitol. Beautiful buildings!
You would love this place as this little place has many things to do
I love the American political buildings architechture. They remind me of some of the churches you see in Italy. They seem to really celebrate Lincoln, he would be a great role model for young kids.
I’m not really an indoor kind of traveler but I appreciate all the buildings mentioned here. Especially the ones that have free entry! I love the sculptures too!
You would love here as there are many outdoor activities here like national parks, golf courses and many lakes too.
I love history, and Springfield totally seems to interest me. I would love to learn the history of the country and more about Lincoln.
Lincoln’s church? Lincoln’s museum? All these sound really amusing. Springfield is going to my bucket list shortly.
You would love it if you love history. In this city, there are many shows too depicting Lincoln’s life and how he united the states of America.
I’m such a history nerd, I would definitely love taking a trip to Springfield. Isn’t that also where the Simpsons live? From the cartoon? I would love to go on a scavenger hunt and take pictures with all of the Lincoln statues around the town. I’d also love to check out the Great Western Railroad Station. We have a similar one out here in Utah and they’re so full of history.
As you are history buff, you would truly love Springfield.
It’s great to learn about Abrahm linkoln with your post. I didn’t know about his farmers life and I would love to walk the streets and parks to see the all the different statues depicting his life and family. Really informative piece.
Ok! So it is a lot about Lincoln in one place! Well, things I know about history of US are quite random… mostly related to modern history and military. Somehow, the fact that Springfield is a hometown of Lincoln has slipped out. I definitely should recommend it to some of my friends – history junkees. 🙂
Your friends who are history buffs would love this place.
Wow there are so many sites to visit and things to do in Springfield. I would love to visit Lincoln’s Home national historic site and Presidential library and museum with my family. Library and Museum site seems huge and quite number of places to visit. Museum gives perfect opportunity to adults and children to sneak peek in history. Bookmarking this for my future visit to Springfield.
You would love this place for his historic importance
I haven’t visited the historic town of Springfield yet but would love to do so someday. A visit to this city with kids would be such an amazing way to help them learn more about the history of the country and Lincoln. Would love to visit the Presidential library and Lincoln’s home. The architecture of the Capitol building is beautiful – it reminded me of the Capitol building of Sacramento right away. I think I’m going to try to plan our trip around the time of one of those festivals in town that you mentioned for the perfect cultural feel in this historic city.
You would love this place for history and cultural events too.
I grew up near Indianapolis, and it’s a shame my family never made it over to Springfield, IL for a visit. There is so much beautiful architecture here in addition to all the history, but that State Capitol building is probably my favorite. The inside of the dome is just gorgeous.
You would love this place.
It would be so much fun to walk in the footsteps of Lincoln! Lincoln’s home would be at the top of my list to visit. I love that it has a free entry. I agree it is always great to visit the capitol when in a capital city. It looks gorgeous inside and it would be fun to get the guided tour.
You would truly love this city.
I find US history so interesting and Abe is one of my favourite presidents so discovering all this history about him and his life would be so cool. I also don’t know that much about this area of the US so it would be so fun and eye opening to explore it.
As Abe is your favorite president then this place is for you as at every corner of this town, you would find some interesting fact about him.
There are so many great things related to Abraham Lincoln here! Finding those statues would be a lot of fun. I’d also love to seek out the street art and the botanical garden. It would be something a little different to break up the great historical sights.
Yes with lots of history, there are many other beautiful things to do here too.
It has been interesting to follow your trip in Illinois. I mainly just know Chicago, rest of state is foreign to me. State Capitols are always something I like to visit. I even have a little stamp book to get the capitol stamp on it.
Wow good to know that you have fascination for Capitols and therefore you would love to visit Springfield as it has old and new Capitols and both are very interesting.
I did not realise that there is so much to do in Springfield and I also didn’t know that President Lincoln was from there. I’m not up there with my USA history. However, I do love history and I think it would be really cool going to the muesums though and wow Statehouse inside is amazing.
You would love Mel.
I’ve never really had Springfield on the radar but it looks like a really interesting place. I’d definitely get a kick out of seeing all the Lincoln museums, particularly his home – that would be very cool. You know a place must be good when they have a lot of festivals lined up.
Yes this place has many events and festivals throughout the year.
Dang! There are a lot of AMAZING THINGS to see & do in Springfield. The last time I was there was my during my senior year of high school with my family visiting. This article makes me wanna plan a trip back now that I am older.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Cheers!
Laura
Heritage museum of Abraham Lincoln? Wow! That sounds like a must-visit. I didn’t know Springfield was his hometown.
I like those life sized statues… Just wondering… Isn’t the teen Lincoln, depicted a bit fairer than he should technically be???
The art and architecture in the State Capitol is just fascinating! So rich and gorgeous. Good to know that even guided tours here are free of cost.
There are many worth visiting places in Springfield and you would love it due to many historic places here.
The first thing that springs to mind when I hear Springfield is the Simpsons!! I’m a regular visitor to Chicago, but haven’t really ventured around the state. The old state capitol is amazing and it’s great it’s free too. I also had no idea it was Lincoln’s home town.
Yes many historic monuments are free here to visit though they accept donations.
They sure do have a lot of Lincoln stuff in Springfield!! Which totally makes sense. I’d love to visit his birthplace, as I’m definitely an American history buff
You would love it Maggie
I’d never heard of Springfield before but it sounds like a lovely place to visit. That State Capitol building looks beautiful! And the Lincoln museum sounds really interesting. Seems like an educational weekend trip destination.
Yes Springfield is very interesting for children as well as adults as we come to know many things about USA’s history.
What an exhaustive list of things to do in Springfield. I am in love with your photographs especially the one you took of the dome. It is so stunning. A visit to Lincoln’s house is a must for me and I definitely have to see all that street art. My kid would love to spot so many statues of Lincoln in different places.
Your son would love the statues of Lincoln and his family all over the city and also it is very educational because with those statues they have mentioned many interesting things about Lincoln’s family life which we do not find in books or search engines.
Oh There are some cool things to do in Springfield. I love to discover new cities in USA: Thanks so much for sharing and also, very good photos.
Abraham Lincoln was from a beautiful place! His house looks wonderful and the State Capitol building looks exquisite! If I get to the US this should be on the list.
You would love this place.
Oh There are some cool things to do in Springfield. I love to discover new cities in USA: Thanks so much for sharing and also, very godo photos.
Wow. I didn’t realize there was so much to do in Springfield! I never thought of it as a destination, but now it is on my radar for next time I’m in that area of the US. I’ve been to a few presidential libraries and find them so interesting, so visiting Lincoln’s presidential library would be at the top of my list. Both the old and new capitol buildings look amazing as well. I can’t believe how beautiful the interior of the new capitol is. I love the dome!
How cool to be able to do all that Abe stuff! We dont have anything like that in my part of the world. Australian history does not run very deep in that sense.
Springfield, Illinois has so much history, especially pertaining to President Lincoln. I love seeing all there is to do. Its a great city to visit.
I would love to visit Springfield. I am a history lover and teacher, so visiting President Lincoln’s hometown is a bucket list item for me. I would love to explore his old home. I can imagine that there is a lot of history to be learned there! I love that state capitols are free to visit, and this one in Illinois looks stunning!
I think I would find all the historical information about Abraham Lincoln fascinating. I could sure learn more about this most famous of presidents. I would love to visit the museum dedicated to him. I also love architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright holds special appeal. So – that being said… I better add Springfield Il to the bucket list!
You would surely know more about Abraham Lincoln in this city than any other place.
Haha. Every time I would hear the name Springfield I would always associate it with the SIMPSONS. Nevertheless, I haven’t been to Springfield yet, but it sure looks like something that might be very attached with the history of the USA. I completely dig the interior of the ILLINOIS STATE CAPITOL, it looks like something that came out of Hollywood, where in no time people will start dancing in their ball room dresses.
I loved your resemblance of Capitol’s interiors to Hollywood movie’s ball room. Even I was too amazed to see the political place having such rich interiors. It makes this place bright and cheery.
I’ll admit, here in Australia the word ‘Springfield’ only brings one thing to mind – The Simpsons (and I don’t even know which state the one from the show is in). So, it’s great to read something else about the town. It’s really got some fascinating buildings worth exploring.
Many people don’t know about this capital city, but yes this is Abraham Lincoln’s city and have many wonderful sights.
I haven’t heard of Springfields before but I love how there are so much history in Springfields. One of my favorite parts of traveling is that we can learn a lot of things and there are so many attractions in Springfields perfect for that. Hopefully, I can have the opportunity to travel to the US and visit Springfield
Yes it is good for history buffs
Wow, there is so many cool things to see and do in Springfield, Illinois! Obviously, I would love to see all the different sites regarding Abraham Lincoln especially his former home. But I actually said wow out loud at your pics from inside the State Capitol building! That is definitely a bucket list destination!
Yes Eric, Springfield is lovely place with so many things to do.