Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Springfield (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Prairie Capital Convention Center, Illinois State Capitol, and First Presbyterian Church. Also, be sure to include Lincoln Tomb in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Springfield (Illinois).
Table of Contents
Prairie Capital Convention Center
Arena in Springfield, Illinois. Bank of Springfield Center is a 7,700-seat multi-purpose arena located in Springfield, Illinois.
The facility is adaptable to host a variety of events, including large concerts, theatrical performances, trade shows, sporting events, and school graduation ceremonies, as well as smaller gatherings such as professional training meetings, weddings and banquets.
The facility contains 44,000 square feet (4,100 m2) of column-free space in the main hall and 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2) of meeting room space in the lower level. It connects, via a tunnel, to the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel.[1]
Address: 1 Convention Center Plaza, 62701-1698 Springfield
Illinois State Capitol
Domed seat of state government. The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the legislative and executive branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The current building is the sixth to serve as the capitol building since Illinois was admitted to the United States in 1818. Built in the architectural styles of the French Renaissance and Italianate, it was designed by Cochrane and Garnsey, an architecture and design firm based in Chicago. Ground was broken for the new capitol on March 11, 1868, and the building was completed twenty years later for a total cost of $4.5 million.
The building contains the chambers for the Illinois General Assembly, which is made up of the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. An office for the Governor of Illinois, additional offices, and committee rooms are also in the building. The capitol's footprint is cross-shaped, with four equal wings. Its tall central dome and tower roofs are covered in zinc to provide a silvery facade which does not weather. Architecture scholar Jean A. Follett describes it as a building that "is monumental in scale and rich in detail." The interior of the dome features a plaster frieze painted to resemble bronze, which illustrates scenes from Illinois history, and stained glass windows, including a stained glass replica of the state seal in the oculus of the dome.[2]
Address: 401 S 2nd St, 62701-1727 Springfield
First Presbyterian Church
Church in Springfield, Illinois. First Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church located in downtown Springfield, Illinois. This is the church that President Abraham Lincoln and his family attended while they lived in Springfield.[3]
Address: 321 S 7th St, 62701 Springfield
Lincoln Tomb
Cemetery. The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln; his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln; and three of their four sons, Edward, William, and Thomas. It is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Constructed of granite, the tomb has a large, single-story rectangular base, surmounted by an obelisk, with a semicircular receiving room entranceway, on one end, and semicircular crypt or burial-room opposite.
Four flights of balustraded stairs—two flanking the entrance at the front and two at the rear—lead to a level terrace. The balustrade extends around the terrace to form a parapet where near the center are several statues located at the base of the obelisk. The obelisk rises 117 feet (36m) high.
A bronze recasting of sculptor Gutzon Borglum's head of Lincoln in the U.S. Capitol rests on a pedestal in front of the entrance way. Inside the ground level entrance is a rotunda with connecting hallways to the burial room. Marble is used throughout the interior and several well-known, specially cast statues of Lincoln are displayed. A stained glass window and flags adorn the crypt, which is centered around a red marble monument.
At the close of the ceremonies and events marking Lincoln's death, his body was placed in a nearby receiving tomb and later in the state tomb. The mausoleum is owned and administered by the State of Illinois as Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site. It was designated one of the first National Historic Landmarks in 1960, and thus became one of the first sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, when that designation was created.[4]
Address: 1500 Monument Ave, 62702 Springfield
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum
Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ranks as one of the most visited presidential libraries. Its library, in addition to housing an extensive collection on Lincoln, also houses the collection of the Illinois State Historical Library, founded by the state in 1889. The library and museum is located in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois, and is overseen as an agency of state government. It is not affiliated with the U.S. National Archives and its system of libraries.[5]
Address: 212 N 6th St, 62701-1004 Springfield
Old State Capitol State Historic Site
Building in Springfield, Illinois. The Old State Capitol State Historic Site, in Springfield, Illinois, is the fifth capitol building built for the U.S. state of Illinois. It was built in the Greek Revival style in 1837–1840, and served as the state house from 1840 to 1876. It is the site of candidacy announcements by Abraham Lincoln in 1858 and Barack Obama in 2007. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, primarily for its association with Lincoln and his political rival Stephen Douglas.[6]
Address: 5th & Adams Streets, 62701 Springfield
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
National memorial in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the Springfield, Illinois home and related historic district where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, before becoming the 16th president of the United States. The presidential memorial includes the four blocks surrounding the home and a visitor center.[7]
Address: 413 S 8th St, 62701-1905 Springfield
Dana-Thomas House
Home in Springfield, Illinois. The Dana–Thomas House is a home in Prairie School style designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Built 1902–04 for patron Susan Lawrence Dana, it is located along East Lawrence Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. The home reflects the mutual affection of the patron and the architect for organic architecture, the relatively flat landscape of the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Japanese aesthetic as expressed in Japanese prints.[8]
Address: 300 E Lawrence Ave, 62703-2233 Springfield
Lincoln-Herndon Law Office
Building in Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site is a historic brick building built in 1841 in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located at 6th and Adams Streets in Springfield, Illinois. The law office has been restored and is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as a state historic site.
The office building is a surviving portion of what was the Tinsley Block, a brick structure built by local developer Seth M. Tinsley in 1840–1841 to provide office space for professionals working in the newly chosen state capital city. The Illinois General Assembly had moved the capital from Vandalia, Illinois to Springfield in late 1839, and local workers had begun to build a new limestone state house, now the Old State Capitol State Historic Site, on the parcel of land just north of the Tinsley Block.
Lawyer Abraham Lincoln and his partner Stephen T. Logan moved their partnership law offices to a third-floor office in the Tinsley Block in 1843. The Illinois Supreme Court, where the partners often pleaded cases, met in the State Capitol across the street, and the U.S. District Court rented space on the Tinsley Block's second floor.
The firm of Logan & Lincoln broke up in 1844. Lincoln continued to practice law in the Tinsley Block office and accepted a younger lawyer, William H. Herndon, as his junior partner. The firm of Lincoln and Herndon practiced from the Tinsley Block office from 1844 until about 1852.[9]
Address: Sixth & Adams Streets, Springfield
Oak Ridge Cemetery
Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Oak Ridge Cemetery is an American cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.
The Lincoln Tomb, where Abraham Lincoln, his wife and all but one of their children lie, is here, as are the graves of other prominent Illinois figures. Thus, it is the second-most visited cemetery in the United States, after Arlington National Cemetery. Opened in 1860, it was the third and is now the only public cemetery in Springfield, after the City Cemetery and Hutchinson.
The cemetery was designed by William Saunders in the Rural Cemetery Landscape Lawn style. The location was chosen for its topography, including rolling hills, key to this style. The many eponymous oak trees cover a ridge bordering low-lying Spring Creek, a landscape unusual in central Illinois. The newest, southwest section opened after 1945. Its design follows the Memorial Park style, in which roadways are wide enough for motor vehicles.
Oak Ridge has a Korean War memorial, the World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial and the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Springfield and Central Illinois African-American History Museum is adjacent.[10]
Address: 1500 Monument Ave, 62702 Springfield
Henson Robinson Zoo
Global animals in naturalistic environs. The Henson Robinson Zoo is a private nonprofit zoo owned and operated by the Springfield Park District. The zoo was built in 1968–1970 on the eastern shore of Lake Springfield to serve the population of Central Illinois, and opened in 1970. As of 2018, the zoo housed more than 300 animal specimens representing more than 80 species. The zoo charges an admission fee.[11]
Address: 1100 E Lake Shore Dr, 62712-5536 Springfield
Vachel Lindsay House
Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The Vachel Lindsay House is a historic house museum at 603 South 5th Street in Springfield, Illinois. Built in 1848, it was the birthplace and lifelong home of poet Vachel Lindsay. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency operates the house as a historic house museum and offers tours of the home that emphasize Vachel Lindsay's poetry and art. It is open seasonally.[12]
Address: 603 S 5th St, 62703-1604 Springfield
Illinois State Museum
Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The Illinois State Museum features the life, land, people and art of the State of Illinois. The headquarters museum is located on Spring and Edwards Streets, one block southwest of the Illinois State Capitol, in Springfield. There are three satellite locations: Dickson Mounds in Lewistown, the Lockport Gallery in Lockport, and the ISM's Research and Collections Center in Springfield.
In addition to natural history exhibits, the main museum in Springfield focuses on the state's cultural and artistic heritage. Exhibits include local fossils and mining, household displays from different historic periods, dioramas of Native American life, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, and a collection of glass paperweights.
Due to Illinois budgetary challenges, the Illinois State Museum was temporarily closed from October 2015 to June 2016. After adopting an admission fee, the flagship museum reopened on July 2, 2016. The fee is waived for children and veterans. The Chicago Gallery and the Southern Illinois Artisans Gallery were not reopened.[13]
Address: 502 S Spring St, 62706-5000 Springfield
Illinois Executive Mansion
Historical place in Springfield, Illinois. The Illinois Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Illinois. It is located in the state capital, Springfield, Illinois. The Italianate-style Mansion was designed by Chicago architect John M. Van Osdel with a modified 'H' shaped configuration with a long central section, and the front and back on the sides of the 'H'. The 16-room manor was completed in 1855 and was first occupied by governor Joel Matteson, who held the official grand opening on January 10, 1856. It is one of the oldest historic residences in the state of Illinois and one of the three oldest continuously occupied governor's mansions in the United States. In 1898 alterations to the exterior added neoclassical elements. In 1972, the Illinois Governor's Mansion Association was founded as a charitable corporation to assist in the maintenance and programming at the mansion. The Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
During the Christmas season the mansion is decorated lavishly with Christmas decorations, including over a dozen Christmas trees. Although sometimes used for state functions such as state dinners and meetings, the mansion also functions as a house museum. The libraries, bedrooms, parlors, sitting rooms, etc. are maintained as they may have looked in the 19th century. The governor and his family are not required to reside in the mansion. Rather, a 7-room private apartment on the second floor of the mansion is provided for the governor and his family.
Governor George Ryan and First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan refurbished much of the mansion's furniture during their 1999 - 2003 tenure using private donations. In 2011, a multimillion-dollar renovation was planned because the last repairs to the mansion were in 1971.
The 2014 polar vortex led to significant water damage to the mansion, and Governor Pat Quinn, who chose to live in the mansion part-time, allocated about $40,000 in emergency repairs. Shortly after his election as governor, Bruce Rauner announced that he and his wife would invest some of their money into repairing the mansion so they could live in it during his term. On July 18, 2016, Illinois First Lady Diana Rauner announced a $15 million renovation project for the mansion, with the funding being raised privately. The work was completed for the Illinois bicentennial in 2018.
Governor Rauner signed an executive order renaming the Executive Mansion, the Illinois Governor's Mansion, which became effective July 1, 2018. The renovated mansion includes a new visitor's center, and made the mansion compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Current Governor J.B. Pritzker currently resides in the governor's mansion full-time while his family commutes between Chicago and Springfield. Again using private funds, additional renovations to guest rooms, fixtures, and plumbing were done in fall 2019.[14]
Address: 410 E Jackson St, 62701-1799 Springfield
Elijah Iles House
Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The Elijah Iles House is a historic house at 628 S. 7th Street in Springfield, Illinois. Built circa 1837, the house has survived nearly intact for 182 years and is the oldest such structure in Springfield. Iles, who moved to Springfield in 1821, was one of the city's earliest settlers. He ran the first store in Sangamon County and helped persuade the county to locate the county seat in Springfield. His house has a Greek Revival design inspired by Southern architecture. It is one of the few Greek Revival residences in Central Illinois. A timber-framed structure on a raised brick foundation, it has three levels: a ground-level basement, the main floor, and a finished attic which provided sleeping quarters.
The interior woodwork is original and makes extensive use of black walnut. To make room for a new church, the house was moved in 1910 and refurbished and modernized with the installation of electricity, plumbing and radiator heating. In 1978, the House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and historic significance. In 1998, the House was moved again to its present location and fully restored, funded almost entirely by private donations. In 2005, with the restoration was complete, the House was open to the public; regular tours are given on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons from April through October. The upper levels house an extensive collection of pre-Civil War furniture, and the lower-level houses the Farrell and Ann Gay Museum of Springfield History, currently exhibiting wristwatches, pocket watches and clocks manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company, a major Springfield factory which operated from 1878 until 1934.
The house is owned by the Elijah Iles House Foundation.[15]
Address: 628 S 7th St, 62703-1637 Springfield
William G. Stratton Building
The William G. Stratton Building, known more commonly on a local level as the Stratton Building, is an eight-story office building located on the grounds of the Illinois State Capitol in downtown Springfield, Illinois.[16]
Address: 401 S. Spring St, Springfield
Camp Butler National Cemetery
Cemetery. Camp Butler National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located a few miles northeast of Springfield and a few miles southwest of Riverton, a small town nearby to Springfield, in Sangamon County, Illinois. It was named for Illinois State Treasurer at the time of its establishment, William Butler. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it occupies approximately 53 acres, and is the site of 19,825 interments as of the end of 2005. Camp Butler National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[17]
Address: 5063 Camp Butler Rd, 62707-9722 Springfield
Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon
Monument in Springfield, Illinois. The Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon is a carillon located in Washington Park in Springfield, Illinois. The brutalist tower stands 132 feet and is constructed from concrete, brick and steel. It was dedicated in 1962 and designed by Bill Turley. Each year the carillon hosts the International Carillon Festival which features world-renowned carillonneurs.[18]
Address: Springfield, 1740 W Fayette Ave,, Springfield, Illinois 62704, United States
Central Springfield Historic District
Historical place in Springfield, Illinois. The Central Springfield Historic District is a 12-acre historic district in downtown Springfield. The district encompasses Springfield's oldest commercial district and is centered on the Old State Capitol. While the area was platted in 1822, only two buildings in the district predate the 1850s: the Old State Capitol and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, both built in 1837. The majority of the district's buildings were constructed during Springfield's population boom in the 1860s and its subsequent growth in the latter half of the 19th century. These buildings included hotels, drug stores, groceries, clothing stores, and dry goods stores; some of the stores built in this period are still in operation. The businesses are also significant examples of 19th-century brick commercial architecture, including the Romanesque Pierick-Sommer Building and several works by prominent Springfield architects Helmle & Helmle.
The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 29, 1978. A boundary extension in 1986 added seven more buildings to the district.[19]
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden
Memorial park in Springfield, Illinois. The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden, commonly known and referred to as the Lincoln Memorial Garden, is a self-governing 100-acre woodland and prairie garden owned by the city of Springfield, Illinois, and managed by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden Foundation. The gardens are made up of two major units, the 63-acre Jensen section bordering Lake Springfield, and the newer 29-acre Ostermeier Prairie Center section. There are also 19 acres of additional buffer properties. As of April 2006, the Garden is maintained by a full-time staff of four, supplemented by more than 150 volunteers and docents.[20]
Address: 2301 E Lake Shore Dr, 62712 Springfield