Springfield Trip - Day 3 - 4/1/12

We slept in on Sunday and then went to Starbucks instead of having breakfast.

 

We drove to New Salem in Petersburg, Illinois.  There they have a reconstructed village where Abraham Lincoln lived before moving to Springfield.  It was really warm out and there were tons of wasps flying around but it was worth the stop.

We left to drive back home and stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch.  The temperature dropped 30 degrees by the time we reached home.

Springfield Trip - Day 2 - 3/31/12

We woke up early on our only full day in Springfield and had the breakfast buffet at the hotel.  We then walked to the site of Lincoln's Springfield home which was only a few blocks away.  They suggested that we get tickets early to tour the home because the groups fill up fast.  We got tickets for the 2:00 tour.

We then walked to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.As we walked we passed the Capitol building and the Old Capitol building.

 

The museum has lots of exhibits that appeal to both young and older audiences.  We went through the "Journeys" of Lincoln's life and watched both shows that they present in the museum.  The exhibits are designed by the Disney people which means they have more recreations than artifacts but they take you through his life to make you feel more like you're a part of it.  I really thought they did a good job of marrying history and entertainment.

 We especially had fun with the waxwork figures ...

After the museum, we walked through the Village of houses that surround Lincoln's home and then had a quick lunch.  We went on the guided tour through Lincoln's home and got to see what life would have been like for the family while he was a lawyer in Springfield.

Lincoln's Home

After the home, we drove to the site of Lincoln's Tomb to pay our respects.

After the long day of sightseeing, the girls went swimming and we relaxed.  We ordered a pizza for the girls and Kim and I went to the restaurant on the 30th floor overlooking Springfield.  We watched the sun set and had a couple drinks at the Pinnacle Club.

Then we had steaks at Nick & Nino's Penthouse Steakhouse.  It was delicious food and great service.

Springfield Trip - Day 1 - 3/30/12

My friend Kim asked me if I would go with her on a trip to Springfield, Illinois.  Her daughter had just turned 14 and two of her friends were going with her on this little weekend trip.  We left Friday evening and drove to Springfield from my house in Bartlett.  It took about 4 hours.

Once we got there, we checked into the Springfield Hilton and ordered some room service.  We had an early day the next day so we all went to bed pretty early.  Although, we heard the girls in the adjoining room giggling into the early morning hours.