5 Things to do in Springfield, IL

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Looking for things to do in Springfield, Illinois?  Here are 5 fun tourist activities to check out while you’re there!  These can be spread out over a couple days, or fit into one day as long as you pay attention to closing times.  Here’s what we did in one day –> In no particular order:

1) Charlie Parker’s Diner

700 W North St, Springfield, IL 62704

A fun retro restaurant in a Quonset hut, that was featured on Food Network’s show “Diners, Drive-In’s, and Dives”  (They close at 2:00 pm so don’t plan on this for dinner)  So many delicious options to choose from, but if you’ve never had the “Breakfast shoe” which is the breakfast version of the “Horse shoe”  (an open faced sandwich originating in Springfield) it’s a great place to give it a try!

2) Dana-Thomas House

300 E Lawrence Ave, Springfield, IL 62703

Take a tour of this Frank Lloyd Wright home which is full of  so much history and gorgeous architectural details.  Open Wednesday through Sunday (excluding holidays) with the last tour beginning at 3:45 pm.   There is a cute gift shop, and you watch an introductory video prior to your tour.  This is a must visit – whether you love Frank Lloyd Wright, or have never visited one of his designs!

3) Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum

212 N 6th St, Springfield, IL 62701

Leave plenty of time to tour the Abraham Lincoln Museum!  The displays are so impressive and life like.  As tempting as it is to start exploring the museum through the open doors of the “White House”, turn to the left in the main plaza and begin your tour with “Lincoln’s boyhood log cabin” to experience the museum chronologically.

MUSEUM HOURS: 9:00 am-5:00 pm Daily (excluding major Holidays – check ahead to be sure their hours of operation before your visit)

**Last ticket sales at 4:00  pm**

The library is right across the street from the museum, worth a walk over, but not too much to see.

4) Exhibit at Union Station: “Lincoln” movie props, sets, & costumes:

**UPDATE:  The exhibits at the Union Station change & it is no longer the “Lincoln” movie props, sets, & costumes, but since it is such a short walk from the museum it is still worth checking out to see what they have on display!  More recently it sounds like a train exhibit (Summer 2019)

This exhibit was only a couple extra dollars to see when added to the admission price for the Lincoln Museum.  We only spent about 15 minutes looking at everything, but it was pretty neat.  No flash photography allowed so be sure to change that setting on your camera.  I’m not sure how long this exhibit is expected to be there.

5) Go to the Drive-In theater on  Route 66

If you’re staying overnight, a fun way to close out the day is to see a movie at the drive in.

Springfield is a fun city to visit, with a wide variety of tourist attractions and activities to take in.  I definitely plan on heading back sometime as I’m sure there’s a lot more to see!  We did check out more Lincoln sites (Law Office, Boyhood home, etc.), and ate at “Cozy Dog Drive-In” the well known restaurant on Route 66 which I’ll post more about in the future.  Great trip for a weekend getaway, or longer if you have the time.

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*The hours of operation and prices listed in this post are what they were during our visit.  Be sure to verify these details with the official websites when planning your trip as these things can change.

Original post 4/24/16, Most recent update 8/29/19