Day Two on Route 66 - Springfield

 When we first planned to stay a full day in Springfield, we weren't set on what exactly we were going to do. Before we left we did some research and found the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was free to fully vaccinated individuals, so we thought - why not? And then Bob, whom we met in Dwight the day before, said it was a must-see...so we went to see :)

We got there early so we could park and get to the museum close to opening time (not knowing what parking would look like). It turned out to be a bit confusing (driving in the right lane down a one-way street and suddenly seeing the sign indicating the below-ground parking ramp was coming up on the left.

I will be honest - we only went to the museum, not the library - but the building was beautiful :)

As we entered the museum, we were met by an eager docent who explained the layout. Of course, the most eye-catching element was the huge White House...

...but we had other things to enjoy before we got to that. The experience began with two theaters - no photography allowed, and I don't want to spoil it, but suffice it to say they were both fabulous - entertaining and informative.

Next up, we started to learn about Abe's early years, greeted by young Abe before entering through the log cabin.

There was really a lot more to it than these few pictures reveal. I kind of got sucked into it and stopped taking pictures until we went back out to the White House era...

Generals McClellan and Grant - love the expressions on their faces.

At first glance, this appeared to be a fashion display, but each dress had a placard with information about one of the ladies of Washington, DC society and the relationship with Mary Todd, who was judged negatively before she arrived because she was from "the country." Some things never change.

 

The display of photographs in the War Gallery was amazing. There were at least 3 or 4 stations set up that allowed you to click on any picture to learn about it. We could have spent hours there!

 

 

The Ford Theater display was very thought provoking. This was really the first time President Lincoln had engaged in an enjoyable activity of this nature in more than 4 years. Mrs. Lincoln was able to enjoy a few minutes of levity with her husband before her world came crashing down around her.

 

 

 

On the topic of levity...the museum also has a rotating exhibit, the current exhibit is about music in Illinois. It was a great exhibit and included about a dozen listening stations - from gospel to jazz, classic rock to disco, rap to heavy metal. We did not listen to all of the stations - we would have been there all day! 

 

 

 

This was one of the first displays we saw, and I had to get a picture to share with my daughter, Heather. She had taken a History of Music in America class in college, and the day she learned about Muddy Waters I pretty much had to drop everything to listen with her (she was very insistent).

 

 

I had never heard of Willie Dixon before, but I thought this was a really cool display.

 

We didn't expect to enjoy the exhibit as much as we did. We were mostly waiting for the Emancipation Proclamation to return from a press conference so we could see that before we left, but it was amazing how quickly the time flew as we went from display to display - jockeying for position to plug our headphones into the few available jacks. The original document was destroyed in the Chicago fire, and this is a rare signed copy that is only on display until June 6. 

 

 

 

It was tough to get a good picture of it, but it was incredible to see.

Next up we decided to walk down to see the Lincoln home and other historic homes in the area. The Lincoln Home National Historic Site has barely reopened, and you could tell that the docents were eager to talk with people.

We were unable to get on the tour to go in the Lincoln home (it would have been a 2-hour wait, which didn't work with our schedule), but we did go inside several of the other homes there.

We were ready for some lunch and found this place a short walk from the Historic Site.

 

 

They bring you a large bottle of water (so cold and delicious!), and we plowed through that before our drinks came. We enjoyed a pineapple cider and an Upside Brown Coffee Ale while we waited for our Horseshoe with pulled pork.

From the website...

"The open-faced sandwich begins with thick-sliced toasted bread, your choice of meat (or veggie burger), smothered with a secret cheese sauce, then topped with French fries."

 

<This spot is reserved for the picture of our lunch (which also became dinner)...my phone isn't talking to my laptop right now...)

After Lunch, we walked around downtown a bit and wandered into this...

 We had a great day in Springfield then decided to go do a wine tasting at Walnut Street Winery. No pictures because it was not photo worthy. The wine was OK. The server was very nice, but knew practically nothing about wine, and the wine seemed to be an "also ran" along side the hard liquor and the electronic gaming room. Not a traditional wine tasting experience, but it was the closest one that was open, so there you go.