Using the internet and materials we had gathered from various trips, we decided we wanted to make our first stop at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. We were definitely interested in learning more about our 16th president, but there was a special display that we were interested in as well: The History between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals!
The museum is huge and focuses on Lincoln's election (as if it were happening today!) and displays about his childhood, presidency, the original hand-written copy of the Gettysburg address, and a life sized model of Lincoln, himself. What I came away with was how persecuted Lincoln was during his presidency, not unlike what our presidents go through today.
Our next visit was to the Lincoln Tomb where Lincoln, his wife and three of their four sons are buried. It is massive and impressive. At the entrance you will see a bronze bust of Mr. Lincoln with a shiny nose. Visitors rub the nose of Lincoln for good luck! You can enter the memorial, and walk in a circle to visit the headstone.
After our visit, we headed to eat at Charlie Parker's Diner, featured on Diner's, Drive Ins and Dives. Charlie's is famous for its Horseshoe, which is a slice of bread, meat of your choice, topped with fries and covered with a special cheese sauce. The combinations are endless! There's a breakfast Horseshoe, too! Guy Fieri loved the pancakes, but we had to try the Horseshoe!
To end our trip, we visited the Frank Lloyd Wright designed home called the Dana-Thomas House. It is a beautiful and lavish home designed in the Prairie period. The home was built for Susan Lawrence Dana, known for her hospitality, parties and concerts. She was also know for her pro-woman agenda. The home was never significantly altered over time and has over 100 original pieces of the original art glass, lamps, and furniture. There is a 60 foot long pergola hallway which houses a bowling lane, a billiard room and vault. My personal favorite was her library, where she used to read stories to the Springfield orphans.
We returned home in time for dinner at home. We loved discussing the beautiful home and all the Lincoln information in the car, making for a perfect day trip.
Leave a comment if you stop by, and tell me where you are from, and what your favorite day trip is!
