curious about Springfield (never been there) (Chicago, Lincoln: rentals, crime, house)

[NW4me]

What is Springfield like? Is it worth a visit, for more than to look at another state capitol building?

Where does it rank among relatively-small state-capital cities?

[BOBNCHI]

The draw are the Lincoln historical sites which, if you're a Lincoln or history buff, would be worth a visit. All capitols have something of interest but I do find ours a bit dull in comparison to some others.

[DannFrankenstein]

Ya it’s not much but it’s a tier or two above Jefferson City, MO. The history is great but other than that it’s not particularly unique, like Madison WI is

[RisingAurvandil]

It's worth a pitstop if you're driving across the state.

- If you're into history, Springfield has the Lincoln Presidential Library and various other Lincoln sites. It also has several Rt 66 stops (e.g. Cozy Dog Diner, Drive In Theater, etc).

- Washington Park Botanical is nice to walk through, particularly in the Spring and Fall.

- Scheels is a good shopping stop, if you're an outdoorsman or into sports. And it is adjacent to Engrained Brewing.

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by NW4me

What is Springfield like? Is it worth a visit, for more than to look at another state capitol building?

Where does it rank among relatively-small state-capital cities?

For Lincoln history buffs Springfield is worth a visit.

Lincoln lived there 24 years. Visit the only house he ever owned, maintained to 1860 neighborhood experience.

Fairly new Lincoln library & museum downtown. Museum depicts life in 1860 Washington & his Presidency.

Nearby is Lincoln's tomb

Also nearby is New Salem which is an 1840 village.

Springfield is on mainline Amtrak Chicago to St Louis Midwest Service trains & 2 a day Texas Eagle.

I-55, I-72 takes you there if driving.

Beyond that not much shopping, dining.

[Maintainschaos]

There are definitely things to do, but a weekend is probably more than enough. Some decent restaurants and a lot of new breweries. If you go, it's also worth the time to go to New Salem in nearby Petersburg, especially if it's the Fall: https://www.lincolnsnewsalem.com/

[aga412]

Originally Posted by NW4me

What is Springfield like?

It's kinda dumb.

[FoxValleyTrotter]

Originally Posted by NW4me

What is Springfield like? Is it worth a visit, for more than to look at another state capitol building?

Where does it rank among relatively-small state-capital cities?

Springfield is a nice place for history fans and such. Other than that, there isn't really much to do there; it feels like a large suburb rather than an actual city. There also isn't much nightlife here and the crime is a little high. It feels a tier below Jefferson, MO.

[tw71]

I used to visit Springfield, IL regularly, growing up. My grandparents lived there. I went back once with some college buddies to see a band play one weekend. But hadn't really been back in at least 25 years since then, until last year.


My impression is that there is probably some stuff to do along Lake Springfield (a man-made lake that's grown in size considerably over time). I know it has a Mexican restaurant there and a marina with things like boat rentals.


Scheels seems like a decent shopping destination in Springfield too, and it has a Tesla supercharger station in its parking lot.


I was struck by how small the city felt though, driving around there. Honestly, one whole section of it just looked pretty run-down with a lot of row homes near your typical liquor stores and so on. (As a kid, my grandparent's neighborhood just seemed so much bigger as we'd take walks around the block there. Their neighborhood had nice sidewalks and I guess was in the "better" part of town.)


For its size, I was actually a little bit impressed they seemed to have as many of your typical chain restaurants and stores as they did. I mean, nobody's going to make a trip to Springfield just because there's an Olive Garden or an Applebee's there -- but they've got 'em.

[mattywo85]

OP, its cool to visit and see all the historical sites. I was last there maybe a year ago, I personally feel Springfield is a bit dull and flat.