A Visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum

During a recent trip to Springfield, my wife and I had occasion to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.

I had not visited our state capital since the musueum opened in 2005, and now that I have seen the museum, I am sorry I waited so long.

Besides the artifacts one would expect to find, the museum utilizes dioramas and high-tech media presentations to bring history to life. Not to be missed are two theater experiences, Lincoln's Eyes and Ghosts of the Library. Both are as entertaining as they are informative.

While strolling through the exhibits, we came across a life-size reproduction of a Lincoln-Douglas debate that took place on the steps of the Old Main building at Knox College in Galesburg. This was particularly significant to me because more than 30 years ago, I stopped at those steps during a visit to that college as a prospective student.

One could easily fill two or more days visiting the historical sites of Springfield and the surrounding area. If you do, I would suggest including Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site, a recreation of the village where young Abe Lincoln once lived, and of course the Lincoln Tomb, which should logically be saved for last.

In all, we spent three hours touring the museum. We could have spent more and would love to have checked out the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library as well, but our schedule was too tight that day.

We will return.