Tours

Guided Tours

Springfield Trolley Tours
217-528-4100
The trolley, which runs daily from April through November, offers both a convenient way to get from site to site and an informative, narrative tour. Stops include Lincoln’s Home & Visitors Center, Dana-Thomas House, IL State Museum, IL State Capitol Complex Visitors Center, IL State Capitol Building, Old State Capitol Plaza/Tinsley Dry Goods Store, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, Lincoln’s Tomb, and the Lincoln Souvenir & Gift Shop. Trolleys are lift-equipped and run every 45 minutes from 9 am to 4 pm. Tickets are sold at the Lincoln Home Visitors Center, the IL State Museum, and Tinsley Dry Goods. Both All Day and Circle Tour Fares (no reboarding) are available. Please call for current prices and discounts as well as group rates and private charters.

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Springfield Walks
(217) 502-8687 or (217) 525-1825 (Tinsley)
www.springfieldwalks.com
From March through October, Springfield Walks offers a variety of entertaining and educational walking tours in downtown Springfield. Current offerings include "Lincoln's Ghost Walk: Legends and Lore," "Weird, True and Scandalous" which chronicles the city's true crime history, and "Springfield's Haunted Dead Walk." The latter, which lasts 2-1/2 hours and requires a reservation, is the only tour not suitable for persons using wheelchairs since it includes entry into inaccessible sites. Two additional walks are available on request for groups of 15 or more: "Springfield's 1908 Race Riot Walk" and "Springfield's Trilogy Talk." Tickets are on sale at Tinsley Dry Goods, 209 S. 6th St., the headquarters of Springfield Walks. The tours, which also leave from this location, take place Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 7, 7:30 or 8 pm. Call for days, times and prices which vary from tour to tour.

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Pied Piper Downtown Architectural Walking Tour
(217) 554-1723
www.downtownspringfield.org/tours.htm
Join Anthony Rubano of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency for a walking tour of historic downtown Springfield. Anthony discusses the architectural styles, materials and treatments that characterize the IL Statehouse and other governmental buildings. Tours begin at 5:30 pm in front of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices at the corner of the Old State Capitol Plaza, 6th & Adams Streets. The free tours, sponsored by Downtown Springfield, Inc., take place on the first Wednesday of the month from May to October and last approximately 90 minutes. Admission is free.

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Self-Guided Tours

Art Walk
www.sculpturewalkspringfield.org
This self-guided walking tour features shopping, dining, artwork and free entertainment. Participating downtown merchants, restaurants and art galleries stay open late to welcome visitors. Free and open to the public, Art Walk takes place from 5 pm to 8 pm on a limited number of evenings from April to October. Visit the website for a schedule and map. Many of the sites on the tour are covered in this guide.

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(217) 213-3003
www.nps.gov/liho/learn/photosmultimedia/audio-tours.htm
This new cell phone tour developed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency provides information on Lincoln sites in the Springfield area. Dial the number above, then the site number followed by #. Sites include 1-Union Station Visitors Center, 2-Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, 3-Old State Capitol, 4-Lincoln Law Office, 5-Lincoln Home, 6-Lincoln Depot, 7-Illinois State House, 8-Lincoln Tomb and 9-New Salem. To hear about additional sites in Mr. Lincoln's 1860 Neighborhood, follow prompts after listening to information on the Lincoln Home. The only charge is for cell phone usage. A brochure for this tour is also available at Springfield's Visitor Centers.

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Illinois State Capitol Sculptures—A Walking Tour
www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/com22.pdf
Visitors to the Illinois State Capitol Complex can enjoy a guided tour of the Statehouse itself, but are on their own when it comes to the various statues and monuments located throughout the grounds. A brochure and map produced by Secretary of State Jesse White provide details on statues of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Stephen A. Douglas and Everett McKinley Dirksen, among others, as well as memorials to Illinois Workers, Fire Fighters and Police. A brochure and map for this tour is also available at Springfield's Visitor Centers.

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Looking For Lincoln Walking Tour
www.lookingforlincoln.org
Over 30 outdoor interpretive exhibits placed throughout the downtown area allow visitors to experience Springfield as Abraham Lincoln knew it. Some exhibits include life-sized bronze figures such as those on Old Capitol Plaza South. Each story is accompanied by graphics or photographs and a symbolic medallion. The locations of these "Here I Have Lived" Exhibits are shown on a walking tour map downloadable from the Springfield CVB website.

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Springfield Race Riot of 1908
www.visitspringfieldillinois.com/LocationDetails/?id=1908-Race-Riot-Walking-Tour
The race riot which took place in August 1908 resulted in the lynching of two African-American residents and the destruction of many black and Jewish businesses. The Illinois National Guard had to be called in to quell the mob violence. In the riot's aftermath, 107 indictments against nearly 80 white suspects resulted in only one conviction for petty larceny. This tragic series of events led to the founding a year later of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The story of the 1908 Race Riot and its victims is told through a self-guided, eight-marker tour, beginning at the corner of Seventh and Jefferson Streets. A brochure and map of the tour is also available at Springfield's Visitor Centers. Groups of 15 or more may prefer to book a more in-depth guided tour from Springfield Walks (www.springfieldwalks.com).

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