A Historic Halloween Weekend in Springfield, Illinois

As an avid roadtripper, I have driven through Springfield, Illinois dozens of times and frequently commented that one of these days, I needed to spend some time there. So, when I had a free night at an IHG hotel with an upcoming expiration date, I decided Halloween weekend was the time to check it out!

Springfield is a medium sized city located in central Illinois. It is the state capital of Illinois and its main claim to fame is that it was once the home of Abraham Lincoln. It is also located on Historic Route 66, so there are plenty of opportunities for history buffs to explore! Being Halloween weekend, there were also a plethora of holiday events to choose from, many of which were perfect for kids, including my 13-year-old son.

After work Friday evening, we drove to Springfield and checked into the Holiday Inn Express located right off of I-55 South. This was a great little hotel that was kid-friendly (and dog friendly!) and included free breakfast each morning. Although there’s no pool, guests are welcome to use the pool at the connected Crowne Plaza Hotel, which we definitely took advantage of! We used an annual free night certificate earned from the IHG Premier credit card and 18,000 points to pay for two nights at this hotel.

After getting settled, it was time to venture out for dinner. We headed downtown to Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery. This was a great spot in a beautiful, historic building. There’s a lovely little patio for outdoor dining during the warmer months and the service was super friendly. We enjoyed the Pulled Pork Nachos, which are served on homemade fried pita chips, the popular Beer Cheese Soup, and a local favorite, The Horseshoe. I’d argue that you can’t visit Springfield without trying a Horseshoe, which is an open-faced sandwich topped with cheese sauce and french fries. We really liked all of our choices, but I still think about the Pulled Pork Nachos – they were simply amazing!

Saturday morning we woke up early and ventured back downtown for a busy day of events! We started the day at the Old Capitol Famer’s Market located near the Old Capitol Plaza. The market operates every Wednesday and Saturday from May 15 to October 26 from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM. Being the end of the season, there was a limited selection of vendors, but it was still worth a stop. We enjoyed coffee and pastries from a few local vendors before checking out some other downtown destinations.

There are quite a few fun shops to wander through downtown! I especially enjoyed spending some time paging through used books at Prairie Archives across from the Old Capitol. They have an extensive collection of used books, including a pretty impressive comics section. I could seriously spend hours in here just inhaling the scent of used books!

Next door, we enjoyed checking out some local artists’ work at the Lincoln Plaza Galleria. Phones are not allowed to be powered on in the store due to the frequencies interfering with the owner’s service dog’s work. The owners were super friendly and we enjoyed chatting with them about their store and service dog, aptly named Lincoln! I was able to purchase a few small holiday gifts which was a great bonus!

While you’re in this area, make sure to spend some time taking in the Illinois Old State Capitol building. This location served as the capitol from 1840 – 1876. It has served as the backdrop for several historic events, including Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” Speech in 1858 and Barack Obama’s annoucement in 2007 that he would be running for the office of President of the United States. Unfortunately, the interior of the building is currently closed to the public due to rennovation until further notice.

After wandering around the downtown area for a bit longer, we headed to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site just a few blocks away. We began our visit with a free tour of the Lincoln home. The Lincolns lived in Springfield from 1844 to 1861, just prior to Lincoln becoming the 16th president of the United States. National Park Rangers are my personal heroes, and our tour guide on this visit lived up to all of my expectations. The site features a period neighborhood and gift shop where you can get your National Park Passport stamped.

Every year on Halloween weekend, the site offers free trick-or-treating for children. This was such a fun event and the highlight was getting some candy from Old Abe himself!

Because one trick-or-treating event is never enough, next we walked back downtown to the Illinois Governor’s Mansion for their annual trick-or-treat. The mansion was beautifully decorated for fall, and Governor Pritzker himself was handing out candy! Even though the line was long, it moved quickly and we were in and out in less than 30 minutes.

Our bellies were getting pretty rumbly by this time, so we headed to La Piazza for dinner, where we enjoyed a Margherita pizza, bread and dipping oils, and cheesecake for dessert. The location on 6th Street was a perfect spot to warm up and wait for the highlight of the evening – the annual Springfield Halloween Parade! The parade featured loads of local groups and lighted floats, as well as plenty of candy. It was a pretty chilly evening, so sadly I kept my hands in my gloves and didn’t take any pictures.

Sunday morning, we ventured out of a Springfield favorite – Mel-O-Cream Donuts! The ladies working were super sweet and even gave our puppy his own little treat. These donuts were delish and did not disapoint! They are only open until noon, however, so get there early!

Sufficiently sugared up, we headed to Oak Ridge Cemetary to visit Abraham Lincoln’s grave. This is a beautiful and serene location and is the final resting place for not only Abraham Lincoln, but his wife, Mary, and three of their sons. Legend has it if you rub Lincoln’s nose at this site, you’ll be the recipient of good luck.

Our next stop was The Chili Parlor, billed as Springfield’s Favorite Chili since 1945, for lunch. The atmosphere inside was simply delightful, and it was fun watching the locals and employees chat and interact. This local spot is pretty legendary and has been featured on several TV shows such as “Man vs. Food” and “Food Paradise”. We tried several different menu items including the Chili Mac, Chili Dog, and the Cheese Burger. The prices were right and the service was perfect, but sadly the food just wasn’t our favorite. I’d still recommend you give it a try, because it might be your thing!

Our weekend away coming to an end, we still had one more stop – the current Illinois State Capitol building! Luckily, a free tour was scheduled for the afternoon and it was a great way to spend an hour. The capitol features a beautiful dome (taller than the U.S. Capitol!) and a really stunning legislative chamber!

Overall, we had a great weekend in historic Springfield, Illinois! If you enjoy history and government, definitely add it to your travel bucket list. It makes a great, affordable Midwest weekend destination.

‘Till next time,