Lincoln geek with a wad of cash.

I%26#39;ll be making a pilgrimage to Springfield this July. I WON%26#39;T be on a tight budget. Tell me you Springfield folks, what are the best: hotel, bar(s), restaurant(s), and attraction(s). Remember I%26#39;m not too worried about cash. How would you fill 4days/3nights? With your local expertise this should be easy.

Lincoln geek with a wad of cash.

www.alplm.org/home.html

www.darcyspintonline.com

www.visit-springfieldillinois.com

Lincoln geek with a wad of cash.

Well I assume you have researched the Lincoln stuff so I won%26#39;t go into detail about seeing the library, home, law office, old capitol, cemetery and salem.

IMO the Crowne Plaza is probably the nicest hotel to stay at but it%26#39;s location isn%26#39;t that great to me. I prefer the Clarion State House near the capitol. It isn%26#39;t fancy by any means but it is a fun place to stay with a good location. The Hilton would be a close second.

Besides the Lincoln stuff there are some Route 66 attractions you can see. The Capitol building (I am talking about the one in use today) is quite beautiful and worth seeing. I believe they have tours of it. The congressional scenes of Legally Blonde 2 were filmed there btw. The Dana Thomas house is near the downtown area which is a Frank Loyd Wright design. There is a large lake near Springfield that you can rent a jet ski at if you wish.

Now for restaurants. To be quite honest, Springfield is a fairly inexpensive city so you could be hard pressed to blow your wad of cash. With money being no object I would eat at Augie%26#39;s, Sebastians, Cafe Brio, Maldaners, Saputos and Indigo (If it%26#39;s still around). Some of these places can be hit or miss but for the most part they are some of the better places to eat. Augies and Cafe brio are my favorite two and I always stop there when I am back. You also need to have a horseshoe. I suggest you make the drive to D%26#39;arcy%26#39;s for this as they have the best ones. You can get a horsehoe at many places but D%26#39;arcy%26#39;s are superior. I like Weiner Dog for quick lunches if they are still open. They are dowtown near the library.

There are quite a few bars to choose from downtown as well as elsewhere throughout the city. Downtown I like to go to Floyd%26#39;s, Sammy%26#39;s or DH Browns. Marley%26#39;s is good too. I also like the bar at Sebastians. It%26#39;s downstairs below the main restaurant. Stay away from the Firehouse or PT%26#39;s. Both rowdy places that can get pretty crowded. The Hilton has a great jazz bar at the top of it. Good place to sip a cocktail and watch the sunset. Brewhaus is ok. Not much to look at it inside but they have a large selection of beer. All of these bars are downtown.

Hopefully you find enough to keep you busy all four days. Outside of the Lincoln attractions there isn%26#39;t much to see in Springfield. The mall and a bunch of chain restaurants are on the west side if it gets too bad. Have a great trip!

Timmy, thanks. I really like jazz. The Crowne Plaza gets some pretty poor reviews from tripadvisor reviewers.

I just read those. The hotel gets a lot of convention/conference traffic so I%26#39;m surprised there aren%26#39;t more reviews there. Sadly not enough people take the time to post when they like a hotel but to each his own. I agree with the rankings for #1 though. The Clarion State House is my top choice.

Feel free to email me if you need more details about Springfield. Lived there most of my life and got to know the city well. Too well to be honest.

I%26#39;m a ';townie'; so I don%26#39;t stay at the hotels...however, it seems the Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center (formerly the Ramada Renaissance) is where the snooty people I know tend to stay, so I%26#39;m guessing that it%26#39;s probably a pretty nice place.

The Crowne Plaza is distant from downtown (out in my neighborhood) but seems to be nice...although I%26#39;ve never seen a room.

If you have no cash problem, you%26#39;ll probably go home with money in your pocket after spending lavishly. Springfield is NOT a high rent town. There are some very fine restaurants (I%26#39;ll leave that to others...I like the simplistic,) and great bars.

As for the filming of ';Legally Blonde 2, Red, White, and Blonde,'; I was the esteemed senator from Vermont. If you go frame by frame on the DVD, and know just where to look, you still can%26#39;t tell it%26#39;s me. What the heck, it was a fun 3 days as an ';extra'; and their check cleared.

Bar-wise, it kind of depends on your taste. If you%26#39;re 30-ish and still wearing skater clothes you%26#39;ll want a different place than if you tend to wear individualized shirts and $85 neckties, and different yet if you can sit down in a sports bar and drink a beer.

Incidentally, Springfield is NON SMOKING indoors.

What are you looking for? I%26#39;ll be better able to point you the right direction when you let us know your preferences other than not too worried about cash.

I don%26#39;t want to come off sounding like a snoot, I%26#39;m not. I%26#39;ve saved up some cash for this trip by working. My wife and daughter will NOT be accompanying me. I can drink beer with the best of %26#39;em. I haven%26#39;t skated in 40 years, and though I do wear a tie occasionally it never approaches the $85.00 type. (I DO own a couple that light up.) I%26#39;m very interseted in Lincoln. I%26#39;ve studied him for a number of years. He%26#39;s not my hero, but I admire him greatly. I love to listen to live music. I love to eat. I love to walk around and check out the bar scene. I%26#39;d like a hotel that would be close to historical and ';alchohoical'; places of interest.. I%26#39;d like a large room in which I could do some writing. Are there local experts that give guided tours of the Lincoln sites? Thanks, V.

I didn%26#39;t get that impression at all, verybigv. Just understand when we say its inexpensive it is very inexpensive. I am used to drinking in the DC area now. When I go to the bars in Springfield it never ceases to amaze me how cheap it is. I am often throwing down for entire rounds just because it is so cheap.

I have heard reviews of the Abraham Lincoln Hotel run from really bad to just ok. I like the bar in there but I have never seen the rooms. I would go with the State House Inn or Hilton if I was you. Can easily stumble back to the room from the bars. Downtown is well lit and safe so you shouldn%26#39;t have any worries.

Springfield is a must if you are a fan of Honest Abe. You won%26#39;t be disappointed with that aspect of Springfield especially the library. It%26#39;s impressive.

You can likely dig up a local willing to play tour guide by calling the AL Presdiential Library at (217) 524-6358 or the Museum%26#39;s volunteer line at (217) 558-8872

I agree with the others that Springfield is an inexpensive date. I travel quite often and find the restaurant/bar prices here quite reasonable. Dinner that would cost you $100.00 in London, or $65.00 in Washington DC will end up being $40.00 in good ol%26#39; Springfield. Booze is way cheaper. Tip well, though, the waitstaff works just as hard.

Cheers! ~M.Elston

Really, I don%26#39;t think you need a local tour guide. You can guide yourself very easily. For example, if you stay at the Hilton, A. Lincoln%26#39;s law office (Herndon-Lincoln) is one block west. His home is about 3 blocks south. The presidential library and museum is 2 north and 1 west. The train station where Lincoln hopped the train for Washington after being elected President is 2 blocks east and 1 south.

All of this is within a block or so of the Mother Road...Business Route 66...9th Street.

The most difficult (HA!) is going to the tomb. You%26#39;ll need to drive. It%26#39;s maybe 5 blocks west and..just guessing...15-20 blocks north. Not hard to find at all. Again, no guide is neede here either.

The Hilton is right across the street from the Abraham Lincoln Hotel %26amp; Conference center...or whatever it%26#39;s called this week. I was there this evening for a wedding reception. What I saw was top notch and the food was exceptional. Again, I have no experience on the rooms. I saw one years ago and it strikes me that it was large and well appointed. What they%26#39;re like now might be another thing, but they certainly haven%26#39;t let the building become rundown.

I referenced snooty because the people I know who%26#39;ve stayed there are relatively well to do and can stay wherever they want, yet they pick the A Lincoln Hotel. Both it and the Hilton are in the thick of the bar scene. The Statehouse Inn is 3 blocks west of the bar ';core.';

Come %26amp; visit.

Lee

Thanks all. You%26#39;ll see me last week of july/ first week of August. I%26#39;ll be the tall, good looking guy with a bourbon on the rocks in his hand.

V