SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — I’ve probably stopped in Springfield several dozen times on my way to Chicago or destinations to the north. There is a gas station I like there that serves good sandwiches and those yogurt bowls in which you add whatever toppings you like, right along Interstate 55.
I am ashamed to say that until recently I had never stayed to take in what the city has to offer. I had assumed it to be a medium-sized Midwestern town full of Lincoln kitsch and attractions less inviting than what St. Louis offers — so why bother?
But even if you go to Springfield just for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, it is worth the trip. It is a national museum of the highest caliber, made for what many believe is the greatest American president. So you had better believe it alone is pretty spectacular.
