Springfield’s claims to fame–and to the pocketbooks of other Illinoisans–derive from its selection in 1837 as the state capital. The statehouse complex downtown at Second and Capitol is dominated by the capitol itself, a magnificent 1860s pile newly revealed in its original splendor by an expensive refurbishment; it’s been decades since the General Assembly has lived up to its setting. The statues and memorials would make the grounds an Illinois theme park if more Illinoisans knew history well enough to get the jokes. (The bronze likeness of never-indicted U.S. Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen holding an oilcan is choice.) Visit when the General Assembly is in session (until mid-July, resuming in the fall) and see why legislature watchers dismiss Chicago’s City Council as a lemonade stand run by juvenile delinquents. There’s a visitor center with parking on College Street and info about tours at 217-782-2099.
Lincoln is one of our genuinely great national leaders and an endlessly fascinating man. The reconstruction of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, four square blocks centered on the Lincoln home at Eighth and Jackson (217-492-4150), is too tidy to be persuasive, but the house itself–newly reopened after a meticulous down-to-the-foundations restoration–seems honest enough. The place draws pilgrims from around the world; admission (by free ticket) on summer weekends and holidays often requires a wait.
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Bed-and-breakfasts were long in coming to Springfield; locals resisted the innovation out of fear they’d have to take in legislators. Two in operation are Corrine’s (1001 S. Sixth, 217-527-1400) and the Mischler House (718 S. Eighth, two blocks from Lincoln’s home, 217-523-3714).
Springfield is also “famous”–meaning everyone in Springfield has heard about them–for its horseshoe sandwiches. These are open-faced concoctions of toasted white bread topped with a choice of meat atop which is spread a fondue-like cheese sauce and french fries. Some cooks add beer to the sauce, some mustard, but it’s still Cheez Whiz.
All that said, no town that has two Steak ‘n’ Shake drive-ins (1580 Wabash and 2100 S. Sixth) and a Maid Rite can be considered a culinary backwater. Springfield’s Maid Rite, alas, has been marooned in a sea of parking lots near the statehouse complex on Jefferson Street, where loyal staff dispense their wares from the steam cooker installed there 64 years ago. Worth a stop, says an admirer, “to see how much integrity costs.”
