Springfield, Illinois is called The Land of Lincoln. Learning about the 16th American president's life by observing Lincoln-related materials in several interesting museums is a great thing to do in Springfield. Other excellent activities include visiting the Henson Robinson Zoo and touring the trails at Washington Park Botanical Gardens.
Washington Park Botanical Gardens have a greenhouse and conservatory with more than 150 tropical plant species. The Gardens include cacti and irises as well as a rose garden with over 5,000 rose bushes. There is also a garden designed for the visually impaired that focuses on both texture and scent. The Gardens have over 1,200 different species of flowers and plants.
Henson Robinson Zoo has a wide variety of animals such as red wolves, bears, cheetahs and birds of prey. The monkeys are an especially popular attraction here. Springfield's Henson Robinson Zoo is a smaller zoo designed for children and it includes a petting zoo as well as educational programs for school age children and teens.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum are located in downtown Springfield and are joined by a walkway. The Museum has hands-on and multimedia exhibits that look at Lincoln's life from his childhood years through his presidential years. The Museum is organized so that visitors can experience Lincoln's life through stories and artifacts as they walk through the exhibits.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library has the biggest collection of documented information about the 16th American president's life. About 47 thousand of the 12 million books in the Library relate to Abraham Lincoln. You can see an original copy of the Emancipation Proclamation as well as the Gettysburg Address and other important historical documents.
The Tinsley Building in downtown Springfield is a refurbished brick building where Lincoln rented two of his law offices. The first was with partner Stephen T. Logan in 1843 until 1844 for the law firm Logan and Lincoln. The second office was the Lincoln and Herndon law office with his new partner, a junior named William H. Herndon. Lincoln and Herndon were law partners from 1844 until Lincoln's death in 1865.