Images from the Lincoln home and tomb, Springfield, Illinois

Like many of you, I am a big Lincoln fan, and have read many, many books written about him (including one about his vampire-hunting days!). So, a trip to his last home, Springfield, Illinois, was a must-do life item for me. There, you will find the home he purchased for his family in 1844, and the site where he was buried after his assassination in 1865. The house still contains many items original to the time that Lincoln and family lived there. Though rented (and misused) over a period of a few years, son Robert Todd Lincoln eventually donated it (1887) to the State of Illinois under the condition that it be restored and well-maintained — and always open and free to the public. The Lincoln tomb itself is impressive — and Abe would most certainly be mortified at its, in his view, unseemly opulence. For much of middle America, this day trip should be must-see.