Guided Tours in Springfield

Sometimes when planning a vacation, it can be a hassle to take a tour on your own.  The planning, the timing, the scheduling and research is enough to stress anyone out!

Luckily, Springfield has many guided tours where knowledgeable experts allow you to visit a site or have an experience without all the stress.

Take a walking tour with historian Garret Moffett & Springfield Walk Tours as they guide you through historical sites in Springfield.   Looking something spookier?  Take one of their Lincoln’s Ghost Walk tours.  This 90-minute lantern lit 5-block walking tour that uses the Lincoln sites as the backdrop for strange and bizarre stories surrounding Lincoln’s life and his death! Learn about his final visit to his law office, his funeral in the old capitol, his Christian beliefs, you’ll also hear about Lincoln’s bizarre visions and dreams, Mary’s seances in the White House, Spiritualism, and skullduggery at the tomb site. This is a factual history tour, family friendly. ADA.

April 15th through November 15th, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is scheduling guided Walk, Bike & Hike History Tours. Hike through historic areas of Springfield. 
Topics include: Friends of Lincoln Hike, Military History Hike, and Black History Walk in beautiful Oak Ridge Cemetery; History Bike Tours through historic neighborhoods with information at nine stops along the route; Underground Rail Road Walking Tour and 1908 Race Riot Tour; Architectural tours, including Design like Frank Lloyd Wright, Designing for Change Women’s History Walk and The Houses they Built: A walking Tour of Architects and builders.

Stop by the Ace Sign Company Museum and be guided through a neon wonderland of historic Springfield and Route 66 signs as part of the History Comes Alive Summer program.

The Ace Sign Co. Sign Museum is a collection of over 85 historic signs from Springfield and Route 66.  Our collection is constantly growing and transforming as we strive to maintain some of the most memorable and iconic signs in the area.  Come experience the ambiance and character of the neon glow under wood barreled ceilings alongside the state-of-the-art modern sign manufacturing facility.  The museum is free to the public and open Monday-Friday 8-4:30 year round.

Enjoy the outdoors as you take a guided instructional horseback ride at Riverside Stables.  Nestled in the heart of Central Illinois, Riverside Stables is home to more than thirty horses. Relax in a peaceful environment and enjoy the outdoors. Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, come out and enjoy a relaxing trip with Mother Nature through a guided trail ride.  Have the time of your life and enjoy the beauty.  Riverside offers year-round trail rides!

Contact the wonderful people at Jubilee Farm for a guided tour of the ecologically friendly farm and spiritual retreat.  A peaceful destination, a place of integrity, a home to farm animals and wildlife, an educational resource, a demonstration of living in an ecologically responsible way, an oasis for spirituality, a special gift to those who seek solace and spiritual enrichment in nature.

Sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, Jubilee Farm is a 164 acre center for ecology and spirituality located just west of Springfield, Illinois.

Downtown Springfield, Inc. is hosting a FREE guided architectural walking tour of downtown Springfield.  The tours meet at the Lincoln family statue at the Southeast corner of the Old State Capitol Plaza at 5:30pm.  Learn about the architectural styles of many of Springfield's most iconic buildings.  The tour concludes with a complimentary reception. Dates for the tours are to be determined.

Our programs and services, ministry of hospitality and gently rolling expanse of grassland provide a setting where individuals and groups can nurture their spiritual and emotional growth. Come walk the land or spend time in quiet retreat. Our walking trails, outdoor labyrinth, creek and ponds offer tranquil settings for reflection.  They delight in welcoming visitors, friends and volunteers!

For other great planning ideas, visit our website visitspringfieldillinois.com and check out our collections of blogs and pre-made itineraries!  We’ll see you soon!