lincoln's new salem state historic site

We've seen several of these places over the years but were drawn to New Salem because of Lincoln. Most of the cabins are recreations (faithful and located in the same spot as the originals) Still worth it -- it's FREE for goodness sake! The 15 min video iand the visitor center are surprisingly worthwhile. Note: you can't walk across the covered bridge to the lumber mill during off season -- but you can see it once you leave the grounds and head north on the main road. Make sure to stop to have a look. The disadvantage of off season: no blacksmith, few re-enactors; gift shop closed. The advantage: no crowds. Pack a lunch and pick out a picnic table.

We visited this place with our family on an extremely cold day in January with snow on the ground, but we still enjoyed our time at this place. The film at the visitor center helped tell the story about Lincoln at this place. We then had the entire village to ourselves at this time of the year.

This is a must for young and old. Great historic are that shows what it was like to live in Lincolns time. story tellers, gardens and animals. Very clean and fun to walk through

Stopped by here on the way back home from Springfield. It looks a lot like when Lincoln lived there. The visitor center is a good place to stop and they have events outdoors during the warmer months. Unfortunately the cabins and stores were closed for the winter and the walkway down to the mill was blocked off for the season. You can still look inside the cabins though a great piece of history!!

New Salem is a fascinating place with all the allure of the settling of the wild frontier. However, the site's Visitor Center is sorely in need of updating. It was amazing to see how this place that was so important to Lincoln was reconstructed years ago as a CCC project. We visited after the tourist season so many of the cabins were closed but we did spend time talking with a docent who was winterizing the spaces. It was very quiet with few tourists so it was easy to imagine what it must have been like being there in the 1830's as families prepared for a long winter.Great place to take the kids.

Perhaps the most important thing in planning a visit to New Salem is to choose the day wisely. Springfield, Illinois can be hot and humid. So pick a nice day temperature wise, a day that you would want to be outside for several hours. To fully appreciate New Salem go on a day when they have demonstrations of 1830's life. The day I visited there were volunteers that were making apple butter, candles, and soap. Others were spinning wool, making rugs or playing instruments attuned to the times. Children were given games to play that were completely new to them and they were loving it. All in all the entire scene on a beautiful fall day was nothing short of magical. Had I visited on a typical day my impression would have been entirely different. The buildings do tend to be the same and after awhile I could see one might become bored. That is why I say pick a day that demonstrations will be taking place and the weather will allow you to be outdoors for 2-3 hours. The drive to find New Salem is long enough that you will want to commit several hours to visit. Start with the interesting visitors center and read about New Salem in the 1830's and Abraham Lincoln's time here. Watch the film in the theater and then start out following the brochure that tells you a little about each building. This will take some time but it will give you a full appreciation of life 180 years ago. Someone once said "you only get out of an experience what you put into it". If you put some time and effort into your visit here you will truly enjoy New Salem. The gift shop at the far end of the park has many neat, atypical souvenirs. So spend some time browsing there. The restaurant at the entrance is somewhat expensive for the quantity you receive but does have some interesting choices. So if you can combine good weather with period demonstrations you will have an extremely fun and educational day.

New Salem is incredible if you want to talk a walk through the 1840s and check out the past. The village is an authentic recreation of the wooden cabins that people lived in during Lincoln's time in this small village. The cabins are built on the site where they originally stood and in warmer weather, there are performers in period costumes who give oral presentations about the cabin they're in, its former occupants, or village life in general. There are farm animals in rustic pens, kitchen gardens, working fireplaces, the old saw mill, etc. There is also a small museum on the site which is worth visiting. It is free to enter and is open all year, but there is a donation box at the entrance to the village.

We visited this place over the weekend staying at the campground. The village was a nice recreation of Lincoln's past. There was a few of the actors at some of the buildings telling you about how things were done at that time and were also dressed in the era clothing. It was also nice that we were able to walk the dog through the village as well. There is no cost for the self guided tour but they do ask for a small donation which is worth it to keep the place going. As for the campground, it is well kept and the bathrooms were very clean. We camped in a travel trailer and found all the electrical sites for the most part level and also paved. I would have rated our experience higher but the campground host was not very friendly and did not make you feel very welcomed when checking in. Overall we would come back and camp here again as well as walk through the village and maybe do the trails that are in the park.

My husband and I are assiduous visitors of New Salem State Historic Site. We try to assist to the many activities they prepare during Fall. I specially love the candlelight walks. The site is way more interesting when guides are present (which is more likely to happen during the main activities), live music is played then, also. Volunteer guides seem to be very passionate about what they do, and teach me so many interesting historical facts and aspects of quotidian life over a century ago. It is fair for me to say I always learn something new (not only about Lincoln) when I talk to one of those guys.

An interesting visit to "past times", authentically presented in a rustic setting. The museum was modern and contained engaging displays. The grounds were fun to explore, and we enjoyed talking with folks demonstrating various crafts. Since we were there on an uncrowded weekday, there was less of that going on than I have seen on a previous visit. The few farms animals we saw seemed healthy and well cared-for. There's also a lovely gift store with beautifully handcrafted items, as well as a more conventional souvenir store and a snack shop with a good selection of sandwiches, pastries and beverages. You might want to remember the insect repellant in summer as the area is very woody!

Today we went to Lincoln's New Salem which is a reconstruction of the village President Lincoln lived in for 6 years starting at age 22. This is the third time I have been here in the last 50 years and as always it is very well done! Admission is free but they do recommend a donation as can be read about on their website. There are only a few buildings you can actually go in to but you can see through the front door on the others and plenty of opportunity to take pictures. The blacksmith was working in his shop so it was fun to watch and ask questions. There are a couple of nice gift shops and a good cafe. When you first go into the visitor center there is a museum with placards and memorabilia describing President Lincoln's entire life and not just his 6 years in New Salem. I highly recommend a good three hour visit on a day of nice weather.

We went to the museum, but I didn't hike to the historical site. The museum was nice, though. I enjoyed seeing the surveying tools that Lincoln used.

We went on a lovely sunny and warm Sunday afternoon. I had read that you need no more than an hour and that was right. As a Brit I am finding the Pioneer's history fascinating. The kids however were bored fairly early on as of course all the buildings look the same! You need to read the blurb on each house to see what was there. We had an excellent chat with the barrel maker who gave me loads of background into the history of the village, how it sprung up and then why and how it died. He was excellent at making me understand very quickly and has given me a thirst to find out more about the Pioneers.

We visited at the end of August. I think the venue was worn out by then. The AC in the visitors' center was broken. The food in the concession building was good. But the grounds had a shabby feel to them. A couple of attractions in Springfield had suffered from recent high water, so maybe that contributed to the unkempt look. It was hot the day we visited, and it rained for a while. We saw a few people in character, but only one inside one of the buildings. I didn't go into all of the buildings, so I didn't get the full effect. One mother with children promised her son they could see the lambs. I went to a corral where I saw one lamb.

This is NOT a criticism of Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, August, 24th, the temperature was 90 + degrees with a humidity level of over 90%. It was just HOT and humid even though we had head coverings and bottles of water. Nonetheless, the visit was very educational and we learned a lot about this time period. Be sure to go to the theater and watch the short film FIRST at the Visitors Center to get a historical perspective of this time period. It is a short film filled with lots of background information. The Visitors Center is also an excellent place to start as it is filled with historical information and is air conditioned. There are 24 houses on site and my wife and I were only able to walk through 17 of them before we had to call it quits. We really felt empathy for the guides who were dressed in period costumes at select places to greet us and give more insight to us, as they must have been sweltering in their costumes. All in all, our trip here was worth it and we will make another trip out here when the weather is cooler to spend more time here.