Springfield's Favorite Attraction Welcomes Visitors Again Post-Government Shutdown

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The recent government shutdown took a heavy toll on tourism in Springfield, the state capital.

One of the most affected attractions was the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which finally reopened on Thursday morning after being shuttered for over 40 days.

Darrin Thurman, the Tourism Manager for Visit Springfield, noted that the historic site typically draws more than 10,000 visitors each month.

It wasn’t just individual tourists who faced disruptions; Thurman explained that numerous bus tours had to be canceled, impacting several groups that had planned to explore the Lincoln home.

While entry is free to the historical site, the economy was missing out on the ripple effects, like visitors eating in Springfield restaurants, staying in hotels and filling up their gas tanks.

“Anytime a historic site that is so vital to Springfield’s tourism industry is closed, it kind of feels like your arm’s been cut off a little bit,” Thurman said. “So, we’re thrilled to have it back online. Visitors come from all over the world to walk where Lincoln walked, and so when a site like the Lincoln home is forced to close, you feel that absence immediately,”

He also said that as we’re less than two months away from the 250th anniversary year of the United States, he’s grateful the site is open and ready for visitors.