Looking for Lincoln

So, we're here for our annual trek back to Illinois. The primary purpose for this trip is to watch M conclude his summer-long drum and bugle corps tour with Pacific Crest at DCI Championships in Indianapolis. We're also spending some time with family, too. Unfortunately, we won't be visiting any new NPS units. 😢

But there are always NPS passport cancellations to collect, which is what brought us to Atlanta, IL today.

First stop - Atlanta Public Library for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area stamp!

A small, central Illinois town of ~1600 people, Atlanta is about 40 minutes away from my parents' booming metropolis of 16,000+. The reason that there is an Abraham Lincoln NHA passport stamp here is that several Atlanta residents were friends of Lincoln and supported his campaign for the presidency.

The added bonus was that Atlanta sits on Historic Route 66. After getting my stamp, we had fun checking out the Arcade Museum...

...and the other Route 66 attractions in town.

Who knew Paul Bunyan liked hot dogs?

Whatcha reading there, Mr. Lincoln?

From here, it was only 10 miles further to the Lincoln Heritage Museum at Lincoln College in (you guessed it!) Lincoln, IL.

The 90-minute museum tour is an immersive audio/visual experience, guiding you through the timeline of Lincoln's life as you move from room to room. As someone who grew up in Illinois admiring Abraham Lincoln, I really enjoyed it!

And yes, there was a stamp here, too!

Last stop - the world's largest covered wagon!