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Visit Vandalia, Illinois

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The wilderness site that developed into Vandalia was the capital of the state from 1819 to 1839. The third capitol building at this site is still standing. It was in Vandalia that Abraham Lincoln received his license to practice law, gained his first experience as a legislator 1834-39 and made his first antislavery speech in 1837. The community enjoyed its status as the state’s political center for 20 years until a group of legislators under the leadership of Lincoln succeeded in moving the capital to Springfield.

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DoubleTree by Hilton Mt. Vernon

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Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Effingham

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Comfort Inn & Suites

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Comfort Suites

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Country Inn & Suites by Radisson

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Best Western Delta Inn

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Best Western Flora Inn

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Best Western Plus Centralia Hotel & Suites

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Best Western Plus MidAmerica Hotel

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DESTINATIONVandalia The wilderness site that developed into Vandalia was the capital of the state from 1819 to 1839. The third capitol building at this site is still standing. It was in Vandalia that Abraham Lincoln received his license to practice law, gained his first experience as a legislator 1834-39 and made his first antislavery speech in 1837. The community enjoyed its status as the state’s political center for 20 years until a group of legislators under the leadership of Lincoln succeeded in moving the capital to Springfield.
NATIONAL PARKAbraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Three miles south of Hodgenville on US 31E and SR 61, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park preserves the birthplace of the 16th U.S. president. Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin at Sinking Spring Farm, where he lived for the first 2.5 years of his life.
NATIONAL PARKBig South Fork National River And Recreation Area Approached by SR 297, US 27, US 127 and SR 52, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area encompasses 125,000 acres on the Cumberland Plateau in northeastern Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky. Ninety miles of the Big South Fork River and its tributaries tumble through gorges carved over millions of years in the sandstone of the Cumberland Plateau. The area's eroded landscape—which contains scenic features such as natural arches, pinnacles, spires, sheer bluffs and huge sandstone overhangs—is said to have the most sandstone arches in the eastern United States.
NATIONAL PARKBuffalo National River Reached via US 65 or SRs 7, 14 or 21 in northwestern Arkansas, Buffalo National River stretches through the rugged Ozark Mountains. While the Buffalo River courses 150 miles through the Ozarks, only its lower 135 miles and adjacent land are designated a national river. To protect the natural beauty of this area, Congress declared it a national river in 1972, thereby preserving it from development and population encroachment.
NATIONAL PARKFort Donelson National Battlefield On the Cumberland River near Dover, Fort Donelson National Battlefield embraces the area where the first major Federal victory of the Civil War was won. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant began the campaign in February 1862 to gain control of the Mississippi Valley and bisect the South.
NATIONAL PARKHolly Springs National Forest In north-central Mississippi extending to the Tennessee border, Holly Springs National Forest covers 154,654 acres. The
NATIONAL PARKHoosier National Forest In south-central Indiana, the more than 200,000-acre Hoosier National Forest offers many miles of scenic driving over back-country hills; the roads are particularly beautiful in the autumn and spring. Principal recreation areas are Hardin Ridge on Monroe Lake and
NATIONAL PARKIndiana Dunes National Park On the southern shore of Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park covers 15,000 acres and is traversed by a scenic stretch of
NATIONAL PARKLand Between The Lakes National Recreation Area Between Barkley and Kentucky lakes in western Kentucky and Tennessee, Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area can be reached from I-24W exit 31 by taking SR 453 south to Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway and following signs. The 170,000-acre wooded peninsula is managed by the USDA Forest Service.
NATIONAL PARKLincoln Boyhood National Memorial On the southwest edge of the state, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is 40 miles east of Evansville off I-64 exit 57A, south on US 231, then east on SR 162 to Lincoln City. The 200-acre site preserves the farm where Abraham Lincoln lived 1816-30. The memorial park includes the reconstructed
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