Galena, Springfield, Chicago & West Branch

Built in 1859, the Grant Home became a symbol of national gratitude after General Grant’s military victories. Local residents purchased the property and gifted it to Grant and his family in August 1865.

The Italianate brick residence now operates as a state historic site. Guided tours cover Grant’s rise from civilian life in Galena to command of Union forces and his later presidency.

Lincoln and his family spent 17 years in this neighborhood home, and he built much of his legal and political career while living here. Many of his major pre-presidential speeches and campaigns were planned during this period.

The National Park Service preserves both the home and surrounding four-block district to reflect Springfield in the 1860s, offering a rare street-level view of Lincoln’s everyday life.

Opened in 2005, the institution combines the State of Illinois presidential library collections with public-facing galleries that trace Lincoln’s life from frontier childhood to the White House.

Its archives include manuscripts, letters, military records, and photographs used by historians researching Lincoln, emancipation, and 19th-century U.S. politics.

The tomb complex was completed in 1874 and later reconstructed for long-term preservation. Its granite obelisk and statuary make it one of the most visited Lincoln memorial sites in the country.

Visitors can enter the burial chamber and memorial hall, where displays reflect national mourning after Lincoln’s assassination in 1865.

The exhibit featured scripts, set recreations, costumes, and interactive media covering key moments from SNL’s run beginning in 1975. It explored how live TV comedy shaped political satire and late-night entertainment.

Located within Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications, the installation connected television history to broader trends in U.S. popular culture.

Opened in 1914, Wrigley Field is the second-oldest active MLB ballpark. Its classic neighborhood setting and preserved architecture make game day feel like a link to baseball’s earlier eras.

The 2018 visit featured Cubs vs. Cardinals, continuing the trip tradition of pairing presidential-history sites with a major league game.

The West Branch site includes Hoover’s birth cottage, the blacksmith shop, meetinghouse, and surrounding prairie landscape that reflects his Quaker upbringing in rural Iowa.

Adjacent exhibits and library holdings document Hoover’s humanitarian work, global relief efforts, and presidency during the early years of the Great Depression.