Springfield Shopping and Districts

(Springfield, Illinois - IL, USA)

If you are planning a day out and about in Springfield, combining shopping with sightseeing and dining, then you won't be disappointed. There are certainly clusters of strategically positioned shops and eateries, often catering to office workers and locals, as well as more traditional American-style out-of-town complexes.

Tourists are well catered for around the Old State Capitol Plaza and the neighboring Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Here there are gift shops and cafes a plenty, along roads such as South 5th Street, South 6th Street and intersecting East Adams Street.

Springfield is lucky enough to boast a network of cycle trails, which lead to a number of central streets. Particularly notable for shoppers is the Wabash Trail, which leads towards the trendy shopping destination that is Parkway Pointe, on the southwestern side of the city. Parkway Pointe is also easy to reach by car, via Interstate I-72 (exit 93) and is home to several large shops, such as Walmart and Target.

Where to Shop

Also to be found on the southwestern side of Springfield is the Chatham Square Shopping Center, along with the nearby Southwest Plaza Shopping Center and White Oaks Mall on the South Veterans Parkway, which are connected by Wabash Avenue.

The White Oaks Mall is a very popular shopping destination in this part of Springfield, with its expansive indoor complex housing in excess of 100 different speciality stores, eateries and services. These include everything from jewelers and fashion boutiques, to retail outlets selling sporting goods, children's clothing, candles, art works, books and more. Both Macy's and Sears are amongst the principal anchor stores, being open seven days a week, from 10:00 to 21:00 Monday to Saturday, and again on Sundays, between the hours of 11:00 and 18:00.

On the northern side of Springfield and close to the famous Illinois State Fairgrounds is the Sangamon Shopping Center, where a collection of big stores is fronted by a large car park. A Schnucks supermarket is based here, as is Radio Shack, CVS (pharmacy), Dollar General and a PNC Bank branch.

If you are visiting the northwestern side of Springfield and have shopping on your mind, then the Fairhills Mall on West Monroe Street may prove to be of interest. County Market is the main store here, with this particular supermarket being open 24-hours a day. Family Dollar, Hallmark, Top Nails and US Tobacco are other residents. They are accompanied by the popular Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor and additional eateries such as Arby's, China Wok and Mel-O-Cream Donuts.