National Road Interpretive Center

The interpretive center presents the history of the National Road since 1806. There are murals, an interactive map of the Road in Illinois. Abraham Lincoln's role as a legislator in Vandalia is showcased in a separate room. There is an actual walnut log on display from the original road bed. There is a video about the history of Vandalia and the National Road.

Check it out of you are in town. An interesting history of the first major road into the western states. The volunteers put a lot of work into the museum and they are happy to show you around. When I was there, one of the volunteers told some interesting stories about the old road.

Very interesting

Definitely worth a stop if you find early 1800's American history interesting.
The National Road went from Washington DC to Pittsburgh . . then to Wheeling WV . . .and then overland (almost to) St Louis. Vandalia is where the money for the road run out (before the Fed Govt got into the printing business). The museum is low-budget but quite good!

Run by a very knowledgeable elderly woman. Don't stop if you are on a time crunch; she's super talkative. Very great stop if you have the time to spare. Several videos to watch and a talking Abraham Lincoln.

Nice place to visit

Had the Code 3 Burger and a Smithwicks Beer. The burger was okay and the bar chips were too overly seasoned.

Good times...

It's very slow in there. But that Donna Blair is a hoot. So smart on anything there is to know about vandalia and the history of Vandalia and the routes traveled