Lake Springfield is a 3,965-acre (16.05 km2) reservoir on the southeast edge of the city of Springfield, Illinois. It is 560 ft (170 m) above sea level. The lake was formed by building Spaulding Dam across Sugar Creek, a tributary of the Sangamon River. It is the largest municipally-owned body of water in Illinois. The lake and the lands adjoining it are all owned by City Water, Light & Power, the municipal utility for the city of Springfield, which operates the Dallman Power Plant at the lake's north end. Multiple city parks border its shores.

The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden, commonly known and referred to as the Lincoln Memorial Garden, is a self-governing 100-acre (0.4 km2) woodland and prairie garden owned by the city of Springfield, Illinois, and managed by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden Foundation. The gardens are made up of two major units, the 63-acre (25 ha) Jensen section bordering Lake Springfield, and the newer 29-acre (12 ha) Ostermeier Prairie Center section. There are also 19 acres (7.7 ha) of additional buffer properties. As of April 2006, the Garden is maintained by a full-time staff of four, supplemented by more than 150 volunteers and docents.