Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Hodgenville, KY

Photo: Jon698, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffFreeFamily Favorite

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

2995 Lincoln Farm Road · Hodgenville, KY

Why you should go…

This park preserves Sinking Spring Farm, where Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809. You climb 56 steps, one for each year of his life, to a neoclassical Memorial Building designed by John Russell Pope and dedicated in 1911. Inside sits a symbolic log cabin, and the Sinking Spring itself is a short walk away. A separate unit at Knob Creek marks the farm where Lincoln lived from age 2 to 7.

  • #abraham lincoln
  • #national historical park
  • #presidential site
  • #log cabin
  • #memorial

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Maker's Mark Distillery

    $25–$50

    Tour a historic bourbon distillery on Star Hill Farm, taste the whisky and hand-dip your own bottle in red wax.

    23 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    My Old Kentucky Home State Park

    Under $25

    Tour Federal Hill, the Rowan family mansion tied to Stephen Foster's ballad, where a singing guide performs My Old Kentucky Home.

    24 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Bernheim Forest and Arboretum

    Under $25

    Hike 40 miles of trails, walk the Canopy Tree Walk and find giant forest sculptures across 16,000 acres of woods.

    27 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Tours
    Iconic

    James B. Beam Distilling Co.

    $25–$50

    Tour the Clermont distillery where Beam bourbon is made, from grain to barrel, and finish with a guided tasting.

    28 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Churchill Downs

    Under $25

    Watch Thoroughbred racing beneath the Twin Spires at the track that has hosted the Kentucky Derby since 1875.

    46 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Free

    Big Four Bridge

    Free

    Walk or bike a half-mile 1895 railroad bridge over the Ohio River between Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana.

    51 mi awayMore like this