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Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL

Photo: Amos Oliver Doyle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsIconicHistory BuffRainy-Day Pick

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

212 N Sixth St · Springfield, IL

Why you should go…

This downtown Springfield museum tells Abraham Lincoln's story in two walk-through journeys, one covering the years before the presidency and one covering the White House years. Life-size dioramas recreate his boyhood home and other settings from his life. The Treasures Gallery shows original artifacts, and an animated map called The Civil War in Four Minutes traces the course of the fighting. Theater presentations such as Lincoln's Eyes round out a visit.

  • #presidential museum
  • #abraham lincoln
  • #history museum
  • #civil war

Good to know

General museums guidance

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

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Lincoln Home National Historic Site

    Free

    Tour the only home Abraham Lincoln ever owned and walk the restored four-block neighborhood around it.

    0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Dana-Thomas House

    Free

    You take a guided tour of a 35-room Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie house filled with his original art glass and furniture in Springfield.

    0.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Lincoln Tomb

    Free

    Walk through the granite tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery where Abraham Lincoln, his wife and three of their sons are buried.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing