There are Lincoln sites in Kentucky, his birthplace, Indiana, where he lived from 1816 to 1830, and Illinois, where he married and lived until leaving for Washington in 1861. There are 1000s of books about this amazing man, of course, but the NPS offers a nice summary timeline of his life.

Kentucky

In 2019, I stopped in Elizabethtown, Kentucky on the way to Savannah to see my old friend, Jodie. During that visit, I went to Mammoth Cave. I stopped again this year on the way to Pensacola to see Jodie and spent two nights in town.

When looking for things-to-do while Jodie was busy at work the second day, I found the NPS site for the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. I didn’t know this was so close. The log cabin he was born in was reconstructed then housed in a memorial building. There are 56 steps up to the building for the 56 years of his life. There are 16 windows in the building for the 16th president. The visitor center houses some great information on the Lincoln family, it has the Lincoln family Bible and a promissory note signed by Thomas Lincoln and Luke Mudd, relative of Dr. Samuel Mudd, one of the conspirators of his assassination.

I thought it interesting that the public donated the money to build the memorial. It was started February 12, 1909, on Lincoln’s 100th birthday. The cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt and dedicated in 1911 by President William Taft.

I would have loved to visit his boyhood home at Knob Creek, but it was closed the day I was there.

I also drove over to the Lincoln Museum in Hodgenville, KY after visiting the birthplace. This is very different than the museum in Springfield, it contains 12 dioramas on the first level from important scenes in Lincoln’s life, such as the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Gettysburg Address and the box at the Ford Theater. The second floor contains a huge number of portraits and memorabilia of the president. It also has the Edward Volk life mask and hands, made in 1860.

$5 entry or $4 for seniors. Definitely worth a short stop.

Restaurants

I found Papi’s Tacos and More on google when in downtown Elizabethtown. They were highly rated and I was looking for some good Mexican. Bonus that I was already parked nearby to explore the Elizabethtown Historic Square. I ordered their taco box combo with three street tacos, rice and beans. All were delicious.

My friend and I enjoyed dinner at Boombozz, a craft pizza and taphouse. They have several locations in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. We visited in 2019 and I had one of their pizzas, this year I tried their Cubano. It had banana peppers instead of pickles and was great. I took half with me for lunch the next day.

The second night in town, I met Jodie at Flywheel Brewing and had a flight. They have a wide selection of styles but I thought all the selections I tried were just average. They have a nice taproom, dog friendly and good service, however.

Illinois

I lived for decades in “The Land of Lincoln”. As a kid I visited Lincoln’s New Salem several times. It’s a reconstruction of the village where Lincoln spent six years of his early adulthood in Illinois.

He didn’t own a home here but “he clerked in a store, split rails, enlisted in the Black Hawk War, served as postmaster and deputy surveyor, failed in business, and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1834 and 1836 after an unsuccessful try in 1832”. I took my daughter there several times, too, as it’s a very family oriented site. There are often actors as blacksmiths and other workers on the site.

In Springfield, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in 2005. I’ve visited several times. It is a great museum, combining video, interactive exhibits, and historical memorabilia about our greatest president. Union Square with a Lincoln statue and gazebo is right across the street.

It was just last summer when I was back in Illinois for a few months that I finally visited the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. It is the Lincoln family home where he, Mary, and their children lived for 17 years in Springfield. Maintained by the NPS, the rangers offer guided tours of the home and there is a great visitor center.

I also visited his tomb in Springfield. I learned he had been moved several times prior to his final resting place. Mary and his children, Edward, William and Tad, are buried in the same memorial.

The Springfield Capitol building offers tours, it’s a beautiful building and worth a stop. This is the sixth capitol building, started in 1868, completed in 1888. The building is the highest non-skyscraper capital in the United States with a dome height of 361 feet. A Springfield city statute does not allow buildings to be constructed that exceed the height of the Capitol.

Restaurants

Loukinens on 4th is just a few blocks away from the Lincoln Home and is an excellent place for lunch or dinner.

Obed and Isaac’s is also close by. I’ve never been to the one in Springfield but have visited their Peoria location several times and they have a good menu.

Anvil and Forge Brewery is downtown by the library. I’ve meet my niece, who works in Springfield, there once and a friend and I went after visiting the library. They offer pizza and other food from The Foundry, I’ve not tried it but it looks very good. They have some great beer.

Indiana

There are more Lincoln sites in Indiana, that I will have to make an effort to visit when I can.