Last updated: May 14, 2024
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Plan Like a Park Ranger - Top Ten Tips for Visiting Lincoln Home
Top Ten Tips for Visiting Lincoln Home
Lincoln Home National Historic Site is consistently in the top 10 visited National Historic Sites and sees over 150,000 people every year! Park rangers and volunteers help many of those visitors plan their trip to the park and to other popular sites in the land of Lincoln. See our top ten tips here to plan like a park ranger for your visit to the Lincoln Home in Springfield, Illinois!
Sign up in the Lincoln Home Visitor Center for a free guided tour of the Lincoln House. Visitors must be on a tour to go inside the Lincoln House. Tickets are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and each tour is limited to 15 visitors. The tour is about 25 minutes long. Learn more about taking a tour of the Lincoln Home.
The Lincoln Home sees hundreds of thousands of visitors all year long. During the spring and summer season it is not unusual for tickets to sell out by mid-afternoon. If planning a day in Springfield, consider visiting our site first to secure your tickets for later in the afternoon, and visit other local attractions before returning for your tour of the home.
Our parking lot is located south of the visitor center (which is located at 426 South Seventh St.) Parking is $2.00 per hour and is paid at the parking gate exit with a credit or debit card. Oversized vehicles like an RV or bus may park in the bus lot located just north of the visitor center. Street parking is also located near the site. See our Traffic and Travel Tips for more info.
There’s a lot to see and do at our park! Enjoy our park film, Journey to Greatness, in the Visitor Center, explore the historic neighborhood, which includes 3 self-guided exhibits and multiple outdoor exhibits. Learn more about what there is to explore at Lincoln Home!
Throughout the year the Lincoln Home hosts a variety of special programs including our summertime History Comes Alive events, our annual trick or treat event for Halloween, and many others! Look for upcoming events on our calendar.
Lincoln Home is dedicated to providing accessible features and programs. Wheelchair access to the first floor of the Lincoln Home, Arnold House, Dean House, and Corneau House is via wheelchair lifts and ramps. The Lincoln Home does have steep stairs, if you do not feel comfortable with steep stairs, please notify a staff member when securing tickets so that we can best accommodate. Learn more about accessibility at Lincoln Home.
All groups of 15 or more people (including teachers/chaperones) are required to schedule a tour of the Lincoln Home through the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB). All group visits are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Groups are requested to make reservations at least 2 weeks ahead of time. Visit our Plan a Field trip page for more information and for frequently asked questions.
There’s a lot to learn about Lincoln in Springfield, IL! Other local sites include the Old State Capitol, New Salem State Historic Site (20 miles away), the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, the Lincoln Tomb, the Edwards Place and more! Learn more about these sites and others at Visit Springfield.
Besides Lincoln there’s a lot of history in Springfield! Other popular places and focuses include the Frank Loyd Wright designed Dana Thomas House, Route 66 History, Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, the current Illinois State Capitol and much more! Plan what else you can do at Visit Springfield.
After a long day of learning about Lincoln are you looking to dine on the Springfield specialty the horseshoe? Want to extend your day in Springfield? Visit Springfield’s website can provide more information on both. Visit Springfield Illinois | Travel & Tourism | Official Site