The Lincoln Home National Historic Site: History and Culture in Central Illinois
Springfield, Illinois, is just a 90-minute drive from St. Louis, making it an interesting day trip destination for people living in STL. The city offers lots to do in the area of food, recreation, and culture, and as the state capital it is also a seat of Illinois politics.
The state’s favorite politician is, of course, Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Springfield for a quarter of a century before becoming President. The town offers several Lincoln attractions, including the superb Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the serene Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site. Not to be overlooked, though, is a vintage walkable spot in the middle of Springfield that preserves Abe’s life and legacy, including a home you can tour for free.
Getting There
The Lincoln Home National Historic Site is located on 426 S 7th Street in Springfield, Illinois (Google Maps link). It’s about an hour and half drive from downtown St. Louis — more if you’re coming from St. Charles, less if you’re coming in from the Metro East. Getting there is as simple as taking 270 east to 55 north. On approach to Springfield, the left lanes of 55 north turn into Business 55, a one-way multi-laned road that runs straight north into the heart of town. When you reach E. Capitol Avenue, make a right, then make another right a block later on S. 7th Street, which is a one-way street. The site will be on your left.
Parking
There is on-site parking right off of S. 7th Street. In 2026, the cost to park there is $2 an hour, with payment by credit card on your way out. You can also find various parking options, most of them paid, around the site in the form of street parking and municipal garages.
Costs and Considerations
The grounds are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. year-round.
The visitor center and other buildings are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. They are closed on select holidays, including New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. There are restrooms inside the visitor center.
In 1887, Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s only surviving son, donated the home to the State of Illinois on two conditions: 1) that it would forever be maintained and that 2) it would be free for the public to visit. For that reason, there is no cost to do any of the activities on the grounds of the historic site.
However, you do need tickets to tour Lincoln’s Home. You can get those tickets at the visitor center. They’re on a first-come, first-served basis, so on busy days they can be harder to come by. We came through during spring break season in late March, with several school groups there, and there was about a 90-minute wait between our arrival and our tour. Fortunately, there is plenty to do on the grounds, as we’ll talk about now.
Things to Do
The visitor center is the first place to stop into when you arrive. Here you can check in at the information desk, where you can learn about the day’s activities and, if you want, get tickets for the house tour. Depending on the season, there may be events and activities on the grounds that you can learn about.
Inside the visitor center, there is also a gift shop that you can peruse. The shop sells various shirts, cups, bags, and other typical souvenirs.
The visitor center has two theaters. At the time of our visit, one of the theaters was rotating between two 25-minute movies, with a movie starting each half hour. You can see the show times on the screen next to the theater, and you can learn more at the information desk.
The other theater during our visit was being used as the starting point for tours. You may be asked to wait there before your tour guide arrives and checks your ticket.
Outside, the graveled streets are closed off to car traffic, making for a small, if walkable area to roam. There are scattered benches near the visitor center and various interpretive displays along the street corners.
Jackson and Eighth Street intersect at the center of the property, and that’s where you can find the four homes open to the public. At the time of our visit, you could visit three of those without a tour: the Dean House just east of the visitor’s center, the Corneau House on the southwest corner of the intersection, and the Arnold House on the southeast corner, just across the street from the Lincoln Home. All three of the houses had various interior interpretive displays and information, including a timeline inside of the Dean House of how the Lincoln Home was remodeled over time.
The Lincoln Home, of course, is the flagship experience. Ticketed tours run about 30 minutes and take you through the first and second floors of the house. Some of the rooms are partitioned by handrails, while others have you out in the open on a carpeted path.
The guide will advise tourists not to touch the walls or furniture, although you can grab the stair handrails, which our guide said Lincoln himself used. (“It’s a way you can shake Lincoln’s hand,” she said.) Also, flash photography and videos are allowed.
We should also mention, as we did at the beginning, that the National Historic Site is close to other Lincoln-related spots in Springfield. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is about 10 minutes on foot and just a few minutes by car. The Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site is about 2 1/2 miles north, about 10 minutes by car.
The Library and Museum requires paid tickets, but the gift shop just inside the entrance is free to enter and is worth a stopover before you head home.
Our Thoughts
We always enjoy day trips that let us get out and back to St. Louis without having to spend the night away from home. Springfield, Illinois, fits that bill nicely, offering up a lot to do that includes a heavy dose of Lincoln. The Presidential Library is a captivating place to go, especially on colder days when you’d rather be indoors.
The Lincoln Home, meanwhile is a quiet but also quite educational spot to visit. The outdoor spaces are lovely, but the indoor spaces offer a lot, too, from the films in the visitor center to the interpretive displays in the various houses. The high point is, unquestionably, being able to tour the house that Lincoln lived in, complete with furnishings that are either from Lincoln’s own possessions or are close replicas of them.
In short, if you’re interested in making a day trip up to Springfield, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site is a great bucket list item.
