Abraham Lincoln Sites in Kentucky

ByTiffany M.

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Learn About Abraham Lincoln in Kentucky

What better way to learn about our 16th President of the United States than by visiting where he spent the first years of his life? Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky which makes it a fantastic state to learn more about his life. Whereas there are numerous Abraham Lincoln sites in Kentucky, the area around Hodgenville is my favorite.

Closeup of Abe Lincoln Statue in Hodgenville. Abe is sitting in a chair

There are three unique sites that you can visit and at each location, new information is presented in different ways. Be sure to visit the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site where you can visit Lincoln’s first memorial building, Knob cabin which is a replica of one of his first homes, and the Lincoln Museum where they walk you through all of the chapters of Honest Abe’s life. You’ll be surprised at some of the facts you will learn!

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Two of these locations in Kentucky are run by the National Park Services. One is Lincoln’s Boyhood Home at Knob Cabin and the other is the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Building. They both are a part of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park sign

These locations are in different areas so you will need to drive between the points of interest. If you go to the national park website, it can be confusing because these two locations share the same webpage. For the national park passport holders, each site has a different stamp. There is no entrance fee to these sites and pets are allowed on the trails but not in any of the buildings.

Visitor Center and Memorial Building

This site is home to the first memorial dedicated to President Lincoln. There is one visitor center in the park where you can get your national park passport stamps, get a map of the area, browse the gift shop, explore the exhibits inside, and speak to a ranger. There is also a video that you can watch about Lincoln’s time in Kentucky. This land is a part of Sinking Spring Farm where President Lincoln was born.

The one story visitor center for Lincoln Birthplace Memorial National Park. Most of the walls of the building are glass.

Not far from the visitor center, you can see the Memorial Building which finished construction in 1911. Inside is the symbolic cabin of where Abraham Lincoln was born. At the base of the front steps of the building is a miniature of the Memorial Building with some additional information about it.

Lincoln's Memorial Building made up stone.
(Memorial Building)
A one room log cabin made to look like the cabin where Lincoln was born.
(Symbolic cabin representing where Lincoln was born)
A black colored miniature of the Lincoln Memorial....the real Lincoln Memorial is blurred out in the background
(Miniature of Lincoln’s Memorial Building)

There are several trails to help you explore the area and stretch your legs. The Pathway of a President Trail is wheelchair accessible and connects the visitor center and the Memorial building. The Boundary Oak Trail is a loop that will lead you from the front to the back of the Memorial Building. This trail passes by the Sinking Spring where the Lincoln’s gathered their water. Neither of these trails is very long and both are easy to navigate.

Wood plank bridge that leads through the woods.
(Pathway of a President Trail)

When you leave the parking lot of the visitor center and memorial building you can find the Big Sink Trail if you turn to the left just a short distance on the right side of the road. There is a parking lot along with some bathrooms and picnic benches here.

Detailed map for the Big Sink Trail. It breaks it down into three loops; A, B, and C

The Big Sink Trail is separated into 3 different loops: A, B, and C. Loop A will be .42 miles, Loop B is .36 miles, and Loop C is .58 miles. The total trail is 1.36 miles long. 

Educational signage on Big Sink Trail that talks about the trail being where the wagons would cross the Lincoln Farm.
(Educational signage on Big Sink Trail)
Yellow Flowers next to the Big Sink Trail

The trails are mostly made up of paved gravel or compacted lime chips, so it is on the easier side though it does have some hills. Keep a close eye on your kids and pets as this trail will have you cross a road at two different points.

Paved gravel trail leading through the woods on Big Sink Trail

Before you hit the Big Sink Trail, you can grab a kid-orientated brochure that features “Track” the dog. This is part of the Track Trail adventures and can be best be described as an educational scavenger hunt. This one teaches you what to look for when you are identifying the different types of trees in the area. You can also track your hike at kidsinparks.com for the chance to win prizes.

Large colorful sign advertising brochures for the Kids in Parks Track Trail. Track is a brown and white cartoon dog.

While on the trails, see if you can spot this cute little gnome village set-up! This was my favorite surprise on the trails because I LOVE Gnomes!

A small gnome village at the base of a hollowed out tree. there is a welcome sign, well, and three gnomes.

Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Cabin

If you search for Lincoln’s boyhood home, you will find several sites in different states that you are able to visit. Knob Cabin is a reconstruction of the childhood home where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1811 until 1816 when his family moved to Indiana. He lived there from the age of 2 to 7 and had stated that his earliest memories were from this farm.

A small one room wooden cabin

This site is currently closed for repair until October of 2021. Even though you can’t go inside at the moment, you are able to see the building from the road as you drive by. Inside the cabin, you can learn more about the early years of our 16th president. I can’t wait to see what the national park service has done to update the exhibits at this site.

The Boyhood Home Overlook trail is a 1.5-mile trail that will take you by several points of interest on what used to be the home of the Lincolns’. You will need to check in with the rangers on-site before and after your hike. This trail is considered strenuous, and they do warn about sudden thunderstorms, wildlife, and unstable ground near ridges and on the creek banks. Since you do need to check in with a ranger, this trail is also closed until they open back up again.

The Lincoln Museum

The Lincoln Museum is in downtown Hodgenville, Kentucky, and is located in between the two sites of the Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park.  This museum is a great addition and full of lesser-known facts if you are interested in learning more about the life of our 16th president. There is a $5 entrance fee and pets are not allowed inside.

Front of the Lincoln Museum building. There is a blue awning and the front windows display photos of President Lincoln. It's a brick building.

When you first walk into the museum, you will enter the gift shop where you can find a wide selection of items and souvenirs pertaining to Lincoln, other presidents, and an assortment of other items from that time. This is also where you will buy your ticket.

The museum showcases 12 different scenes throughout Abraham Lincoln’s life. Each scene is made up of wax figures to depict different moments from his life. When you pay the entrance fee, you will be given a brochure that will guide you through the museum. It will provide detailed information about each scene.

A scene from the Lincoln Museum. There is a sign that says "the Cabin Years" at the top. The scene is of a young Abe Lincoln sitting in a rocking chair in between his parents. They are in a log cabin.
(The Cabin Years Scene)

There are signs on the wall near each exhibit that gives more information as well. The walls are full of information and interesting tidbits of information. The most shocking for me was a report that Abe had mentioned that he had dreamed of his death just shortly before his assassination.

A blue sign that describes the "Railsplitter" Scene in the Lincoln Museum. It is placed in between two drawings of Abe Lincoln as a child and as a young man. Above the sign is an axe and another drawing of Abe Lincoln as a young man.
(Signage for the Railsplitter Scene)

On the top floor of the museum is an art gallery with paintings and other collections tied to the Lincoln era. There are also displays of his campaign posters, newspaper clippings, and other items from that time period.

The upstairs of the Lincoln Museum. The middle of the floor is railed off (you can see the first floor from there) All around the walls are display cases of clothing, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia from that time period.
(Part of the upstairs of the Lincoln Museum)

Kentucky’s Lincoln Heritage Trail

If you have the time, you can drive the Lincoln Heritage Trail and stop at each location or take the tour virtually to learn more about Abe Lincoln and the civil war. This trail contains around 20 different stops. This includes the three locations talked about in this guide in addition to the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington and the Lincoln Legacy Museum in Springfield.

Nearby Attractions:

If you are looking for other attractions in the area, there is no shortage of activities to choose from. If you want to spend more time in Hodgenville, you can do their Special Walking Tour or the Downtown Scavenger Hunt. The walking tour was designed by the Lincoln Museum to showcase the downtown commercial district that is part of the National Register of Historic Places. This tour should take around an hour to complete. The scavenger hunt will take you to different historic places downtown by having you answer questions about unique architectural features.

Statue of Abe Lincoln sitting in a chair on top of a stone pedestal that says "Lincoln" You can see the Lincoln Museum in the background. It is in the middle of downtown Hodgenville.
(Downtown Hodgenville)

Hodgenville is located near multiple distilleries on Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail along with Mammoth Cave National Park which has an abundance of activities to choose from.

Louisville is a few hours away and is home to several roadside attractions, the Mega Cavern, and Louisville Zoo to name just a few places.

My Old Kentucky Home State Park is in Bardstown. The Park is home to a golf course and a historic mansion where you can take a guided tour.

Why You Should Visit:

If you have any interest in history or President Abraham Lincoln, add these stops to your Kentucky itinerary. The Lincoln Museum walks you through Abraham Lincoln’s life by using figures creating different scenes throughout his past. It is home to some very interesting facts and touching stories from his life. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park is made up of two separate sites that feature a replica of the cabin where he was born, and the first Memorial dedicated to Lincoln. These are located on the lands where he spent his early years with his family. These three locations are a short drive from one another making it the perfect historical trifecta to learn more about the United States 16th president.

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Tiffany M. Smith is a retired zookeeper, passionate pet owner, and obsessive traveler who loves to show pet owners how to have happy, healthy pets and amazing adventures!

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