Head to Springfield , Ill. for President's Day

President’s Day in Abraham Lincoln’s Hometown

Springfield, IL –The holidays are behind us, and winter is far from over. Take advantage of the long President’s Day weekend in February to visit a place with plenty of presidential history, Abraham Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois.

Abraham Lincoln called Springfield home for about 30 years, and here, you’ll get to know him as a father, husband and neighbor, as well as a politician. In all, there are 14 Lincoln-related sites to experience, and the city is the hub of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage area, a 42-county region in Central Illinois.

Sites available to visit in Springfield include the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the Old State Capitol, Edwards Place Historic Home, the Elijah Iles House, the Lincoln Depot, the Lincoln Family Pew, the Lincoln Ledger, the Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln’s New Salem, the Looking for Lincoln markers and exhibits, and the Lincoln: From History to Hollywood exhibit at Union Station.

On Friday, February 12, celebrate Lincoln’s birthday at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum with a full day of living history characters, musicians and events. From February 12 - 28, you can see the Gettysburg Address written in Lincoln's own hand. Lincoln's famous top hat and Mary's prized music box will also be on display.

Also plan to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s exhibit Undying Words: Lincoln 1858-1865 before it closes February 28. Produced with the Chicago History Museum, the exhibit focuses five key Lincoln speeches that illustrate his evolving views on slavery.

As Abraham Lincoln prepared to depart Springfield for Washington in 1861, he gave a moving speech in which he said “To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.”  For everything there is to see and do in Abraham Lincoln’s Springfield, visit www.visitspringfieldillinois.com.