Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Abraham Lincoln grew from youth to manhood on this southern Indiana soil. Many character and moral traits of one of the world's most respected leaders was formed and nurtured here. Explore Lincoln's boyhood and learn about the boy who would one day become the leader of our nation.
About 1.5 hours from Louisville/Jefferson County by car.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Park Grounds | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Memorial Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The visitor center is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, 9 am–3 pm with a one-hour closure Noon–1 pm. At the visitor center, pick up park information, a map, and trail guides. Watch the 15-minute park film, which tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's youth.
Explore
Things to do
- Visit Lincoln Living Historical Farm10-30 Minutes
Lincoln Living Historical Farm is a working pioneer homestead with a log cabin, outbuildings, split rail fences, livestock, gardens and field crops.
Opens on the Park Service site - Be A Lincoln Boyhood Junior Ranger60-90 Minutes
The Junior Ranger program helps kids get involved and learn more about Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. Anyone can become a Junior Ranger by completing activities during a visit to the park.
Opens on the Park Service site - Stop by the Memorial Visitor Center30-60 Minutes
Start Your Experience at the Memorial Visitor Center The Visitor Center is your entrance into the visitor experience at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.
Opens on the Park Service site - Watch the Park Film: Forging Greatness; Lincoln in Indiana14 Minutes
A 14-minute interpretive film tells of the boyhood of Abraham Lincoln, who grew up to become the 16th President of the United States.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Trail of Twelve Stones10-20 Minutes
The Trail of Twelve Stones is a unique way to review some of the major events in Abraham Lincoln's life. Beginning just east of the Cabin Site Memorial, twelve historic stones area are arranged in chronological order at irregular intervals.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Boyhood Trail10-15 Minutes
Walk along the same ground that Abraham Lincoln did when he was a boy growing into a young man.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 7Hide
- Visit the Lincoln In Indiana Museum15-30 Minutes
The park museum is housed in the Memorial Visitor Center which was completed in 1943. This space is self-guided and contains twelve exhibits that explore the life of Abraham Lincoln.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Candlelight Evening Program at the Living Historical Farm11/0605:30 PM · freeThe Candlelight Evening program is at the Living Historical Farm, located within Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.
- STEAM Teacher Workshop12/0309:00 AM · runs through Dec 4 · free · registration required
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Indiana guidebooks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 196 birds, 38 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · American Swallow-tailed Kite · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Mississippi Kite · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Black Duck · American Coot · American Wigeon · Blue Goose · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Common Teal · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Egret · Greater Scaup · Green-backed Heron · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · King Rail · Lesser Scaup · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-necked Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Sandhill Crane · Tundra Swan · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Black Tern · Caspian Tern · Common Snipe · Common Tern · Forster's Tern · Greater Yellowlegs · Killdeer · Least Sandpiper · Lesser Yellowlegs · Ring-billed Gull · Semipalmated Plover · Short-billed Dowitcher · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pheasant · Common Pigeon · Mourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · Alder Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Barn Swallow · Bell's Vireo · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue headed Vireo · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Bobolink · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canvasback · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Common Grackle · Common Moorhen · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Wood Pewee · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Oriole · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Siskin · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-throated Diver · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rufous-sided Towhee · Rusty Blackbird · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Sedge Wren · Song Sparrow · Sora · Summer Tanager · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Two-barred Crossbill · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Water Pipit · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo
Small mammalsBrown Rat · Common Muskrat · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Fox Squirrel · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern Mole · House Mouse · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Meadow Vole · Pine Vole · Prairie Vole · Southeastern Shrew · Southern Bog Lemming · Southern Flying Squirrel · White-footed Deermouse · bee shrew · mole shrew · prairie deer mouse
PredatorsAmerican Mink · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Cross Fox · Long-tailed Weasel · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Black Bat · Cluster Bat · Eastern Pipistrelle · Eastern Red Bat · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Bat · Northern Bat
Also on the checklistGroundhog · Virginia Opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 17 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Southern Indiana has a moderate climate, characterized by warm, yet moist conditions. Summers are usually warm, and winters cool. Much of the area's average 46 inches of precipitation falls in spring, the rainiest season.
Questions people ask
Does Lincoln Boyhood charge an entrance fee?
No. Lincoln Boyhood is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Lincoln Boyhood?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Lincoln Boyhood?
115,517 recreation visits in 2025, number 207 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Lincoln Boyhood?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE and AT&T 4G LTE. No reported coverage for T-Mobile. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Lincoln Boyhood?
Southern Indiana has a moderate climate, characterized by warm, yet moist conditions. Summers are usually warm, and winters cool.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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