The Birthplace Visitors Center is open daily 9:00am to 5pm (ET) and the Memorial Building is open daily from 9:00am to 4:30pm (ET) Please be sure to ask about the Jr. Ranger Program for kids!

Birthplace Unit Open Daily!

For over a century people from around the world have come to rural Central Kentucky to honor the humble beginnings of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. His early life on Kentucky's frontier shaped his character and prepared him to lead the nation through Civil War. Visit our country's first memorial to Lincoln, built with donations from young and old, and the site of his childhood home.

The Memorial Building surrounded by fall colors

The Memorial Building with fall colors

The first memorial erected to honor Abraham Lincoln

The Memorial Building

The symbolic birth cabin on the traditional site of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

The Symbolic Birth Cabin of Abraham Lincoln

Statue of the Lincoln family in the park's Visitor Center

Statue of the Lincoln Family in the Visitor Center

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace

Memorial Building:
open 9:00 am - 4:30 pm eastern time.

Birthplace Unit Visitor Center and Grounds: 
open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm eastern time.

Park is Closed

Birthplace Unit

The Boyhood Home Unit at Knob Creek Grounds:
open daily dawn to dusk.

Knob Creek Tavern Visitor Center:
Hours are seasonal. Hours are to be announced for 2024.

Spring Hours

Summer Hours 2024

Boyhood Unit

Picnicking

Picnic tables, on concrete pads, with grills and trash cans.

Picnic Area

You and your family are able to enjoy the beautiful picnic area and shaded Picnic Pavilion on a first-come first-served basis. While you eat, you may even get a chance to see some of Kentucky's wildlife! Trash and recycling receptacles are provided under and near the pavilion, please remember to use them. If the picnic will have 25 people or more, or you wish to guarantee space, as well as other factors, a permit is required. Find out more about this at <a href="https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/picnic-area-special-use-permits.htm">Picnic Area Special Use Permits</a>.

If the picnic will have 25 people or more, or you wish to guarantee space, as well as other factors, a permit is required. Find out more about this at <a href="https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/picnic-area-special-use-permits.htm">Picnic Area Special Use Permits</a>.

You and your family are able to enjoy the beautiful picnic area and shaded Picnic Pavilion on a first-come first-served basis. While you eat, you may even get a chance to see some of Kentucky's wildlife! Trash and recycling receptacles are provided under and near the pavilion, please remember to use them.

Picnic at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace

Animals

Natural Sounds

Wilderness

Museum Exhibits

Lincoln Family Bible

Bibles were often the only book that frontier families owned. This Bible, Printed in 1799, belonged to the Lincoln family. Abraham Lincoln recorded his own birth, and other important dates in the bibles pages. 

View the Lincoln Family Bible

Presidents

Churches

Bookstore and Park Store

Birthplace Unit Bookstore

<h3>Support your National Parks by shopping at Eastern National Bookstores, located at the Birthplace Unit.</h3> If you are looking for information and educational items about Abraham Lincoln, Patches, Postcards, and more check out the bookstores at the Birthplace Unit's Visitor Center. Shop our bookstore by mail, by telephone or by visiting the <a href="http://www.eparks.com/store/home/5011/Abraham-Lincoln-Birthplace-National-Historic-Site/">National Parks' Store</a>.

Support your National Parks by shopping at Eastern National Bookstores, located at the Birthplace Unit.

Shop at the Birthplace Bookstore

Park Film

photo of tv screen - grassy field shown on screen

Abraham Lincoln: The Kentucky Years

View the 15 minute orientation film, Abraham Lincoln: The Kentucky Years shown in the Birthplace Unit Visitor Center.  You are also able to watch the film online at: <a href="https://www.ket.org/program/lincoln-the-kentucky-years/">Abraham Lincoln: The Kentucky Years</a>

View the 15 minute orientation film, Abraham Lincoln: The Kentucky Years shown in the Birthplace Unit Visitor Center. 

<a href="https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/hours.htm">Operating Hours & Seasons - Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)</a>

Watch the Park Film at the Birthplace

Birds

Architecture and Building

Photography

Birthplace

Colonization and Settlement

Enslavement

Farming and  Agriculture

Freshwater Springs

Monuments and Memorials

Music

Night Sky

Religion and Spirituality

Schools and Education

Assassinations

Civil War

Homesteading

Junior Ranger Program

Jr. Ranger

<h4>Explore. Learn. Protect.</h4> The Junior Ranger motto is recited by children around the country; each taking an oath of their own to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family. At the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, we offer young visitors the opportunity to join the National Park Service "family" as Junior Rangers. The NPS Junior Ranger program is an activity based program conducted in almost all parks, and some Junior Ranger programs are national.   Interested youth complete a series of activities during a park visit in their Jr. Ranger book, share their answers with a park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger Badge. Junior Rangers are typically between the ages of 5 to 13, although people of all ages can participate.

<a href="https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/hours.htm">Hours for Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)</a>

Become a Jr. Ranger at the Birthplace

Poetry and Literature

Caves, Caverns and Karst

Explorers and Expeditions

Geology

Groundwater

Guided Tours

Ranger Talk

The Rangers at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace provide many different types of programs including Ranger talks, guided tours, and interactive activities.  Call us at 270 358-3137 from 9am ET - 5pm ET for the most up to date information about our programs.

Pets are required to be leashed at all times while visiting the park. Pets are not permitted in buildings. 

Attending a Ranger program is a fun and interactive way to enhance your visit!

Attend a Ranger Program

Arts

Painting

Hiking

Boundary Oak trail

The Boundary Oak Trail is a hiking trail located in the Visitor Center area of the park. This trail is a short hike through the woods on the original Sinking Spring Farm where Abraham Lincoln was born and where wildlife, such as birds, squirrels, deer, and wild turkey may be seen. Trailhead Location: One trailhead is located northwest behind the Memorial Building. Another trailhead location is at the Boundary Oak site Duration: 30 - 45 minutes Difficulty: Easy Length: .3 miles (.48 km) Trail Type: Loop

The Boundary Oak trail is an a short easy trail that leads from the Boundary Oak marker to the Memorial Building.

Boundary Oak Trail

Trails

Pathway of a President

Pathway of a President is an accessible wooden boardwalk that leads from the Visitor Center to the Memorial Building. The wooden boardwalk is 650 feet in length with a typical width of five feet and a maximum grade of 5% and is suitable for wheelchairs. At its northern terminus the wooden boardwalk joins with a 250 feet long sidewalk that completes the accessible path to the Memorial Building. Trailhead Location: Visitor Center of the Birthplace Unit Duration: 10 - 15 minutes Difficulty: Accessible - Easy Length: 900 feet (.27 km) Trail Type: In and Out

Pathway of a President is an accessible wooden boardwalk that leads from the Visitor Center to the Memorial Building.

Travel the Pathway of a President

Shop at the Boyhood Home Unit Bookstore!

<h3>Support your National Parks by shopping at Eastern National Bookstores, located at the Boyhood Home Unit.</h3> If you are looking for information and educational items about Abraham Lincoln, Patches, Postcards, and more check out the bookstore at the Boyhood Home Visitor Center. Shop our bookstore by mail, by telephone or by visiting the <a href="http://www.eparks.com/store/home/5011/Abraham-Lincoln-Birthplace-National-Historic-Site/">National Parks' Store</a>.

<a href="https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/hours.htm">Operating Hours & Seasons - Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)</a>

Support your National Parks by shopping at Eastern National Bookstores, located at the Boyhood Home Unit.

Shop at the Boyhood Home Bookstore

Birdwatching

Pathway of a President Landing - two benches

Pathway of a President Landing

Spot some of Kentucky's birds on the Pathway of a President. Many benches are scatted on the path so you are able to sit and enjoy nature. 

Birdwatching at the Birthplace Unit

Wildlife Watching

Observe wildlife such as squirrels, deer, turkey, and so much more at the bench on the landing of the Pathway of a President. 

Observe wildlife such as squirrls, deer, turkey, and so much more at the bench on the landing of the Pathway of a President. 

Observe Wildlife at the Birthplace Unit

Knob Creek Tavern Visitor Center is open seasonally. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/hours.htm">Operating Hours & Seasons for - Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)</a>

Explore. Learn. Protect. The Junior Ranger motto is recited by children around the country; each taking an oath of their own to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family.

Become a Jr. Ranger at the Boyhood Home

Fish

Big Sink Trail

The Big Sink Trail is a hiking trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit of the park on the east side of Highway U.S. 31E. The trail has three loops of various lengths with Loop B being accessible. The trailhead is located in the picnic area where parking is available. Please use caution when hiking the trail as it crosses Keith Road at two separate locations. Watch for oncoming traffic when crossing Keith Road. Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit Duration: 1 - 1 1/2 hours Difficulty: Easy Length: 1.36 mile (2.19 km) Trail Type: Loop Loop A is a hiking trail that is part of the 1.36 mile long Big Sink Trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit on the eastside of U.S. Highway 31E. This trail is composed of crushed dense grade gravel with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 7%. Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit Duration: 30 - 45 minutes Difficulty: Easy Length: .42 mile (.67 km) Trail Type: Loop Loop B is an accessible hiking trail that is part of the 1.36 mile long Big Sink Trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit on the eastside of U.S. Highway 31E. This accessible trail is composed of compacted lime chips with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 5%. Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit Duration: 30 - 45 minutes Difficulty: Accessible - Easy Length: .36 miles (.58 km) Trail Type: Loop Loop C is a hiking trail that is part of the 1.36 mile long Big Sink Trail located in the picnic area of the Birthplace Unit on the eastside of U.S. Highway 31E. This trail is composed of crushed dense grade gravel with a typical width of five feet and a maximum trail grade of 13%. Trailhead Location: Picnic Area of the Birthplace Unit Duration: 30 - 45 minutes Difficulty - Easy Length: .58 miles (.93 km) Trail Type: Loop

Big Sink Trail has three loops that all connect at the picnic area. The parking for it is across the street on 31 E from the park entrance.

view of Knob Creek surrounded by trees and fields.

Knob Creek overlook

Boyhood Home Overlook Trail at Knob Creek Welcome to Lincoln’s Boyhood Home at Knob Creek. A popular activity here is to hike to the one and a half miles overlook trail where you will see a spectacular view of the valley that the old Louisville and Nashville Turnpike once occupied. As you walk the Overlook Trail, you will pass several points of interest along the way. Please allow between two and three hours to complete this strenuous three-mile round-trip hike. As with any National Park Service trail, we ask that you take only memories and pictures, leave only footprints. Please click on trail image for trail map. Points of interest along the trail • The Field – you are passing through the field that was once farmed by the Thomas Lincoln family • Knob Creek– on your right is Knob Creek, water source for the farm. This is also the creek where Austin Gollaher, reportedly rescued young Abraham when he fell in the creek. • The Spur Climb – as you walk out of the field, you will begin to climb a very steep incline to the top of the ridge above the farm – use caution the trail is slippery, uneven, and rocky here – try to imagine the flash floods that occasionally washed away Thomas Lincoln’s crops •The Metal Sheets – once you’re on top of the ridge you will notice several pieces of sheet metal; this is a NPS study on wildlife in this area – do not disturb •The Pond – as you pass the pond on the way to the overlook, you will notice a wide variety of amphibian and bird species living in and near this water source •The Overlook – you will see a great view of the valley that Abraham Lincoln once lived in; the road you see below is US 31E, which follows the old Louisville and Nashville Turnpike Safety Information · Check in at the Ranger Station and/or Visitor Center before and after your hike · Sturdy shoes or hiking boots are strongly recommended for this hike · Walking surfaces are rough, uneven, slippery, and steep – USE CAUTION! · Take adequate drinking water for each person in your group · Some of the inclines on this trail are very steep and persons with respiratory, heart, or other health conditions should consider another activity - this hike is very strenuous · Ticks, mosquitoes, wasps, hornets, and chiggers are present here, use insect repellent · Poisonous and non-poisonous snakes are present here – avoid going near any snake · Collection of animals, plants, rocks, fossils, and artifacts of any kind is prohibited · Adults must accompany children at all times · Use caution on creek banks; the soil is unstable and may give way · Use caution on the edge of ridges · Severe thunderstorms may occur suddenly, there is no storm shelter on top of the hill Trail map and guide are available at the Ranger Station and/or VisitorCenter. Trailhead Location: Parking lot at Boyhood Home Unit at Knob Creek Duration: 2 1/2 - 3 hours Difficulty: Strenuous Length: 1 1/2 miles (2.4 km) Trail Type: In and Out The Boyhood Home Unit at Knob Creek grounds are open daily dawn to dusk. The buildings are closed for the winter.

3-mile round trip hiking trail at Knob Creek Boyhood home site.

Alert: Birthplace Unit Open Daily!: The Birthplace Visitors Center is open daily 9:00am to 5pm (ET) and the Memorial Building is open daily from 9:00am to 4:30pm (ET) Please be sure to ask about the Jr. Ranger Program for kids!

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace

Overview

Hours

Fees & Passes

Map

Things To Do

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Picnic at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace

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View the Lincoln Family Bible

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Shop at the Birthplace Bookstore

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Watch the Park Film at the Birthplace

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Become a Jr. Ranger at the Birthplace

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Attend a Ranger Program

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