Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is one of the most visited attractions in Illinois, and with good reason. The museum portion offers a comprehensive and emotionally engaging account of Lincoln's life and presidency, from his Kentucky childhood in a log cabin through the Civil War and assassination. The theatrical presentations in the Journeys galleries bring major episodes to life with a combination of life-size environments, artefacts, and audiovisual effects.

The adjacent presidential library is the research heart of the institution, holding millions of documents, photographs, and artefacts related to Lincoln and Illinois history. The library is open to scholars and the public for research; a portion of the collections is on display in the museum. Plan to spend at least three hours; the museum alone takes two to three hours to do properly. Admission is by timed entry; book online in advance during peak season.

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A story
The Lincoln Presidential Library holds the largest Lincoln manuscript collection in the world, including the original handwritten draft of his first Inaugural Address. The museum half of the complex, which opened in 2005, uses theatrical techniques that were controversial among historians when introduced — a holographic ghost of Lincoln appears in one exhibit, and another re-creates Ford's Theatre on the night of the assassination — but the crowds it draws have introduced tens of thousands of visitors to primary Lincoln scholarship who might otherwise have skipped a conventional archive.