Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

About

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum sits in downtown Springfield, Illinois, two blocks from the Old State Capitol. It is a two-building complex: the Museum, where most visitors spend their time, and the Library, a working research collection open to the public in its reading rooms.

Inside the Museum, two theater shows anchor the visit. The Union Theatre uses fog, sound effects, and moving seats to stage Civil War battle scenes, and the Ghosts of the Library show uses holographic projection to stage a debate between historical figures over how Lincoln's legacy should be told. Both run on a schedule through the day and are included with admission. Around them, galleries walk through Lincoln's life in order: a full-scale log cabin replica, a recreated New Salem street, the courtroom where he practiced law, and a gallery on the White House years that includes his stovepipe hat and other personal items. Plan on two to three hours to see the museum galleries and both shows, more if you also want time in the library.

The Library holds Lincoln-era manuscripts, newspapers, and photographs, one of the larger collections of its kind. Its reading rooms are open to the public, though research appointments are recommended for anyone working with original documents rather than browsing rotating exhibits drawn from the collection.

The museum is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to its website. The parking garage is one block north at Sixth and Madison, with the museum entrance at Sixth and Jefferson. Springfield's other Lincoln sites, including Lincoln's Home National Historic Site and Lincoln's Tomb, are within walking or short driving distance downtown.

Accessibility

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is wheelchair accessible. The museum's own site does not publish a detailed accessibility page beyond assistive devices and services.

The parking garage is one block north at Sixth and Madison. Visitors who use a wheelchair or walker can be dropped off directly at the museum entrance at Sixth and Jefferson instead of parking first, and the garage includes marked accessible spaces.

For the two theater shows, wheelchair spaces in the Union Theatre share the same seat effects as the rest of the audience, including the vibration used during Civil War battle scenes, so a wheelchair user is not seated apart from the group. Both theaters offer an assistive listening device that boosts the audio track and a second device that narrates the on-screen action for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Reflective captioning is available in the theaters for visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Complimentary wheelchairs and strollers are loaned on a first-come, first-served basis, and motorized wheelchairs are permitted throughout. Sign language interpreters can be arranged for a visit, but the museum asks for two weeks' notice through Guest Services at (217) 558-8844.

The museum does not publish specifics on restroom locations, elevators, or path surfaces, so call ahead if those details matter for your visit. Staff at Guest Services can also help plan a route through the galleries in advance.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Illinois

• Lincoln Home National Historic Site (Springfield)
• Illinois State Museum (Springfield)
• Adler Planetarium (Chicago)
• National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago)
• Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)
• DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center (Chicago)

Photo credits

• The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library exterior with its curved glass corner along a rainy Springfield street.: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)