Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum

A pleasant surprise - This museum is very well done. There are two sides to the museum. The left side tells of Lincoln's early life, his move to Springfield and his rise to the presidency. The right side tells the story of his presidency, the civil war, and his assassination. With movies, wax figures, and interactive exhibits Lincoln's life is shared in wonderful detail. While packed with a lot of history, this museum was even engaging for my 10 year old son. You need at least two hours.

There is a special exhibit for the summer of 2017 on the legacy of the Cubs and Cardinals rivalry that we missed. We need to make second trip to see this.

Very well done! This museum covers both the time prior to Lincoln becoming president and then moves onto his presidential years up to his death. President Lincoln is really humanized by exhibits such as one showing the speed at which he aged during his presidency. The Lincolns had four sons, only one of which lived to adulthood. The loss of these children was devastating for the Lincolns and their despair and agony is well chronicled as well, again, really humanizing President Lincoln. The shows had a surprising amount of technology. Making them very compelling. Highly recommended!

One of the best museums I've ever been to, Smithsonian quality. This museum combines an immersive cinematic experience, numerous life-size recreations of scenes from Lincoln's life, realia, a monologist of the events at Fords Theater, and more into a fascinating look at his life, presidency, and death. After spending a couple hours, I was at the end of the exhibits and I truly felt like going back through from the beginning. Alas, there was no time for that. A must-do!

This is one of my favorite presidential museums, but I found myself-- this time around -- noticing things left out. They focus so much on Abe's life and Civil War and assassination and fail to focus on the impact of policies like Pacific Railway Act, Homestead Act, Morrill Act, and Treasury Bill. The impact of his presidency and republican controlled Congress is largely left out except for emancipation proclamation and 13th amendment. Other than that, the scenes and films are well done.

Absolutely breathtaking and amazing!

Where to begin...
The volunteers and staff onsite were absolutely wonderful in helping a bumbling tourist like me. Everything was explained very well and we were directed to all the exhibits and movies they had available.

First, the exhibits chronicling Lincoln's early life and presidency are amazing. They paint such a vibrant and clear picture of the time period that Lincoln was born into and the challenges he faced not only politically but also in his personal life. There's even a small room where the election of 1860 is broadcast like a modern day news segment. I thought this would be silly, but it did a wonderful job of getting across the general feelings at the time and what each candidate hoped to achieve. After viewing it, I felt I took away some knowledge that I had not had previously.

After touring the exhibits, I felt that I knew who this person was. Not the tall marble statues that adorn our government buildings, but the man who did his best to live day by day, like all of the rest of us.

The stage show "Ghosts of the Library" and the film "Lincoln's Eye's" are masterfully done and absolutely essential to see during your visit. I was drawn into each one and they were written so that anyone could understand the subject matter and learn something new. The effects on these were amazing, and really brought the experience to life.

In short, this museum alone is worth a trip to Springfield. It is immersive, well planned and accomplishes the mission of preserving the legacy and life of the 16th President of the United States.

But don't just take my review for it. Go see for yourselves. You won't regret it!

Very well done. Really worth a visit. Learned so much about Lincoln and his presidency.

This museum is an incredible experience. If you want to learn about the life of Lincoln and what he experienced before and during his presidency this is the place. We were told that many of the designs were by a man who did a lot of work at Disney. It is really evident when you see the animatronics and the holograms that are used in some of the displays. One of our favorites was the "Ghosts" in the theatre. It was very well done. There was a special exhibit on WW II and there was a large room filled with artifacts and historical information about the war. Again very well done. There is a nice little room for the kids to play in so if you are a parent with small kids you can let the kids play while you tour.

I really enjoyed my visit to the museum and library, which I took with some friends, finding everything interactive and intriguing. I especially liked the whispering hall, a dark unsettling, hallway adorned with rude political cartoons and newspaper articles regarding Lincoln, who was very unpopular throughout his presidency. As you walk the hall, you will hear voices whispering actual remarks made about Lincoln as he settled into the White House. The hall reminded many of the harsh fact that Lincoln faced an impossible amount of criticism, which is often forgotten amongst the legends of his greatness. I also enjoyed Campaign 1860, a contemporary news control room displaying the candidates' actual campaign platforms transformed into today's political terminology. This 21st century set up makes everything easy to understand.

Overall, I had a fantastic trip to the museum. Note that it is a bit small, but still wonderfully interesting. There are life like wax statues of historical figures throughout the museum, including many of Lincoln throughout his life, and the immersive exhibits make everything seem real. I would definitely go again, for the museum is very nice, if not spectacular in some respects.

I couldn't be more impressed with the quality of this museum. The exhibits display a good balance between displayed historical artifacts and written history which engage the visitor at any level of interest. You can browse quickly or take your time to read and take in the incredible history on display during such a turbulent time in America's history.

The museum consists of four major exhibits. The log cabin exhibit offers a glimpse into the life of young Lincoln living in frontier country. The wax figures and realistic artistry transport the viewer to a time of early pioneers who lived and worked in an era of single room log cabins and cast iron cooking.

The White House offers a stark contrast from Lincoln's humble beginnings exhibiting high fashion of the late 1800's American high society. Further into the exhibit you find yourself as an onlooker into key moments of Lincoln's presidency captivated by the realistic life-sized wax figures that accurately capture the pressure and stress indicative of a war-torn presidency.

Two top of the line theaters offer an incredible experience into the history of Lincoln presented in a state-of-the-art format that rivals that of a Disney World interactive show. Both films are less than 15 minutes, appropriate for all ages, and included in the price of admission which was reasonable for what they offer. $15 for adults, less for children with multiple discounts offered to military, students, and others.

A must see for anyone visiting Springfield Illinois!

The Lincoln Museum is really an excellent museum dedicated to our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Overall, I think that visitors to this museum would get more out of coming here than if they went to Lincoln's house a few blocks away.

So like I said, the museum is great. It follows Lincoln his whole life, from when he was a kid living on what was then the frontier in log cabins, struggling to survive, up through his becoming a lawyer and traveling all over Illinois, then his election as President and of course his presidency and finally his death. The museum is really very well done. There's exhibits explaining things, and they even have structures within the building - you can see a replica of the log cabin he was born in, a replica of [part of] the White House, and several rooms from inside the Lincoln White House during the Civil War. It really is great. The only problem I have with the place is that they don't allow photography, so I don't have any pictures to upload here. Its too bad - I could probably give a more detailed review if I had some more pictures to jog my memory.

So yes, the museum is great, and if you only have time to do one thing in Springfield, I'd recommend this museum over Honest Abe's house.

I am not quite sure I can express in words. How incredibly fantastic and beautiful this museum is. Without a doubt and I have been to several museums. This has to be in my top five favorite, right behind the World War II museum in New Orleans.

The incredible detail to the replica White House and his childhood home was astounding! The different rooms with the different figurines which looks so lifelike you had to literally take a second glance to make sure it wasn't someone in a costume was amazing. If you want to learn about one of the greatest Presidents of US history this is the place to go! They have two fantastic movies you can sit down and watch. They are so educational and moving. This is the exact place anyone of any age could come to learn about the history of the Civil War, and the Emancipation Proclamation.

The history of the 16th President of the United States of America is simply amazing. There were things I never knew about Abraham Lincoln. For me, it made me realize what an important man he was before and after his presidency.

The staff is fantastic. They are informative and will walk you through anything and explain everything. I will come back here yearly because I enjoyed this place so much.