We love history! If there’s an opportunity to see/visit something historical, we will almost always do it. One of the great things for families is that the Lincoln Home National Historic Site is free. However, if you plan on going during the summer months, we highly suggest you arrive early to reserve tickets for the home tour.
TIP: The last tour begins at 4:30 pm.
We thoroughly enjoyed the house tour as there’s something special about being where Abraham Lincoln walked and lived. Our guide was engaging, knowledgeable and you could tell he really enjoyed giving these tours.
There is a four-block area around Lincoln’s home including 12 buildings that date back to Lincoln’s time which have been restored to their 1860 appearance. It is a self-guided tour with several outdoor exhibits.
After visiting the site, we headed over to the Lincoln Tomb National Historic Site located in Oak Ridge Cemetery which we would also recommend. This is also a good option for families since it’s free. The cemetery is full of tall, beautiful oak trees. You walk inside the 117-foot tomb to see where Lincoln is buried.
Fun Fact: The centograph to mark Lincoln’s burial location was made from Arkansas red granite. With the exception of Robert, the entire Lincoln family is buried here. A fun tradition is to rub Lincoln’s nose at the Lincoln statuary and our boys really liked that!
If you think your kids may not like going to a museum the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum is the place that will change their minds. The ghosts of the library will be a magical surprise for your kids!
There is a re-creation of Lincoln’s log cabin, kids can try on period clothes and even perform chores of the time. Maybe your kids won’t think to unload the dishwasher is so bad after going here?!
The treasures gallery has tons of items belonging to the Lincoln Family. While items are rotated frequently, we saw an original hand-written copy of the Gettysburg Address and the evening gloves in Lincoln’s pocket the night he was assassinated.
It is such an engaging museum that families will really enjoy.
I love this! Thanks for including tons of logistics like the amount of miles. I’ve never been before but now I definitely wanna go!
Thank you so much! I was hoping people would like have the logistics. 🙂
So awesome that your boys are traveling at an early age! The Niagara Falls looks unreal! I’ve never been but I’ve heard a lot of great things including your post above. Ps. I love Marriott brand hotels too.
Thank you! Traveling with the boys from an early age has been so great.
Niagara Fall is so beautiful, hope you have the opportunity to go at some point.
Thanks for this comprehensive post, even with kids.
I would love to go to Niagara..
Thank you very much! It makes me so happy when people enjoy my posts. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. 🙂
this trip looks like a dream!! love how you were able to see so much and such a variety too! x
Thanks! We do tend to pack a lot in. 🙂
Oooh nice! It looks like you crammed loads into your Niagara adventure. We never went on one of the cruises up close to the falls (we did the tour around the back of the falls instead to get photos close up) Do you think the boat was worth it? I wasn’t sure about the long lines, and then the possibility of blurry photos…
We loved it!! I definitely do it again and recommend it. When we were there the lines were pretty short, so
we didn’t have a long wait.
I love road trips and I have always wanted to visit this vintage honeymoon spot for a long time! Looks like a fun!
What a fun road trip! I loved visiting Niagara Falls but haven’t seen most of these other sights. I have always wanted to visit Mackinac Island and even more so now! 🙂
This sounds like a really fun trip! Niagara Falls is a great experience, I love how they light up the water at night! It’s too bad your night photos turned out grainy. Mark Twain’s house sounds like a great stop. I didn’t know that it was so well preserved. It looks like a must-visit for any book lover.
You are so organized to pull off a trip like this. So awesome to have your kids traveling like that at an early age. It definitely helps them to know what to expect on travel days, which makes our lives easier in the long run. I love this trip and want to go see those stunning falls. The image from your hotel room is breathtaking.