Lincoln Homestead State Park, just north of Springfield and about 30 minutes east of Bardstown, is where the president’s family story begins: his grandfather settled here, his father grew up here, and his parents courted in a frontier house that still stands. Walk the 120-acre park, look inside the original Francis Berry House, then spend an hour in Springfield’s small downtown around an 1815 courthouse. It is a quiet, rewarding half day, and a perfect first chapter before the Lincoln Birthplace in Hodgenville.
Why Springfield belongs on a Lincoln trip
Most visitors know Lincoln was born in a Kentucky cabin. Fewer know how the family got there. In the 1780s the president’s grandfather, Captain Abraham Lincoln, brought his family to the Beech Fork country, then part of Nelson County and now Washington County. In May 1786 he was killed in an attack by American Indians, and his son Mordecai saved young Thomas, the future president’s father, from the same fate.
Thomas grew up here, learned carpentry and blacksmithing here, and courted a young seamstress named Nancy Hanks here. Every Lincoln site south of Bardstown depends on what happened in this valley first. Our overview of Lincoln country connects all the dots, from Springfield to Knob Creek to the Birthplace.
What to see at Lincoln Homestead State Park
The park was established in 1936 and keeps a small cluster of buildings on a green rise, with the golf course rolling out around them.
The Francis Berry House. This is the only original structure in the park and the one to see. Nancy Hanks worked in the Berry household as a seamstress while Thomas Lincoln came calling, and tradition says he proposed to her by its fireplace. It is a plain, sturdy frontier home, and that is the point: these were working people.
The Lincoln cabin. A reconstructed 16-by-18-foot log cabin sits on the site of Thomas Lincoln’s childhood home. Step inside and do the arithmetic on how many people lived in a room that size.
The workshop. A replica of the blacksmith and carpentry shop where Thomas learned his trades. It helps explain why Thomas was later able to buy and farm land around Hodgenville.
The Mordecai Lincoln House. Mordecai, the brother who saved Thomas in 1786, farmed land now covered by the park’s golf course, and his house stands nearby.
Park grounds are free and open year-round from dawn to dusk, according to America’s State Parks. The buildings have historically opened from May through September, per the park’s history. Call the park at (859) 336-7461 before you go, especially in spring and fall, to confirm whether the interiors are open and whether there is a tour fee.
Golf at a presidential address
The 18-hole course at Lincoln Homestead is one of the more unusual rounds in Kentucky: you play across land Mordecai Lincoln farmed, with the family buildings in view. Call the park for tee times and current rates. If you are building a golf trip, compare it with the courses in our Bardstown golf guide.
Springfield’s downtown
Springfield is a small county seat with a proud Main Street, and it rewards a slow walk.
The Washington County Courthouse. Built in 1814 and 1815 by Thomas H. Letcher, with an octagonal cupola added in 1840, it was listed on the National Register in 1977 (history). Local tradition says the marriage record of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks is kept here. It is a public working building, so be respectful of court business if you step inside.
The Springfield Opera House. A community stage with a real season; October 2026 brings Sweeney Todd. See the city’s site for dates.
The Depot farmers market. Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at 101 Depot Street during the growing season.
For lunch, the city lists places such as The Big Bull Steak House at 105 W. Main St. and Snappy Tomato at 111 East Main Street. Small-town hours shift, so call ahead or check a map app that morning.
St. Rose Priory: the Gothic stop on the way
About 17 miles and 25 minutes from Court Square, just west of Springfield, St. Rose Priory is the first foundation of the Dominican Order in the United States and is described as the first Catholic educational institution west of the Allegheny Mountains. The present Tudor Gothic church, designed by William Keely, dates to 1852 and was listed on the National Register in 1978. A Gothic church rising out of open farm country is a genuine surprise.
It is an active church, so check the parish schedule before you plan to go inside, and dress for a place of worship. St. Rose is one of the anchors of Kentucky’s Holy Land, the Catholic heritage circuit that also includes the Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown and the Abbey of Gethsemani.
Getting there and timing
| Stop | Drive from Court Square | Time to allow |
|---|---|---|
| St. Rose Priory | About 25 min (17 miles) | 30 minutes |
| Lincoln Homestead State Park | About 30 min (20 miles) | 1 to 1.5 hours; half a day with golf |
| Downtown Springfield | About 30 min | 1 hour plus lunch |
Take US 150 east out of Bardstown toward Springfield. The road runs through open Washington County farmland, and the whole drive is easy two-lane going. Build the day like this: St. Rose in the morning, the Homestead before lunch, downtown Springfield for lunch and the courthouse, then either back to Bardstown or south and west to Hodgenville for the rest of the Lincoln story. The day-trip routes page lays out that full Lincoln loop.
When to go
Plan for May through September if you want to see inside the historic buildings, since that is when they have traditionally opened. Late May and early June bring green fields and long evenings, good for pairing the park with a round of golf. September gives you warm days, fewer people and, on Saturday mornings, the farmers market in full harvest swing. Winter visits work for a walk around the grounds and the courthouse square, but call ahead, because the interiors may be closed and small-town lunch spots keep shorter hours.
Is it worth it?
Yes, if you care about the Lincoln story or simply like quiet historic places without crowds. The Homestead is small, and you will not need more than an hour or two there. What makes the trip is the combination: a real frontier house with a real love story, an 1815 courthouse, and a Gothic priory standing in a cornfield, all within 30 minutes of your hotel.
If you want museum-grade exhibits and a ranger program, prioritize the Birthplace in Hodgenville instead, and fold Springfield in on the drive home.
Pair it with
Bourbon fans should know Springfield is the future home of a major Willett production facility, a $93 million project announced in 2022. For now, the place to taste Willett is its hilltop campus in Bardstown; see our Willett Distillery guide. Back in town, the Old Talbott Tavern claims the Lincoln family as guests, which makes it a natural dinner stop at the end of a Lincoln day. For the rest of your options, head to the day trips hub.
