SPRINGFIELD – At a time when many families face financial hardships, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is offering a bit of relief by letting Illinois students visit for free.
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The special offer, which applies to students from kindergarten to college, runs through May 31.
The usual prices are $6 for children 5-15 and $12 for students 16 and older, while school groups visiting in March, April and May pay $4 per student. This offer makes the museum free for every Illinois student, whether they’re on a field trip or a family vacation.
“As the weather warms up, we know families will be looking for new activities that are both safe and affordable,” said Melissa Coultas, acting executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “We’ve already taken steps to make the museum as safe as possible. Now we’re making it even more affordable for visitors.”
Guests must schedule their visits in advance at www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov. School groups of 15 students or more schedule visits through VisitSpringfieldIllinois.com.
In addition to the displays and shows that have made the museum a hit with millions of people, visitors this spring will enjoy frequent live performances of music from Lincoln’s era and an exhibit of amazing Lincoln artifacts. Among the items in the Treasures Gallery are a cuff link the president was wearing when he was shot and a note in which he tried to define democracy: “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”
And at the end of April, the museum opens its latest exhibit, “The State of Sound,” which explores the sonic history of Illinois. It spotlights musicians from Muddy Waters to Common and features amazing artifacts like Grammy awards, Miles Davis’s trumpet and a painting from an upcoming movie about Aretha Franklin.
The museum’s safety measures during the pandemic include requiring visitors to wear masks, limiting the number of visitors at any one time, frequently disinfecting common areas, including our theaters, and reminding visitors to stay one “Lincoln” – or six feet, four inches – away from other people.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in Lincoln’s life and times. The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.
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