The Lincoln Heritage Scenic Highway runs 71.2 miles through the knobs of central Kentucky, from Hodgenville to Danville. Abraham Lincoln was born and raised near Hodgenville, and the road follows places tied to him and to the state around him.
Kentucky was a border state when the Civil War began, and the corridor saw a good deal of it. Perryville, near the east end, was the site of Kentucky’s largest Civil War battle.
The highway also runs through bourbon country, with Bardstown at its center, and past the Abbey of Gethsemani. History, whiskey, and a few quiet monasteries are packed into a short drive.
Route Details: Lincoln Heritage Scenic Highway
Mile markers below are my estimates of distance from Hodgenville.
Hodgenville (0 miles)
Hodgenville is where Lincoln was born in 1809. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park has a memorial building holding a cabin that symbolizes the birth cabin, and the Lincoln Museum is in town.
Knob Creek Boyhood Home (10 miles)
The Boyhood Home at Knob Creek is where Lincoln spent part of his childhood, and it is said to hold his earliest memory. The log cabin there was reconstructed in 1931 and may include logs from the home of Austin Gollaher, the schoolmate who rescued him from drowning in Knob Creek.
New Haven and Gethsemani (22 miles)
The Abbey of Gethsemani is the country’s oldest Trappist monastery, and it sits in the knobs near New Haven. The grounds and the abbey store are open to visitors.
Bardstown (30 miles)
Bardstown is the byway’s bourbon center, and the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center is on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Heaven Hill is the largest independent, family-owned producer of distilled spirits in the country, and it has been in Bardstown for seven decades. Bardstown also has My Old Kentucky Home State Park and a few Level 2 chargers.
Springfield (45 miles)
Springfield’s historic downtown has the 1816 courthouse where the marriage bond of Lincoln’s parents was found. Lincoln Homestead State Park is nearby, and the town has a Tesla destination charger.
Perryville (60 miles)
Perryville was the site of the largest Civil War battle fought in Kentucky. The battlefield is a state historic site and one of the best-preserved in the state.
Danville (71 miles)
Danville is where Kentucky statehood was negotiated, and it’s the byway’s east end. Danville National Cemetery was established as a soldiers’ lot in 1862, and a Confederate lot with 66 interments adjoins it.
Use the trip planner to build a day-by-day itinerary based on your available time and starting point.
