Tour of Lincoln's Cottage

Living Social had a deal for a tour of Lincoln's Cottage, so a couple of girlfriends and I went this past weekend. This cottage is similar to Camp David in that it was a retreat from the Capital for the President (Lincoln as well as some other presidents). This was where President Lincoln and his family could get some peace and quiet. However, it should be noted that while Lincoln came here to "get away from it all," he was constantly reminded of the Civil War even here, since he could see the first national cemetery from the window of his cottage (and therefore see the number of graves increase over time). The cottage is mostly empty, which our tour guide explained was because we should think about the ideas of Lincoln, not his personal items. The tour was a great history lesson, and there are also exhibits in the visitors center where you can learn even more (like the fact that Lincoln's goal of the Civil War was the keep the Union in tact, not to end slavery like most people assume). The juxtaposition of old (the cottage) and new (flat screens and projectors) was quite an interesting way to learn!

There is a statue of Abe and his horse in front of the cottage, representing the ride that President Lincoln took every day into Washington and then back to the cottage at night. I was very tempted to put my foot in the stirrup and actually get on top of the horse, but I'm pretty sure that's not allowed...