The Lincoln Park Amphitheatre within Lincoln State Park in Spencer County will be getting a new look, thanks to contributions of $71,280 in READI Funding through Indiana First. The READI portion of funding is specifically reserved for the cost of materials, and the project will be completed by the Indiana Destination Development Corporation. The new canopy and signage wall will dramatically change how visitors to the Lincoln get their first glimpse of the Amphitheatre.  

The Lincoln Park Amphitheatre is one of the largest fully-covered amphitheaters in the United States. The 1,500-seat venue is conveniently situated just off of Interstate 64, halfway between Evansville, IN and Louisville, KY. It’s just one of many local attractions bringing over one million visitors and potential residents into the rural, Spencer County area. 

The Amphitheatre is over 30 years old, and is in need of various upgrades to remain a vibrant and accessible venue for everyone. Over the last couple of years, $300,000 was invested into improving the venue, a prioritized investment for the region because of the large impact the facility has on the community. The Amphitheatre supports arts and culture in an environment where everyone can come together; in fact, 784 residents from Spencer County and surrounding areas were Lincoln Amphitheatre season ticket holders in 2022. 

There is also a commitment to preserving the historic profoundness of the land that the Amphitheatre is built upon and its importance to the vibrancy of both Lincoln State Park and Lincoln National Memorial. The venue was originally built to be the place where the story of young Abraham Lincoln was told through a musical production.

With these newly constructed additions and improvements, the Amphitheatre’s entryway will be tall enough to allow heavy equipment through and will feature stone planters on its east and west sides, a stone wall with ground lighting stretching to the west, and a stone seating wall stretching to the east toward the existing box office.  It will provide a much needed and long deserved “wow” factor for patrons as they walk up to the venue, while also increasing the functionality of the facility by providing a sole point of patron ingress and egress.