Four score and 120 years ago, Abraham Lincoln was born in a little log cabin out in Kentucky. Our nation’s capital, still riding the inauguration celebratory spirit, is using this birthday as an excuse for all-out Abrahamania with museums and historical groups all offering their own educational homage to the 16th president of our United States.

The other SPLC interns and I were not going to sit at work all day when we could be part of the celebration, so we walked around all day exploring different exhibits and enjoying the sunshine. Keep reading for fun facts and things we saw (hint: there are celebrities).

The iconic hat in the top picture is the one Lincoln wore to Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, the night he was assassinated. It was on display at the National Museum of American History as part of their Lincoln exhibit. The coat he wore that night, still spattered with blood (though not visibly), was on display at Ford’s Theatre. That was our first stop of the day for a little program with authentic Civil War-era music and a park ranger’s captivating narrative of the night Lincoln died. There were also some school groups that performed famous Lincoln speeches. Aside from the overwhelming cuteness, there was something really touching in these second-graders’ rendition of the Gettysburg Address:

The decorated box seat at the end of the video is where Lincoln was sitting when he was shot in the back of the head.

But the adventures started a while before the performance, when we went to pick up free tickets at the newly reopened theater. Fellow intern Jaclyn thought she saw Al Roker wandering around the lobby, and we all stared at this guy skeptically before deciding it probably wasn’t him. I had no clue, considering I’ve never seen Al Roker on TV except for maybe a few brief clips on “The Daily Show” (and that’s technically not TV, since I watch it online).

Sure enough, it was him. We got asked to stand around for a live segment in front of the theater, but then ceded the stage to a bunch of cuter children and crazier adults with signs and things. It was pretty fun.

Then, after we left the Ford’s Theatre program, we got stopped by some traffic guy for no obvious reason when we tried to cross Pennsylvania Avenue. It took us a minute to realize they were clearing the whole street, and then we realized we were going to see President Obama go by. Here are my SPLC coworkers while we’re waiting (from left: Liz, Kate and Jaclyn).

Sure enough, some little scout motorcycles buzzed into view, followed by a pack of shiny black SUVs and two extremely snazzy limosines. They zipped by quickly, and if there’s any way to tell which limo actually held the president we didn’t know what it was. Maybe this one?

Or maybe not, but still – I was less than 50 feet from the president! Incidentally, I hope someday that statement will seem laughably naive and overexcited. I realized I fully believe I’ll meet President Obama sometime. Here’s the empty view up Pennsylvania right after the motorcade passed by.

We also went to the National Archives to see the Emancipation Proclamation, and naturally also stopped to look at the Constitution and First Amendment. We also learned that Lincoln wrote sentences like “Let us be vigilant but keep cool,” making him a man way ahead of his time in regard to slang. He also wrote nice poetry and doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would mind if you celebrated his birthday belatedly, so here are some deadlines if you want to construct your own Lincoln tour another day.

• Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives – through Feb. 16
• Lincoln’s authentic coat at Ford’s Theatre – on display through April 15
• Lincoln Bible and other documents at the Library of Congress – through May 9
• Famous photographs at the National Portrait Gallery – through July 5
• National Museum of American History exhibit – quite a while, apparently

Or check out a bunch of events listed by the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.