6 star-spangled presidential libraries to visit
These institutions provide insight into American leaders
At a presidential library, there are zero books to check out. These facilities are actually museums, archives and event spaces filled with documents, photographs, videos and artifacts from presidents past. The National Archives and Records Administration oversees 15 of these libraries, each one designed to be immersive and illuminating, giving the public a fuller look at the lives of presidents before and after the White House.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley, California
When you enter the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, it almost feels like stepping onto a movie set. As an actor-turned-politician, Reagan knew the power of props, and there is no shortage of blockbuster artifacts here. Visitors can walk through the Air Force One that shuttled presidents from 1973 to 2001, see the interior of a Marine One helicopter and view Reagan's 1984 parade limousine. A full-size reproduction of the Oval Office looks just as it did during the Reagan years, and not far away in the garden is a large chunk of the Berlin Wall. Nancy Reagan has her own permanent exhibition as well, filled with dresses and baubles she wore while first lady.
Harry Truman Library & Museum in Independence, Missouri
Harry Truman had a front-row seat to some of the most defining moments in modern U.S. history. "Harry S. Truman: An Ordinary Man, His Extraordinary Journey," is a new permanent exhibition at the Truman library that delves into those experiences, from his time as a soldier in World War I to his brief foray into haberdashery that was cut short by the 1921 recession to, of course, his time as president at the end of World War II. An introductory film introduces visitors to Truman, with newsreel, documents and artifacts filling the rest of the galleries. Open since 1957, the library recently underwent the largest renovation in its history.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, Massachusetts
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum explores a presidency, and life, cut short. Offering a peek into Camelot, the galleries showcase items like a menu covered in Kennedy's handwritten notes, framed photos of his children Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. kept on the Oval Office desk, a watercolor painting of the White House by Jacqueline Kennedy and an Oleg Cassini dress she wore to a state dinner. The most dazzling exhibition might be "The White House Corridor: Gifts from Heads of State," displaying presents the Kennedys received from world leaders. Highlights include a gold purse decorated with diamonds and emeralds from King Hassan of Morocco and a stucco of Buddha dating back to the 2nd century from Mohammad Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said the "proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene." Visitors to his library and museum can learn more about those roots, starting at his boyhood home on the property. Guided tours offer a look at the cozy wood-framed house where Eisenhower and his brothers grew up, with original furnishings and exact wallpaper replicas in place. The sleek museum is a lot larger, at 25,000 square feet. Digital displays, photographs, uniforms, posters and artifacts like the table used to plan D-Day tell the story of Eisenhower's life with wife Mamie, his leadership during World War II and his presidency.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, New York
When you serve four terms as president, your library is going to be filled to the brim with all types of objects. Franklin D. Roosevelt is the reason why the modern presidential library exists. Prior to his time in office, White House records were often lost, destroyed or sold, and when he saw the sheer amount of paper being produced by his administration, FDR knew there had to be a better, more secure way of keeping these documents for future generations to study. Permanent exhibitions showed how Roosevelt steered the country through the Great Depression and World War II and explored his Fireside Chats and the relationship between the president, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and the American people. What the library does not do is shy away from FDR's controversies, and visitors can interact with flip-books containing documents and photographs related to Japanese American internment camps.
LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson lives on at his library in Texas. An LBJ animatronic, once on display at a Neiman Marcus in Dallas, regales visitors with some of the president's favorite stories, using audio recordings from the archives. Inside the impressive Great Hall, Johnson appears again and again on a 50-foot-long photo-engraved mural by artist Naomi Savage, which shows him at different stages of his political career. Lady Bird Johnson also gets her due, with a First Lady's Gallery dedicated to her humanitarian work and causes close to her, like environmentalism. Visitors can also step into an Oval Office replica and the office Lady Bird worked in.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Blinken: Israel's Gaza tactics risk 'enduring insurgency'
Speed Read The secretary of state criticized Israel's lack of plan to protect Rafah civilians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How strong are Hamas?
Today's Big Question Its numbers are 'notoriously difficult' to assess, but the Islamist group will offer 'lingering armed resistance for years to come'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Stay-at-home girlfriends: why Gen Z are rejecting 'girlboss' culture
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Soft girl' trend reflects disillusionment with the corporate ladder but has 'huge financial risks'
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
One great cookbook: Madhur Jaffrey's 'Vegetarian India'
The Week Recommends The 2015 tome will reshape how you think about both vegetables and Indian food
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Expressionists: a 'rousing' exhibition at the Tate Modern
The Week Recommends Show mixes 'ferociously glowing masterpieces' from Kandinsky with less well-known artwork
By The Week UK Published
-
The Mighty Five: a guide to Utah's mesmerizing national parks
The Week Recommends From Arches to Zion, you should wander them all
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Buddha of Suburbia: an 'orgiastic odyssey'
The Week Recommends Emma Rice brings Hanif Kureishi's 1990 novel to the stage
By The Week UK Published
-
Marc Quinn's Light into Life: an 'al fresco treasure-hunt' of sculpture at Kew
The Week Recommends Massive metallic sculptures dotted across the gardens explore 'links between nature and humanity'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Lanzarote travel guide: a sea-swept volcanic paradise
The Week Recommends Even a short exploration quickly shows the out-of-this-world island is undeserving of its 'Brits abroad' reputation
By William Leigh Published
-
8 genre-defining Black country, folk and blues musicians
The Week Recommends Keeping the legacy alive, even when the industry tries to keep them down
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger celebrates 'unique collaboration'
The Week Recommends Martin Scorsese presents documentary tribute to the 'gorgeous, radical work' of the film-making duo
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published