There was a time when presidential libraries primarily served a practical, literal purpose: as the permanent repository for the endless litany of documents generated during a president’s time in office. But in the near-century since the National Archives and Records Administration has administered the presidential library system, these sites have become much more. And, going forward, they might not even be libraries at all—the recently opened Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago features the first fully digitized presidential library.
Presidential libraries today also feature museums, dedicated not only to their subject’s life and presidency but also the times in which they served. Importantly, they’re tied to the places where they are, the places that were home to presidents for most—if not all—of their lives. Some presidents are more closely associated with one place than others, and you’ll find a lot of those out west.
Though raised in Dixon, Illinois, Ronald Reagan had long since adopted California as his home state by the time he became president. The former actor and governor of the Golden State frequently decamped to his “Western White House” ranch near Santa Barbara during his presidency, which concluded in 1989, at which time his presidential library was already under construction in the Greater Los Angeles community of Simi Valley.
“Perched atop a hill with sweeping views of the southland, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is one of California’s most beautiful and unique destinations,” says Melissa Giller, chief marketing and cultural programming officer for the institution. “This iconic landmark is more than just a museum—it is a journey through history.”
The history on display is wide-ranging. It is presidential, such as the aircraft that served as Air Force One for seven presidents, and a full-scale replica of Reagan’s Oval Office. There also is world history, with the opportunity to touch an authentic piece of the Berlin Wall as well as a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks. It also is a memorial, as the final resting place of both the president and his wife, first lady Nancy Reagan.
While California surely became Reagan’s home, there remains only one Golden State native elected to the presidency. Richard Nixon was born in the Orange County city of Yorba Linda, where his presidential library and museum sits today. Visitors can explore Nixon’s life and legacy through 30 multimedia experiences and more than 300 artifacts, including the helicopter serving as Army One on the day Nixon left the White House following his resignation.
Credit: Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications/Laura McKenzie
WHERE EVERYTHING’S BIGGER
Perhaps fittingly, the state with the most presidential libraries is Texas. Three presidents strongly associated with the Lone Star State have their stories told here: Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. Johnson was born and raised in the Texas Hill Country, where he spent significant time at his “Texas White House” while serving as president. It’s also where he retired after his term and where he died in 1973.
Just about 50 miles to the west, in Austin, is where you’ll find the LBJ Presidential Library. Visiting groups will learn from permanent and rotating exhibitions covering Johnson’s life and presidency, including the moment American history changed forever when he ascended to the presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Visitors can even see the Catholic missal upon which Johnson was sworn in on Nov. 22, 1963.
Technically speaking, both presidents Bush were natives of New England, but after George W.’s birth in Connecticut in 1946, the family moved to Texas, which became home. The presidential library and museum for George H.W. Bush is located in College Station, on the campus of Texas A&M University. Visitors can pay tribute to George and Barbara Bush, who are both buried on the grounds, and learn about the president’s extensive career in public service.
One of the newest additions to the property is the James A. Baker III Pavilion, a 29,000-square-foot space that opened in 2024. It houses both the president’s Marine One helicopter and also the Union Pacific 4141 locomotive, painted in a livery reminiscent of Air Force One, which carried the late president from Houston to his final resting place. The pavilion also includes Daisy’s Table restaurant, offering a convenient on-site dining option.
The younger Bush also has his library and museum on a college campus, at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The most recent presidential center to open until the dedication of Obama’s facility this year, the George W. Bush Presidential Center features a 226,000-square-foot main building set within a 15-acre urban park. Highlights for visitors include a poignant exhibit on the 9/11 attacks, and a diverse set of rotating exhibitions. On display through Jan. 10, 2027, “Game Changer: United by Sports” weaves together iconic sports events with American history, through artifacts such as Jesse Owens’ gold medals from the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Credit: Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
ACROSS THE PLAINS
Dwight D. Eisenhower was a Texan by birth but moved with his family to Abilene, Kansas, as a toddler. The 34th president considered Abilene his hometown, and the home he grew up in is now located on the grounds of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home. The property is 22 acres in all and is the final resting place of Dwight, his wife Mamie, and their first-born son, Doud. Museum Director Dr. Todd Arrington says the museum places an emphasis on demonstrating to visitors the real life of the Eisenhowers alongside the significant role they played in American history.
Highlights for groups include touring the Eisenhower boyhood home, still on its original foundation. Interactive exhibits tell the Eisenhowers’ story in their own words, and there is an entire wing dedicated to the president’s military service as a five-star general. A new special gallery, opened in July, places Eisenhower’s achievements within the context of America’s 250th anniversary.
Also timed to tie in with that special celebration is the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which threw open its doors on July 4 weekend near Medora, North Dakota. It might seem odd that the newest presidential library is for a president whose term ended in 1909, but Roosevelt’s tenure came before the establishment of the current system. Roosevelt’s records have been long preserved, but the new Medora facility is the first place where visitors can go to learn about, and from, the nation’s 26th president.
The Manhattan-born, Harvard-educated Roosevelt first visited North Dakota in 1883, quickly falling in love with its untamed, unspoiled natural beauty. He later said he never would have become president if not for his experiences in North Dakota, thus presenting the perfect location to celebrate his legacy. In a prepared statement, Edward F. O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, says: “We want every visitor to the [Roosevelt] presidential library and museum to walk out understanding the role of nature as a restorative force in [Roosevelt]’s life, and that each of us can be the change we want to see in the world.”
In addition to the vast records that educate us about a president’s life, it is by visiting the places they held dear that we can better grasp the values they strived to uphold as leaders.
By Todd Kortemeier
Main Image: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, California; Credit: Ronald Reagan Foundation
