“Located in Ventura County and perched on a mountaintop with sweeping views, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is one of Southern California’s most unique and beautiful destinations,” said Melissa Giller, chief marketing officer at the library and museum. “Tour groups get to relive and touch a piece of history by stepping aboard and touring through his actual Air Force One airplane, viewing an exact replica of the White House Oval Office and touching an authentic piece of the Berlin Wall.”
ASK
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
Melissa Giller, Chief Marketing Officer
805-522-2977
mgiller@reaganfoundation.org
reaganlibrary.com
The Air Force One Pavilion
When you visit the Reagan Library, you will step aboard this same Air Force One that flew President Reagan over 660,000 miles — to 26 foreign countries and 46 U.S. states. You will also view one of his presidential limousines and secret service suburbans as part of an exhibit on presidential motorcades, experience the actual Irish pub from Ballyporeen, Ireland, he visited on a diplomatic trip in 1984, and walk through an actual Marine One helicopter that flew President Johnson. The Air Force One Pavilion at the Reagan Library is one of Southern California’s “must-see” destinations!
The Oval Office
As you peer into the room known as the president’s formal workspace, you’ll notice the desk. Made from the timbers of the H.M.S. Resolute, an abandoned British ship discovered by an American vessel and returned to the Queen of England as a token of friendship and goodwill, it was commissioned by Queen Victoria and presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. Now known as the Resolute Desk, it has been used by every president since Hayes, with the exception of Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford. But if you look closely, you’ll notice that the wooden base appears altered. This is because President Reagan added the 2-inch base to the desk to accommodate his 6’2” frame and keep the desk drawers from hitting his knees!
President and Mrs. Reagan’s Memorial Site
Following his passing on June 5, 2004, President Ronald Reagan was laid to rest at the Reagan Library on June 11, 2004. Following her passing on March 6, 2016, Mrs. Ronald Reagan was laid to rest next to her husband on March 11, 2016. The Memorial Site is made of granite and sits on the western portion of the Library Campus adjacent to the Library’s piece of the Berlin Wall and the replica of the White House South Lawn. The Memorial Site looks out toward the Pacific Ocean.
The Berlin Wall
President Reagan fought against communism and for freedom his entire life and in 1987 boldly told Mikhail Gorbachev to “Tear Down This Wall” while standing next to the Brandenburg Gate in Germany. The Wall came down in 1989 and on April 12, 1990, President Reagan accepted the 6,338 pound, 9½-foot-tall piece of the Berlin Wall, which now sits on permanent display at the Reagan Library. Everyone is encouraged to come up and literally touch a piece of history, and to learn about the wall’s lesson of freedom and democracy for all.
The F-14 and F-117 Fighter Jets
Ronald Reagan entered the White House determined to restore the strength of the U.S. military. He insisted on military might, not for its own sake, but to discourage threats to American interests, defend freedom around the world and bring the Soviet Union to the bargaining table. As part of his “Peace Through Strength” initiatives, he rebuilt our national defense and a strong military. On display at the Reagan Library is a F-14 Fighter Jet and a F-117 Stealth Fighter Jet, both part of his military buildup.
