Reagan's 100th Birth Anniversary

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum has informed and inspired more than five million visitors since opening in 1991. Perched on a mountaintop with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, valleys, and the Pacific Ocean, the Reagan Library is one of California’s most beautiful and unique destinations.

The Library’s 100 acre site, just 45 minutes to an hour from Los Angeles, represents the “shining city on a hill” often referenced by President Reagan and appropriately serves as the final resting place of the nation’s 40th President.

The museum charts a young Ronald Reagan on his rise from local hero and college standout to the glamorous world of Hollywood stardom, all the way to governor of California, and ultimately, to the presidency of the United States.  The museum experience integrates fascinating artifacts, historical documents and dozens of interactive displays that pay tribute to America’s 40th President and his accomplishments.

With more than 100,000 square feet in 24 different galleries, visitors will enter a beautifully decorated full-sized replica of the Oval Office, experience what it is like to give an inaugural address, and board the actual Air Force One aircraft which served as the “Flying White House” for President Reagan and six other presidents. This “Flying White House” is dramatically displayed in the 90,000 square foot Air Force One Pavilion along with a Presidential Motorcade and a Marine One helicopter. Too bad, we were permitted to board the plane but were not allowed to take pictures inside.

Admission to the library and museum includes the National Treasures Gallery and the Mary Jane Wick Gallery, which feature special changing exhibits. A tour of the magnificently manicured grounds offers a replica of the White House, Rose Garden, one of the major pieces of the Berlin Wall brought out of Germany, a decommissioned F-14 Tomcat, and President Reagan’s Memorial Site. Again, we couldn’t take pictures inside otherwise we will not be allowed entry to the different rooms where the exhibits were displayed. Anyway, the experience we had at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is entirely different from what we had at the President John F. Kennedy’s Library in Boston, Massachusetts and the President Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California. At any rate, seeing all these exhibits of American Presidents’ lives and their accomplishments make our life’s experiences memorable. We are truly grateful to God for the opportunity. Praise the Lord!