The Reagan Library- Giddy with Historical Excitement!

Quote By George Washington

Me: "James Madison!... James Monroe!... John Quincy Adams!..."
My Sister:  (In a bored tone)"I forgot you like to play this game."
Me: "Bahahahahahahaha Andrew Jackson!"

That's what it sounded like inside our car as we drove up the road to the Reagan Presidential Library, passing each lamppost with a picture of each president. I love practicing my game of, "Can I list all the presidents in order?" Even the drive to the parking lot gets me positively giddy with historical excitement. (But, as we've previously established, I'm a bit of a nerd.)

One of My Favorite Ronald Reagan Quotes - At the Reagan Library

The Reagan Library is a high ranking destination on the J.HistoryGirl list of favorite places. The library is a hot spot of interactive presidential and historical exhibits. Visitors can have a Kodak moment while giving the inaugural address, record early Reagan broadcasts, tour the Oval Office and walk through Air Force One. On permanent display are a wide variety of Reagan artifacts ranging from belt buckles, to an x-ray from the assassination attempt to a section of the Berlin Wall.

George Washington Taking the Oath of Office

My sister and I were there last weekend to check out the special exhibit the library is currently featuring on George Washington. On display are three new statues of Washington that were created with painstaking efforts to properly reflect the real George Washington, not just the image we are accustomed to seeing in portraits. Existing sculptures, technology and Washington's life mask were all used to create a more modern, realistic image of the first president. Also on view are a pair of Washington's dentures, artifacts from his days as a surveyor and representations of Martha Washington's clothing.  The collection will remain on display until May 18th. I highly recommend checking it out!

When my sister and I were done looking around, we got ourselves a drink and some jelly beans (a Reagan favorite) at the Reagan Country Cafe and sat outside admiring the peaceful scenic view. Even on a smoggy day like last Saturday the hills are still pretty.

Sitting Outside at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

JHistoryGirl Posing With General George Washington