State of the............Look Shiny Keys!

Every year my husband watches the State of the Union Address.  Every year I ask, "Don't we have cable?"  Predictably he proceeds to admonish me and tell me how I, of all people, should be interested since I teach U.S. History and I love presidential history...........Blah Blah Blah.
So I hope I have now explained for the LAST time.  I teach and love HISTORY.  Not politics.  Twelve years from now I will be very interested in what the president had to say last night.  Today - I am not.

I do love presidential history.  Today for your reading pleasure I will give a review of the few presidential museums I have seen. (It just occurred to me that about five people are going to read past this point. Oh well.)

Harry S Truman - Independence, MO
This was the first presidential library I had ever visited and it was AWESOME.  It had so much stuff in it.  I really felt for the guy. He seems very misunderstood.  Not only did he follow up one of the most popular and charismatic U.S. presidents ever.  He also did it during one of the most stressful times in our history.  In a matter of days after he was sworn in he was faced with the decision to use a weapon he didn't even know existed.  Historians can second guess him till the cows come home, but that doesn't prove he made the wrong decision.

Abraham Lincoln - Springfield, IL
We went to see this with my in laws.  We had a tire blow out on the way which started the Great String of Flat Tires of 2008.  The kids loved this museum.  They knew who Lincoln was so I think it was more interesting to them.  Saige was quite excited to see the hat Lincoln kept his letters in.  We got to take a tour of his house.  That was super interesting to me and so was learning about Lincoln's married life and his children. .

Franklin D. Roosevelt - Hyde Park, NY

I have to say this was the most anticipated visit on my list.  I NEVER thought I would actually get to go to New York.  It just so happened this library is conveniently located between Canada and New Jersey.  I liked seeing his personal home and learning about his childhood.  I was floored to truly understand what this man went through as president.  He was fully and completely paralyzed from the waist down his entire presidency.  The physical strength alone he must have had astounds me.  I knew he was paralyzed.  I just thought it was partial.  He and his wife seemed to have had a very special relationship.  The museum as a whole though is at the bottom of my list which I hate to say.

George Bush (41) - College Station, TX

When my dad and I first talked about visiting this museum I thought, "Ahhh.  It won't be exciting, but I like the guy."  (I keep trying to talk to Bush at Astros games, but the darn Secret Service is always in my way.  My family is taking bets on when I will finally rush them and shake hands with the former prez.)  
His early life was interesting.  I didn't realize he was a war hero, shot down in the line of duty and rescued at sea.  He graduated from college at Yale in just three years. 
Bush held various jobs in politics - many of them very interesting.  At one time he was on the short list for people who may have been Deep Throat.  (He wasn't.)
Bush had great approval ratings throughout his presidency.  It is interesting to see the way media and circumstances worked together to tank him there at the end.  He presided over some fascinating events in history, like the end of the Cold War.  He seems like a sensitive guy.  I am sure he took losing to Clinton very personally.

  My dad and I just started planning to take the kids to the LBJ library in Austin this spring break.  The Clinton library is in Arkansas, so if I can find someone to go with me I can probably visit that.  I would love to see Kennedy's and also Reagan's.   I would like to see any of them really. 
Basically I believe that each president truly does what they think is best for the nation at the time.  I wish all of us Americans would get over the belief we seem to have that we have to be at one end of the spectrum or the other as far as our opinion of the presidents.

Who is YOUR favorite president??
Seen any good museums??