Ronald Reagan Library

After seeing the great Treasures of the Disney Archives exhibit at the Reagan Library, it was time to check out the Ronald Reagan side of the library.  We've only got 45 minutes until Ruston has to leave, so we'll be moving fast.

 Each of us took a turn at the presidential podium.

There was a full scale model of the Oval Office based on what it looked like during the Reagan administration.

Not too many people get to see the real Oval Office, so it was pretty cool to see such a detailed model.

Seeing the full scale Oval Office was going to be pretty tough to beat, but just down the hall was something that I thought did.
This is the actual Boeing 707 used from 1973 to 2001 as Air Force One for seven different presidents.

Guess how close we can get to it until we can't take pictures any more?  If you said the red carpet, you're right!

Not only do we get to see it up close, we get to walk through it! No photos were allowed inside the plane, but everything decorated like it would have been when Reagan was president. We saw the presidential office, where the first lady would do her work, the area the Secret Service sat, plus the back section where the press or anyone else sat. If you've seen the Harrison Ford movie Air Force One, this plane felt much smaller compared to the one on the big screen.

Surrounding Air Force One are many of the other vehicles used by the administration. This is the modified 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood, used for the Presidential Limousine.

The car above replaced the modified 1972 Lincoln Continental used all the way up until 1981, when the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan happened. That car is located at the Henry Ford museum in Michigan, which T and I just got to visit last November. You can find that adventure here.  Here's a few pictures.

  
The bullet damage on the left rear door has been repaired, but this was the actual car.

 
Alright, back to the Reagan Library.  Also on display is Marine One.

Tick tock, tick tock. We've got to rush.  It's about time for Ruston to leave. One last look at the Air Force One pavilion.

We quickly go through the Berlin Wall exhibit.

See a tribute to the Reykjavik Summit, with Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Lastly in the Hall of Heroes, we see a beam taken from the World Trade Center.

As we exit, we see a piece of the Berlin Wall on display.

Our last stop is Ronald Reagan's tomb.  It reads

I KNOW IN MY HEART THAT MAN IS GOOD
THAT WHAT IS RIGHT WILL ALWAYS EVENTUALLY TRIUMPH
AND THERE IS PURPOSE AND WORTH TO EACH AND EVERY LIFE

Ronald Wilson Reagan
February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004

We had a great time visiting the Reagan Library! I'm sure we'll be back in the future.


Treasures of the Disney Archives Part 1
Treasures of the Disney Archives Part 2
Treasures of the Disney Archives Part 3
Ronald Reagan Library