After a hearty breakfast in Best Western Plus Posada Royale Hotel & Suites in Simi Valley we drove to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in our rental car.
The Presidential Library of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the USA, opened in 1991 and is not a traditional library, but a place for storing papers, awards and other historical materials (e.g. a piece of the Berlin Wall). The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information and online tickets can be found on the official website: http://www.reaganfoundation.org.
Thanks to the online tickets, we were able to enter the museum as soon as it opened without a long wait. Equipped with a map, we went to the different exhibitions. Many exhibits show the different stages of life of the former Hollywood actor and US President Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Oval Office
The 1-to-1 copy of the Oval Office from the White House was impressive. Funny fact: since the original room height of 5.60 meters had not received planning permission in Simi Valley, the copy was simply placed deeper in the ground.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Air Force One Pavilion
The absolute highlight of our visit was the Air Force One Pavilion, which opened in 2005. Here we admired the modified Boeing 707, which was not only the official aircraft of Reagan, but also of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush was. We had the opportunity to walk through the plane. There were always museum guides in the various compartments who could tell one or the other interesting fact. Unfortunately, for reasons that are not clear to us, you are not allowed to take photos inside.
In addition to Air Force One, this pavilion also houses the Marine One helicopter and some vehicles, such as. e.g. the presidential limousine. Incidentally, passengers taller than 1.70 meters cannot walk upright in the exhibited or current Marine One.
Ronald Reagan gravesite
Finally, we visited the tombs of Ronald Reagan in the beautifully designed outdoor area. Here he found his final resting place on June 11, 2004. Incidentally, the former First Lady Nancy is said to still live in the immediate vicinity of the library.
Update: 07.03.2016: Nancy Reagan sadly passed away on March 6th, 2016. Her body is to be buried next to her husband.
Are you still looking for a suitable hotel in Simi Valley?
You can find a hotel that suits your budget through the various online travel agencies such as Agoda, Booking.com, ebookers.de, Expedia, Hotels.com, lastminute.de, otel.com or Venere.com.
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