I am in love with Orange County all over again. We visited the Richard Nixon Birthplace & Library and to be honest with you, I was not expecting much nor very exciting. Unless brought to life in some interesting way, history can be a bit of a bore for me I am sad to say. We visited this landmark on President's Day so there were a few special visitors waiting for us when we arrived. Good ole Honest Abe and George Washington greeted us at the entrance. The first marvel we came upon was the grave site of Richard & Patricia Nixon. Grave sites are not my normal cup of tea but there was a sense of awe standing over the exact spot where a president of the United States was laid to rest.
The real highlight for me was the house where the 37th President was born. He was actually born inside the bedroom of this house in 1913. His father built the house one year earlier from a catalogue kit. Richard Milhous Nixon had 3 brothers with whom he shared a bedroom with. Wow 4 boys sharing the same room. That is unheard of these days. There were a few other rooms in the house which were his mother's domain such as her sewing room and the like. The most amazing part was that over 90% of the furniture and decor was original and belonged to the house when The Nixon's lived there. You feel like you can really get a realistic picture of what life would have felt like in their household in the early 1900's.
A few other really neat exhibits on this 9 acre property were the in the museum and also presidential helicopter which transported dignitaries, diplomats and world leaders in it's seats. If the walls of this helicopter could talk, I wonder what it would report? Inside the museum there were so many aspects of history from remnants of the Vietnam war, The Berlin Wall and Cold War, Space missions, US economy, Crime and Safety and the gown displays if you are into the fashion of Pat Nixon and their daughters.
Overall this was a great landmark that I would have never thought to be as spectacular as it really was. Please visit The Richard Nixon Birthplace & Library's website for more information on this landmark and visiting. Orange County has so many gems just like this. For information on Fun Free and Low Cost activities in Orange County visit OC Fun Guide. Be sure to sign up for our FREE and Low Cost Activity Calendar by email.
OC Fun Guide was in no way compensated for writing this review in any form. This blog post reflects my family's experience and personal opinions.
