President Barack Obama
President fever may have died down a bit now that the elections are long gone, but their presence is bound to shoot back up again when newly appointed U.S President Barack Obama ships his family into the White House on January 20th.
But for us Brits, we can’t help but feel a bit left out. What’s all the fuss about? You don’t see us going crazy when there’s a new PM. Well now is the time to find out. The Great Lakes of North America which are surrounded by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, are welcoming visitors to follow in the footsteps of some of their most famous presidents who started their paths to greatness around these Great Lakes.
Not for hundreds of years has an election received so much coverage and attention as the race between McCain and Obama for their beloved country, and many are flocking to America in order to inject a bit of Presidential history into their minds because of this historical event. Barack Obama will be the first, out of all 43 previous presidents, to be mixed race, making history, and funnily enough the state in which he served as Senate is often referred to as Presidential Mecca. So if you fancy really getting into the tourist spirit and visiting any of the presidential states, here are some hotspots you can’t miss.
Illinois
It is of no surprise that this state is named the Presidential Mecca; one of the most loved presidents, Abraham Lincoln called it home. His monuments may stand famously tall and proud in Washington, D.C, but Illinois is his final resting place. A significant state for Lincoln, he met his wife there, practiced law, served as House of Representative and was elected as president, all in his back yard. In his honour, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum are open to the public in Springfield, and is now an award-winning attraction. Many tourists and Americans alike regularly visit the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, not only to pay their respects to the former president, but to rub the nose of his bronze bust for luck.
Ronald Reagan, another favourite of the presidential club, was born and raised in Dixon, Illinois, where many like to visit to see his childhood home. The 40th president has been immortalised in a sculpture at the Wings of Peace & Freedom Park as a commemoration for all of his efforts towards world peace.
Chicago, a popular destination already for tourism, offers the Presidents Walking Tour, as well as the Lincoln Assassination Tour. The University of Chicago Law School has also become somewhat of an attraction itself, and was where the newest addition to the White House, Barack Obama, previously taught law. Not far away from the university is the now infamous Grant Park, where he gave his victory speech ‘This is our moment in time’.
Michigan
President Ford may have only passed away in the past few years, but his museum has been around since September 1981. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the location where he represented un the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1971. After he passed away at the age of 93 in 2006, he was buried at the museum, which many people visit daily to pay their respects.
Allowing visitors to interact with history, the museum holds permanent exhibitions, as well as special events ranging from 1940s fashions shows to activities for school children and the grounds always open their gates to the local community on July 4th for fireworks.
Pennsylvania
If you want to meet the presidents face to face and not just look at their picture, then the Hall of Presidents & First Ladies in Gettysburg is a must. The history of American is told by the presidents themselves, reproduced in wax. The figures, using lights and sound, tell their own stories of American, in their own perspective and own voice.
Also in the museum is the Hall of the First Ladies where visitors can tour the exhibit of the Smithsonian Collection of First Ladies Inaugural gowns, which have been authentically reproduced specifically for these displays.
And if that wasn’t enough, it also hosts the nostalgic Eisenhowers at Gettysburg Exhibit, which highlights the life of the 34th President and his family, in the years they spent on their farm in Gettysburg. This farm was donated to the Nationak Park Service in 1967 by the Eisenhowers and has since been opened to the public as the Eisenhower National Historic Site.
Ohio
And last, but certainly not least, it is said to be a travesty, if on a Presidential journey, not to visit Ohio. The state itself is fondly known as the ‘Mother of Presidents’ due to 8 of its native sons - more than any other state – serving as a U.S President at some point. (For those who are curious, they are – William Harrison, Ulysses Simpson Grant, Rutherford Birchard Hayes, James Abram Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft and Warren Gamaliel Harding) Pretty impressive. Maybe there’s something in the water?
Also home to the first presidential library in the nation, the Rutherford B. Hayes Library & Museum opened in 1916 as a memorial to the 19th president it is named after. It has been said that this attraction is the model for later presidential libraries to be opened.
These may only be a few of the 44 presidents, but we’ve all got to start somewhere, and luckily, these 4 states are right around the corner from each other. So if you want to follow in the footsteps of some of the most loved Americans to make its history, try the Great Lakes of North America.
For more information go to http://www.greatlakesnorthamerica.co.uk/
By Karen Asbury .