by Linda (minnemom) of Travels with Children

Washington Monument

I just came across something that’s right up my alley–the National Park Service has created a “Discover Our Shared History Travel Itinerary” about American Presidents.  This itinerary includes a map of presidential sites, as well as a listing by president of National Park Service sites and other locales.

Glancing through the list, I see several places I’ve visited in the past:

Lincoln Memorial

• George Washington: Mount Vernon and the Washington Monument
• Thomas Jefferson: Jefferson Memorial
• Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Ford’s Theatre, Lincoln Memorial
• Theodore Roosevelt:  Theodore Roosevelt National Park
• Herbert Hoover:  Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
• Harry S Truman:  Harry S Truman National Historic Site

The site also includes other sites of presidential interest, such as the White House, Mt. Rushmore, and Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

Visiting sites about individual presidents gives insight into these men and their presidencies that is often overlooked in history classes.  I remember a Christmas display at the Hoover site that included Christmas greetings from the President and his family.  Actually being in Ford’s Theatre brings Lincoln’s assassination much closer than any book can.

Now I see that I was in the vicinity of other presidents’ sites on various occasions without being aware of it.  I particularly like the map so that travelers can easily see if they might be near one of these sites while on the road.

What presidential sites have you visited in the past?  Will you make use of this itinerary to find presidential sites to visit?

Photo credits: NCinDC