After being closed for more than a year, the Reagan Library opened again on May 26th! The sprawling 100-acre complex is located in the hills above Simi Valley, CA, west of the northern portion of Los Angeles. There’s free parking in a lot at the top of the hill as well as along the winding road leading there.
There is so much to see and do at the “RL” that you can easily spend half a day taking in the sites located on the campus. The most famous, of course, is a now-retired Air Force One that shuttled President Reagan and other Presidents all over the world. Perched high above in the “AFO” pavilion, you can even take a walk down the center aisle and relive what it must have been like to have ridden on this highly modified Boeing 707. Fun fact: this is the only Presidential Library to have an Air Force One on site.
Besides the standard tour that takes you back in time through the lives of President and Mrs. Reagan, there is almost always a special exhibit. Coming up in July will be one that is entitled: the FBI from Al Capone to Al Qaeda. To cap off your visit, be sure to visit the library’s bookstore where you can purchase a souvenir (or two) that commemorates the 40th President - not to mention presents for friends and family members back home.
Before leaving for the day, I highly recommend visiting the (free) outside exhibits on the western part of the grounds such as a portion of the Berlin Wall, the final resting place of the 40th President and his wife Nancy and a personal favorite of mine tucked just around the corner from the bookstore: a F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter. Fun fact: this former top-secret aircraft was unknown to the American people until 1988.
For all of the latest information about one of Los Angeles’ premier attractions such as days and hours of operation, ticket prices, etc., be sure to visit: www.reaganfoundation.org