Every National Archives library you can visit — plus the Obama Center — from Hoover to Obama.
This checklist covers 14 presidential libraries and museums — also called presidential museums or presidential library sites, grouped into 3 eras below, with location and details for every entry. There are 16 presidential libraries in the National Archives system, but only 13 are open to the public as museums — Herbert Hoover (31st) through George W. Bush (43rd), with the Ford library and museum split across two Michigan cities. The Trump and Biden libraries are in the system but have no public museum yet, and Barack Obama’s museum is run privately by the Obama Foundation rather than the National Archives. Adding the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which opened on June 19, 2026, brings the total you can actually visit to 14.
The National Archives system includes 16 presidential libraries, 13 of them open to visit as museums, from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush — plus the privately run Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which opened in June 2026. Each is part museum, part archive, and part monument to a presidency. This is the complete checklist, grouped by era, with the president, the location, and the year the library opened — the perfect planner for an American-history road trip.
| Presidential Library | President | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Hoover Library | Herbert Hoover (31st) | West Branch, IA | 1962 |
| FDR Library | Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd) | Hyde Park, NY | 1941 |
| Presidential Library | President | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truman Library | Harry S. Truman (33rd) | Independence, MO | 1957 |
| Eisenhower Library | Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th) | Abilene, KS | 1962 |
| JFK Library | John F. Kennedy (35th) | Boston, MA | 1979 |
| LBJ Library | Lyndon B. Johnson (36th) | Austin, TX | 1971 |
| Presidential Library | President | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nixon Library | Richard Nixon (37th) | Yorba Linda, CA | 1990 |
| Ford Library/Museum | Gerald R. Ford (38th) | Ann Arbor / Grand Rapids, MI | 1981 |
| Carter Library | Jimmy Carter (39th) | Atlanta, GA | 1986 |
| Reagan Library | Ronald Reagan (40th) | Simi Valley, CA | 1991 |
| George H.W. Bush Library | George H.W. Bush (41st) | College Station, TX | 1997 |
| Clinton Library | Bill Clinton (42nd) | Little Rock, AR | 2004 |
| George W. Bush Library | George W. Bush (43rd) | Dallas, TX | 2013 |
| Obama Presidential Center | Barack Obama (44th) | Chicago, IL | 2026 |
Turn this list into a keepsake. The Triptyka Presidential Library Passport is a printable PDF with a checklist of every library you can visit, plus the Obama Center, a detail page for each, suggested routes, and achievement badges to earn.
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Pair nearby libraries into one trip. The Texas libraries (LBJ in Austin, George W. Bush in Dallas, George H.W. Bush in College Station) sit within a few hours of each other, and Reagan and Nixon are an easy pair in Southern California. Check hours before you drive — several close on major holidays and some have timed-entry exhibits. Budget two to three hours per library; the good ones reward a slow visit. Look for special exhibits — most libraries rotate temporary shows that are worth timing a trip around.
There are 16 presidential libraries in the National Archives system, but only 13 are open to the public as museums — Herbert Hoover (31st) through George W. Bush (43rd), with the Ford library and museum split across two Michigan cities. The Trump and Biden libraries are in the system but have no public museum yet, and Barack Obama’s museum is run privately by the Obama Foundation rather than the National Archives. Adding the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which opened on June 19, 2026, brings the total you can actually visit to 14.
They are spread across the country — from the FDR Library in Hyde Park, New York to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California and the two Bush libraries in Texas. Each one sits in a place tied to that president's life, which makes them a natural cross-country road trip.
Most National Archives presidential libraries charge roughly $10–$18 for adult admission, with discounts for seniors, veterans, and children. Hours and prices vary by site, so check the official library website before you go.
The FDR Library in Hyde Park, New York, dedicated in 1941, was the first — Franklin Roosevelt created the model of a president donating papers to the public. The Hoover Library opened later, in 1962, though Hoover preceded Roosevelt in office.
A printable presidential library passport — a checklist of every library you can visit (plus the Obama Center), a detail page for each, suggested road-trip routes, and achievement badges — makes it easy to mark off each one as you go.