Interested in an intellectual outing to spice up a slow weekend? The nearby Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum has got you covered. Located on 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd by the Yorba Linda Town Center, the museum celebrates and tells the eventful story of Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States born in Yorba Linda in 1913. With long, decorated corridors and small, snug theaters, the museum retells the former president’s personal life and his trials in political office.

While the presidential library is temporarily closed for research until further notice, the presidential museum is open everyday from 10 AM to 5 AM. Admission prices for adults (18+) is $23 for a ticket; for youth (12-17), $17; for children (5-11), $13. Seniors’ tickets (62+) are $19 each and tickets for retired military members are $17 each. Toddlers (age 4 and under) and active military members (with a valid ID) may enter the museum for free. 

Built on the site of President Nixon’s birthplace in Yorba Linda, the museum hosts an expansive garden with exhibits on President Nixon’s environmental policies, as well as an indoor corridor displaying the Nixon administration’s legacy in advancing empowerment for women. Adjacent to the garden is the late president’s birthplace, which is open for guests to step inside and tour. A nearby Presidential helicopter is typically open for tours; due to the coronavirus, the helicopter’s interior is temporarily closed to guests. Yet, the gem of the museum lies in the museum’s galleries – 21 rooms decorated with exhibits and educational plaques recounting the personal life and political career of the 37th president of the US.

The galleries focus much more on President Nixon’s political legacy; his impact is most notable in foreign affairs, a field that Mr. Honig (Staff), an AP US Government and Politics teacher, notes that President Nixon was particularly skilled at handling. “Nixon was especially smart at handling foreign policy,” he says. “Part of that, too, was because he would surround himself with great advisors.” 

While the museum certainly celebrates his accomplishments, it also won’t shy away from objectively discussing the lowlights of the President’s tenure, being sure to address and unravel the complicated threads of the infamous Watergate scandal. Reliving Richard Nixon’s life from his birth to his death, his first political ventures to the last stamps upon his legacy, the museum draws you into the journey of a hardworking young boy from Yorba Linda on his path to becoming President of the United States and making a lasting impression on world history.