dwight d. eisenhower library and museum

This was a great learning lesson beyond the presidency of IKE. I was mind boggling of his vast scope military leadership during World War II. Highlights are the showing of his decision of D-Day, defeat of Hitler, and his friendship with Churchill. Learning of the former first lady Mamie, roles and how stylish she was during their time in office. I spent over 4 hours and still felt rushed. His boyhood home is onsite and several tours daily are given. His final resting place is also on the campus with Mamie in a chapel. Worthy driving out of the way to Abilene, Kansas to visit this Presidential museum and library of President Eisenhower.

We visited the Eisenhower Library and Museum again after probably 20 years passing. The Library has rotating exhibits and this one was on the civil rights movement. It was excellent with actual copies of communication between President Eisenhower & Jackie Robinson. The first portion of the Museum is dedicated to WWII events and the back portion is on President Eisenhower, Mamie and period events and technology. You used to be able to tour the boyhood home at no charge but now you must first purchase a Museum ticket before being allowed entry into the home. The guide provided great details but you must wait until the end of the tour before asking her any questions - and she means this! The Eisenhower complex is definitely worth a visit. We spent almost six hours here.

We enjoyed our visit and learned more about President Eisenhower's leadership of our country through WWII (as the top General leading us through D-Day and the defeat of Hitler), and in the Post-War Era following Harry S. Truman. The boyhood home is still in it's original location and the tour was informative. The Museum is huge, larger than we had the time for! The visitor center was also informative and helpful in our visit.

If you enjoy history or learning about the Presidents, this is a place you must visit. We loved learning about President Eisenhower, WWII, and seeing many of Mamie's outfits. President Eisenhower's boyhood home is also on the property and it's a good reminder that in America anyone can become somebody. Also, the price of admission was very reasonable.

A friend recommended the Eisenhower Museum, so I made a detour to the museum, and it was well worth the trip. As a fan of US history, I was not disappointed. The tour of the Eisenhower childhood home was a look into early 20th century plains life. The museum's current WWII timeline exhibit was outstanding. The Eisenhower WWII and presidential exhibits were very informative. I spent 3 hours there and could have stayed longer.

The Eisenhower Library is a Presidential Library, but the Museum is about so much more. Dwight D. Eisenhower was so much more than the President the Museum was actually started before he was President, to celebrate the hometown hero who helped win the war!The exhibits seem quaint compared to many of the other Presidential Library's but the story in the museum is compelling. We started at the visitor's center and shop -- again, much more modest than other centers, but so much like Mr. Eisenhower. The introduction and newsreel footage could do with some updating and the museum exhibits should be revisited, but we did enjoy our visit. This was our second stop in 5 years. After driving across the country on our wonderful interstate system, one of the best stories of the museum was of the young Lt. Eisenhower helping to move the military across the continent. I will forever be thankful that he remembered the difficulties so many years later when it came time to build our roads. We will stop again if we are ever passing Abilene.

Spent a week here doing research in the Library, but visited the lovely and peaceful Place of Meditation (where DDE and Mamie are buried), as well as the Museum and gift shop. The Museum exhibitions are very well done, with a wealth of interesting objects to see. The current WWII exhibition brings a variety of perspectives to viewers. Children over 6 would enjoy it, as well as adults.

We enjoyed this so much. Very informative and beautiful setting. Great information about Eisenhower and what a great man he was.

If you like politics, history, or are a World War II buff, don't miss this. The museum is fascinating. Young children would most likely find this boring.

It gives an unvarnished glimpse of the past. It makes one yearn for bygone days. Ike was a war hero and Mamie was a great back up to her husband. The items displayed were fascinating. I had no feeling of an agenda being pushed. The building is beautiful, the grounds lovely and shady. It's definitely worth the time to visit there.

I had no idea about the size of this museum before we made our unplanned visit. There's not a whole lot to "do" here, so my small kids didn't really find much of interest. But if you've got time to do all the reading (and there's lots) and walk through the place (it's quite large), I'm sure an interested adult would find some great treasures. I didn't even get to the library.

I will admit I'm an Ike fan and this complex lived up to my expectations. The museum is very large and contains a lot of exhibit space about World War 2 and Eisenhower's role in it, as well as his life from his childhood in Abilene to the White House. My wife did observe that the exhibits are somewhat "old-fashioned" with lots of text; there's no way you could read it all. In addition to the Museum you can tour his boyhood home, see the statue of Ike as a general and visit the Place of Meditation, a chapel-like building where Ike, Mamie and their infant son are buried. We spent an entire day here and found it immensely worthwhile and informative on the life and times of this great American.

Start in the visitor center with the video about DDE. Then go take the house tour (only 15 minutes). Then walk across to the chapel for a look at the gravesite. Head down the walk to the Library. Take a look around & walk upstairs to see the second floor exhibit. Then head across the campus to the museum. That will take the bulk of your time. I recommend moving quickly through the temporary exhibit area which focuses on WW2 with very little specific to DDE. There is also a large gallery called the Military Gallery which you may want to skip. (Especially if you have been to the WW2 museum in New Orleans). The Mamie Gallery & the Presidential Gallery are the 2 that I would spend the most time viewing. No food for sale on site so stop by a sandwich place before you visit. You could leave your food in your car in a cooler then eat at the picnic tables that are available. Your admission is for the whole day so you can leave the museum & then return when you finish eating. Could be more interactive like some of the more recent presidential libraries but still a great way to learn about this president.

I've been to Abilene twice in the past ten years, once to use the Archives (EXCELLENT) for research, a second time because I hadn't had time to visit the museum. We were in the area, so decided to stop by.There's a lot there! The initial part of the Museum is about World War II, not only Gen. Eisenhower's part in it, but the whole war. TOO much!! Interspersed are exhibits on the Eisenhower family, politics, the presidency, etc. The wartime portion includes a lot of (interesting) artifacts that are certainly war related, but go far beyond explaining Gen. E's role. Three or four Thompson machine guns. lots of uniforms: American, British, Russian, German...overall disappointingly detailed.Looks like it was designed in the 60s to be one over the world loosely related to the Eisenhowers. Focus is diffuse, too text heavy, looks worn and dated. Needs a facelift. That's incredibly expensive, takes a huge commitment of research, and is time consuming, so probably not going to happen. We did not visit the Eisenhower home.Just to sum up -- the artifacts are really impressive, but there's just too much crammed in. Would benefit by more focus and fewer exhibits.If you're in the area you might as well visit (after visiting the museum drive west to the next interstate exit and visit the Russell Stover Candy Factory -- free samples!).

We only had time to visit the home where Eisenhower lived, the Visitor Center and the chapel where he, Maime and a young son Doud are buried. On the same grounds there is the museum, Presidential Library and memorial statue. Tickets for all the venues are purchased at the Visitor Center. It was $9 for seniors. You are not allowed to visit the upstairs of the house, similar to the Truman home rules due to lack of an exit staircase and not accessible to handicap people. The house is full of family memorabilia and the visitor center has a 20 minute movie depicting the life of this great General and President. I certainly recommend a visit but I'd allow at least three to four hours to make a dent in the museum, library, house, chapel, visitor center and memorial.