What to see at the Nixon Library

Voted OC’s Best Attraction and OC’s Best Museum

With a visit to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, guests can tour the most modern presidential museum in the country to learn about Richard Nixon the man, his life, and his presidency.

Enjoy tours of Richard Nixon’s original birthplace and boyhood home, walk through the presidential helicopter that flew four Presidents, take in the splendor of the White House East Room and pay respects at the final resting places of President and Mrs. Nixon.

The Ambassador and Mrs. George L. Argyros Oval Office

Experience President Nixon’s Oval Office with an immersive exploration of the most famous office in the world, including an opportunity to take a photo behind the president’s desk! The Oval Office is designed in the original 1969 decor of California blue and gold, which was hand-selected by First Lady Pat Nixon.

Tour Richard Nixon’s Birthplace

Walk through Richard Nixon’s original 1910’s humble farmhouse birthplace – in the same location where Nixon’s father built it over 100 years ago – with its original furnishings. Experience life in rural Yorba Linda just as Richard Nixon did. Tours are offered all day during visitor hours.

Marine One

The glimmering presidential helicopter that took Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford to all corners of the globe. A rare glimpse into history unlike any other! Tours are offered all day during regular hours. Availability is dependent on weather.

Katherine B. Loker Center and White House East Room

The Nixon Library features an exact replica of the White House East Room, the largest room in the Executive Mansion. We invite you to join the millions of guests who have experienced its beauty and timeless elegance.

The Marlene and Fred Malek Theater

Guests begin their tour of the new museum by viewing an originally produced multi-media presentation that introduces Richard Nixon and his 50-year career in public service.

The Wave of Change

Vivid super-graphics stretch along walls as a barrage of sights and sounds brings to life some of the landmark events, people, and images of the years immediately preceding Richard Nixon’s election to the presidency. At the end of the hall, Richard Nixon is elected 37th President of the United States.

The Vietnam War

Guests are confronted with the situation in Vietnam, just as President Nixon was on January 20, 1969. Explore the contentious national conversation surrounding the Vietnam War and President Nixon’s actions and decisions. Artifacts and vivid images highlight the stories of the POWs as well as their celebrated homecomings.

Domestic Policy Vision

Discover the key ideas of Nixon’s overall domestic policy.

The Cold War

A Soviet missile replica provides a backdrop for this exhibit that explores the broader global issues of communism and the Cold War and their role in shaping President Nixon’s policy of détente. A large piece from the Berlin Wall highlights this iconic symbol of the split between the Communist and non-Communist worlds.

Pat Nixon

Step into a space that explores Pat Nixon as an influential First Lady and America’s Ambassador of Goodwill. From her world travels to domestic initiatives, Pat Nixon shaped the ongoing progression of the role of the First Lady as an active, welcoming, and vital presence in the White House and throughout the world.

 

The Week That Changed the World

Stepping through an iconic moon gate portal, relive the historic handshake between Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during the 1972 trip to the People’s Republic of China. Images, videos, and artifacts explore the relationship between the U.S. and China, Nixon’s China initiative, the diplomacy that culminated in the trip, the events of the Nixons’ time in China, and the legacy of the “week that changed the world.”

Life in the White House

A highlight of the First Family’s daily lives. An interactive experience invites guests to explore some of the events and entertaining that occurred in the Nixon White House, as well as information on the Nixon family.

The Western White House

A re-creation of President Nixon’s study at La Casa Pacifica immerses guests in the life of the working Western White House in San Clemente.

The Middle East

Explore images and artifacts highlighting President Nixon’s goals and achievements in the Middle East – most notably in regard to the Yom Kippur War – as well as how his policies in the region remain relevant today. 

Tough Choices

At this interactive station, guests play the role of an unnamed advisor to President Nixon. By consulting actual advisors and examining a multitude of official memos, reports, and news media, visitors advise President Nixon on a course of action for three important decisions — bombing Cambodia, aiding Israel during the Yom Kippur War and implementing an all-volunteer military.

1972 Campaign & Victory

Nixon’s landslide victory in the 1972 campaign provides a portal into the next gallery. A captured moment in time, scenic balloons hang frozen mid-fall above the path, and directly ahead guests hear words from Nixon’s second inaugural address.

Watergate

The exhibit explores the personalities, actions and intentions at the heart of the Watergate scandal, chronicles the events beginning in June 1971, with the leak of the Pentagon Papers and ending with President Nixon’s public explanations of Watergate after he left office. The content of the Watergate exhibit that opened at the Nixon Library in 2011 remains.

Back to the Beginning

Looking through the windows offers a serene view of the humble farmhouse where Richard Nixon was born and spent his earliest years. A gallery of displays and photos tells the story of Nixon’s family and childhood, his meeting Pat Nixon and service in World War II.

Man in the Arena

Leave behind Richard Nixon’s early years and step into a dynamic series of galleries capturing some of the peak moments of the future president’s ambitious political career, including his time in Congress, the Fund Crisis of 1952, and the Vice Presidency.

1960 and Wilderness Years

Find yourself on a re-creation of the set for the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy debates. An old-fashioned television camera hulks in its place. Following the loss to JFK, many wrote-off Nixon’s future political aspirations. Guests will see how Nixon made his remarkable comeback in the late 60’s.

The Esther and James Cavanaugh Lincoln Sitting Room

Step out of the triumph of 1968 and into a replica of President Nixon’s favorite room in the White House. This multimedia experience in the Lincoln Sitting Room delivers the sites and sounds of the important events of the Nixon presidency accompanied by commentary from the President.

The Eagle’s Nest

In a realistic re-creation of President Nixon’s New Jersey study, begin an exploration of Nixon’s work as an elder statesman and advisory to his successors in his post-presidential years.

Nixon in Popular Culture

From books to film, television, drama, opera, and more, Richard Nixon left a lasting mark on American culture. Explore both Nixon’s own contributions through his 10 books and others’ interpretations of the man and his legacy in popular culture.

Research Room

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is a nationally recognized research center that allows students and scholars the opportunity to study, debate and analyze President Nixon’s significant legacy and historic presidency.

The Nixon Library Research Room is open Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. More information on visiting the Research Room can be found at nixonlibrary.gov.