The 5 Things You Can't Miss at the Clinton Presidential Center
1. The Oval Office
As close as you can come to being inside the President’s office, this is the only full-scale replica of the Oval Office in the world. Still, it won’t look like the one President Barack Obama uses—the replica is decorated exactly the way it was during Clinton’s time in office, right down to the items on the desk and bookshelves. It’s said that Clinton wanted visitors to feel the office’s majesty and mystique.
2. The Cabinet Room
Another recreation, the center’s Cabinet Room mirrors the way the actual room looked during Clinton’s administration; even the artwork is accurate. The tallest chair, located in the center of the table, indicates where Clinton sat. Visitors can sit at the table, which is embedded with monitors that detail actual decisions that were made around the table.
3. Former Cadillac One
Part of an exhibit on the Secret Service, this 1993 Cadillac limousine – featuring an armored body and armored glass – chauffeured Clinton around the country. Unlike previous models, which were usually Cadillacs that were modified and adapted by outside limo companies, this limo was the first to be completely designed, developed and manufactured within GM and Cadillac.
4. The 110-Foot Timeline
The major feature of the entire center, the timeline’s panels visually recount major events – not just political – that occurred when the Clinton administration served as the face of the nation. At the base of the timeline are books filled with the complete presidential schedules for almost 3,000 days of Clinton’s term, a nice complement to bits of Clinton correspondence featured throughout the center.
5. The Visiting Exhibits
A steady stream of visiting exhibits comes through the center each year. Recent ones include “Nathan Sawaya’s Art of the Brick,” which showcased Sawaya’s masterpieces he created out of LEGO bricks, and “Play Ball! The St. Louis Cardinals,” which featured more than 100 pieces of St. Louis Cardinals memorabilia, including the World Series trophies from 2006 and 2011, championship rings and more.
