Visiting the Presidents

We are heading back to the East Coast for Brookline, Massachusetts, and the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, our 35th President! Few First Families have had as many connections, wealth, and access as the Kennedys, and none have had the amount of tragedy and heartbreak. Learn about John's childhood, dominated by his father and older brother, his childhood illnesses and mischievous streak, and hi...

At long last, we head to the Lone Star State for the birthplace of Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President, in Denison! Learn about Ike's childhood and the family's struggles in Texas and Kansas, and how Dwight found his place at West Point and in the military. Truly a man shaped by his time, ready when his country needed him, hear how Ike worked his way to the top as well as what happened to...

We are heading to the Show-Me State for the only time this season for the birthplace of Harry S Truman, 33rd President, in Lamar! One of the most unlikely rises to the Presidency, and overshadowed by his predecessor, learn about how Harry Truman's childhood in Missouri shaped the man and President he would become, as well as what happened to his birthplace! Check out the website at Visitingth...

Heading back to the Empire State for the fourth time to visit the birthplace of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President, in one of the elite homes of the Hudson River, Springwood in Hyde Park! Learn about how Franklin's childhood of privilege shaped his early worldview, and what happens to change his course and provide him some of the tools that will make him one of the most beloved preside...

We are finally crossing the Mississippi for the first time, visiting the rolling hills of Iowa and the birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 31st President, in West Branch! Truly a child born to poverty and heartbreak, learn about how the childhood of Bert shaped the adult and president he was to become, as well as what happened to his birthplace! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for vis...

Our second trip to the Green Mountain State, and the birthplace of maybe our quietest President, Silent Cal himself! Learn about Calvin Coolidge, 30th President, and his childhood in this idyllic setting and how his childhood tragedies and upbringing shaped the politician and leader, as well as what has happened to his birthplace and town, Plymouth Notch, Vermont! Check out the website at Visiting...

Time to Regulate...Warren G! The last of our Ohio Presidents, and a strong contender for one of the most corrupt administrations. Our 29th President, Warren Harding's strengths were always in his politicking, if not his managerial style, so learn about how these were shaped by his childhood, as well what happened to his birthsite in Blooming Grove! Check out the website at VisitingthePresiden...

On the road to the last of our Virginia Presidents, an unreconstructed product of the Old South, in Woodrow Wilson (28th President) and his birthplace in Staunton! Learn about Wilson's childhood and how it shaped his later views, as well as what happened to his home in Staunton! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and...

Back to the Buckeye State for one of our most reluctant presidents, known more today for the size of his body than the size of his ambition, William Howard Taft, 27th President! Learn about his birthplace in Cincinnati, and how his father helped the pave the way for William, as well as what happened to his birthplace!   Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, pas...

A Visiting the Presidents Bonus! My friend Matt Hochstetler and I have had an annual meet-up to some presidential sites the last few years, and it's usually one of the highlights of my summer. Get his version of visiting some of these sites as well as his take on travel, presidents, and more! You'll love Matt!  Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, pa...

Rough Riders have to be born somewhere, and Teddy Roosevelt, 26th President, picked a whopper: right in the heart of Manhattan, in a lovely brownstone and surrounded by wealth and wonder. Perhaps no president had as many opportunities, and no president exhibited as deep a love for life as Theodore Roosevelt, our third New York-born President, and the man who transformed the Presidency! Check out t...

Back to the Buckeye State for the 25th President, William McKinley, born in Niles, OH! McKinley is a bridge between the two eras, one of steward presidents (like his fellow Ohioans) and the more dynamic presidents who followed him. Learn about his childhood, service in the Civil War, and rise in Ohio politics, plus what happened to his birthplace in Niles, and what you will find when you visit!  ...

To keep our numbering for the season, Episode 24 is a Question & Answer Episode, featuring questions from some of the top fans of "Visiting the Presidents"! Included in this episode are: -"Which zodiac sign made the best president?" -"What was the coolest presidential pet?" -"Do wars make great presidents?" -"What did the presidents carry in their p...

Let's hit the road and visit Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President, in North Bend, OH, the only town that claims two presidents (other than New York City and Quincy, Mass)! North Bend was the home of William Henry and his grandson was born in his house. Learn about Benjamin's childhood, the offspring of the famous Harrison clan, and his unique rise to the presidency, as well as what happened...

A Visiting the Presidents Bonus! My friend, Stephanie Gaskill has perhaps visited more presidential sites with me than anyone else, and I wanted to get her perspective on these presidential travels! Listen to Stephanie's version of events and the importance of travel! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, and other information! Support the s...

Woke up this morning, got myself a...Grover Cleveland? Let's head to Caldwell, NJ, birthplace of Grover Cleveland, the 22nd (and 24th) President, and the home of Tony Soprano (never elected president). Grover is the only Garden State born president and one of a few whose father moved from town to town as a minister! Learn about Grover's childhood and his quick rise through New York polit...

Chester who? Our 21st President, and the first from  the Green Mountain State, Vermont, and another big birthplace controversy! Find out why Chester Alan Arthur was suspected of not being an American, why his family was always on the move, and why his own lies added to the controversy! Also learn what happened to his birthplace and what kind of commemorations they have in Fairfield, Vermont, as we...

The last of the Log Cabin Presidents! Growing up on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, James Garfield, 20th President, had yet another unique upbringing, marked by tragedy and his own perseverance (James might have been the president with the most wide-ranging jobs before becoming Commander-in-Chief)! Learn about James' childhood and political rise, as well as what happened to his birth cabin i...

What isn't a fraud is Rutherford Hayes' birthplace commemoration in Delaware, Ohio! One of the best examples of a recent birthplace improvement, learn about the connection between a BP Gas Station and Rutherford Hayes' birthplace, as well as a his childhood and rise to political power! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommen...

U.S. Grant, our first Buckeye president, born along the Ohio River in Point Pleasant! A man who was mediocre at almost everything UNTIL the Civil War, learn about his childhood and education, as well as what he was doing when the War broke out! We will also explore the life of his birth cabin and the small town of Point Pleasant! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids,...

The Tailor Tasked with Rebuilding the Union, Andrew Johnson is remembered today as the first to be impeached and a man without a party. Learn about Johnson's hard-won independent streak, and how the extreme poverty of his childhood and lack of education stayed with him throughout his rise to the presidency. Learn, as well, about the three (!) different birthplace commemorations of Andrew John...

Time to break out the top hats and Lincoln logs and head on the road to visit the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president! The furthest west of any president until Herbert Hoover (!), learn about Lincoln's rough upbringing on the frontiers of the Midwest, his thirst for knowledge and books, and what happened to his birth cabin and his birth site at Sinking Spring, outside Hodgenvill...

Mind the (Cove) Gap! Visiting the birthplace of James Buchanan, possibly one of America's worst presidents, in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, gives you an appreciation for life on the unsettled outskirts of the new country, and what Buchanan emerged from. Learn about his rise through the political scene and the role his parents played in his career, as well as what happens to his unique birthplace!...

The only presidential birthplace that you need scuba gear to access, come along as we go to New Hampshire for the first and only time, and visit the birthplace of Franklin Pierce, the 14th President! Learn about Pierce's childhood and what he inherits from his parents, his rise in politics and the blind spots he has regarding slavery, along with what happened to his birth cabin...suit up! Che...

Millard? Fillmore? Was a president? Come along and visit Millard Fillmore and his birthplace in rural Cuyuga County, New York, and his true rags-to-riches(?) rise to the presidency. Millard was a real product of his time, but his birthplace is commemorated at two separate sites! Learn about one of our forgotten presidents and what we expected of a president during this era! Check out the website a...