A Day Trip to the Reagan Library and Museum

The Reagan library is a Southern California treasure. Overlooking picturesque Simi Valley, the 100+ acre grounds of the library provides dramatic hilltop views of the valley. With expansive gardens, a museum, library, gift store and restaurant; it will take a full day to enjoy all the Reagan library has to offer.

Wake up refreshed after a stay at one of Simi Valley’s many lodging and accommodation options and start your day with some grub at one of Simi Valley’s top breakfast spots. With everything from a classic pancake breakfast to something more south-of-the-border or a quaint coffee shop, you’ll find plenty of options to fuel your day’s adventures.

Before you head up the hill, head over to Corner Bakery or Firehouse Subs to pick up a sandwich and some goodies for a nice picnic lunch in the gardens. You can also lunch at one of the onsite restaurants that offer self-service and made to order food items.

Offering an extensive view of the life and service of the 40^th President of the United States, permanent exhibits include The Berlin Wall, Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, a tour of Air Force One and a full-scale replica of the Oval office during Reagan’s Presidency. The Museum experience invites visitors to explore interactive exhibits where they can have fun acting in a movie with Ronald Reagan, setting a table for a state dinner or riding a horse with the President. Throughout the year, the museum features special exhibits like Pompeii or Holiday Lights so visit the calendar of events to view current exhibits and events.

For the history buff, a visit to the Presidential Library allows visitors to peruse the Reagan library holdings consisting of tens of thousands of motion picture film, audio and videotape, 60 million pages of documents and over 1.6 million photographs.

After your visit to the library, add an extra night to your stay and take some time to enjoy some of Simi Valley’s fun activities and things to do. Popular activities include spectacular hiking, annual festivals and events, riding the paved Arroyo Simi Bike Path, attending a performance at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, picking vegetables at a local farm or visiting the Skatelab indoor skateboarding park and Hall of Fame or other family activities.

The Reagan Library and Museum is a short 15m drive from downtown Simi Valley and offers free parking with some parking available for RV’s if your visiting from out of town. Regular museum hours are 10am – 5pm, seven days a week with the facility closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.