American Presidential Experience notes that exhibits are subject to change.

A

Air Force One
Visitors can tour a full-scale replica of the fuselage of Air Force One and receive keepsake photos of the experience.

Appraisals—Political Memorabilia
Bring political collections to the American Presidential Experience, have them evaluated by WorthPoint and have an opportunity to sell them in daily auctions.

Authentic Signed Documents (During Presidency) of Every President
Authentic signed documents from every American president while they were in office. This is one of the rarest collections of presidential documents assembled. This collection has just been released for public viewing after storage in a bank vault.

Author Signings
Authors will be on hand to sign books written about American politics and the presidency.

C

C-SPAN’S Campaign 2008 Bus
The C-SPAN bus brings the world of public affairs into communities nationwide. The 45-foot bus is equipped with mobile multimedia demonstration centers and TV production units that can be used as studios during live programs, such as C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.”

F

First Ladies’ Gowns
An exhibition of inaugural gowns worn by First Ladies.

First Ladies’ Exhibits
A collection of historic memorabilia of First Ladies during their time in the White House.

Florida Voting Machine
See one of the authentic, original, controversial voting machines from the 2000 presidential election.

The Flag of the United States of America
Three centuries of authentic, historic flags. Dozens of authentic historic flags show the evolving and changing flags as America grew.

H

Hail to the Chief: Take the Oath of Office
Visitors can experience taking the oath of office and being sworn in as president.

L

Lincoln Logs
Children can play with Lincoln Logs and build a frontier village.

M

Merchandising
Seventy-five vendors of memorabilia and products will be available to the public.

O

Oval Office
A full-size replica of the White House Oval Office allows visitors to sit behind the president’s desk, sign a bill into law and receive a souvenir photo.

Official Lanyards and Credentials
A commemorative 2008 American Presidential Experience credential and lanyard will be distributed to each visitor.

P

Presidential Exhibits
Presidential libraries

President Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Mobile Exhibit
A 2,500-square-foot interactive commemoration of the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln in a mobile educational exhibit.

Presidential Chairs
See replicas of three chairs used by Presidents Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Exhibits
This special exhibit includes numerous items owned by the president and First Lady such as clothing, watches, pens, signed notes, etc.

Presidential Limousine
An actual official limousine is displayed with important historical documentation and photographs of the president riding in it.

Presidential Shoes
From Johnston-Murphy Shoe Company comes eight pairs of shoes including those worn by Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and other presidents.

Presidential Bio Panels
Educational boards representing each president and their lives and times as president and particular memorabilia for each.

S

Suffragette Exhibit
Photos, documents, button, ribbons and political memorabilia from the historic struggle for women’s right to vote.

T

Three Centuries of Political Memorabilia
Rare and authentic posters, buttons and other political memorabilia from the 18th century to the 21st from the American Political Collectors Association will be on display.

Talking Presidential Heads
Ask questions of select presidents, and see how they answer in this interactive exhibit.

V

Voting Station
Children can learn about political issues, cast a live vote and have it immediately tabulated in this interactive format.

W

White House Animals and Pets
An exhibit chronicling White House pets and animals.

White House Entertaining
A formal display of White House china table settings from eight different administrations.

Washington Monument
A 20-foot-high replica of the George Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

White House Murals
Large prints 8 feet high depict the Blue Room, Red Room, Yellow Room and others in the White House.

White House Touching Façade
Façade where children can reach through openings and guess what the item is on the other side.

WorthPoint Evaluations
WorthPoint experts will evaluate antiques and collectibles—presidential memorabilia, coins, militaria and flags. Free evaluations will be provided for veterans in uniform and convention delegates.

USA Button Poll

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee

See the video of the press conference.

It is a mystery to educated people from other countries: What is it with the American fascination with presidents?

School children know their names in order by heart. Parents date important moments of their lives by who was in the Oval Office. Many people collect objects associated with their favorites. Why?

My wife, Ines, is from Peru. When I visited her family in the early 1990s and stayed at their small farmhouse about 30 miles south of the capital, Lima, they were baffled by my interest in presidents and the buying and selling of their artifacts. Peru declared its independence from Spain in 1821. Yet very few know – or, honestly, want to know – who all the Peruvian presidents have been. (There have been 72, including the current president, Alan Garcia).

Except for artifacts associated with the royal families of Europe, few people elsewhere collect and learn about their heads of state. I don’t recall collectors vying for the signatures of prime ministers, reciting their country’s presidents during their lifetimes or knowing all the presidents of Tanzania through history.

It could very well be because U.S. presidents are, in fact, us. (Or, they claim to be.) In our system where presidents are home-grown, they come from humble and privileged beginnings alike, have been educated or not, have been provincial or international, have been part of large families or single children, are religious or not, have struggled or not and have known disaster or lifelong peace.

Or, maybe it is because under our Constitution, if you are at least 35 and born in the U.S., you are free to run for the office, but only four years at a time and then only twice. That’s it.

And, we can criticize them. We can celebrate them. We can feel pride, we can feel anger, we can feel disappointment. We will always participate in their selection and evaluation, we will always have our say and we can vow do to better. No matter how they achieved their office – election, appointment, or succession – our presidents have come from where we live and we feel responsible for them – good or bad.

Through our collecting, we identify with the philosophy of our candidates and our president. The campaigns, the rewards of office, our access to the day-to-day struggle to manage a large community of interests and peoples is something felt by every one of us, every day.

Very philosophical, I know. But where else are collectors interested in Abraham Lincoln’s pocket litter or sunglasses worn by John F. Kennedy? Where else – and why – except here, would anyone possibly care about these things?