Arkansas ~ There and Back Again! ~ Part 4, Presidential Library

Once we arrived in Arkansas, one of our first stops was the Visitor Center located in downtown Little Rock not far from the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.  It turned out to be a very worthwhile stop to learn about the area, collect brochures, and tour their lovely flower garden. This delightful garden was located behind the Visitor Center and maintained by the local Master Gardeners and definitely worth a quick drop-in: After we left the Visitor Center, we were off to find our anticipated lunch spot on the itinerary..."42," a restaurant named after the 42nd President of the United States and located inside the Clinton Presidential Library.

The Clinton Presidential Park Bridge is adjacent to the Museum and beckoned us for pictures before we went in for lunch:The bridge is actually a pedestrian and cyclist bridge and connects Little Rock to North Little Rock by spanning the Arkansas River. Here I am on the bridge:And here's a view from the bridge of downtown Little Rock and the Arkansas River:Even though our political leanings aren't in this direction at all, we visited the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum for the history and respect for the office: In the photo below, we are outside on the patio...very pleasant. My lunch selection (back left): 1/2 Presidential Club with 1/2 Bowl of Chicken & Rice Basil Soup (delicious!). 

My sister's lunch was the Barbecue Braised Chicken Wrap, Mixed Greens, Diced Tomato, and House Barbecue Sauce in a Honey Wheat Tortilla served with a side of Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips:After lunch we made our way back upstairs to start our tour of the Museum: Here we are touring a replica of the Cabinet Room:  And we both tried out the President's Chair:The Museum displays 4,536 Blue Boxes which contain presidential records and represent 2 - 3% of the entire Clinton Library archival collection which is estimated at 80 million pages: The Museum was actually very interesting. Here's one display that I'd never heard of before...the Little Rock Nine. We ended up driving by the high school where this incident took place and also going to see the statues of the Nine, located on the grounds at the State Capitol:Here's a replica of the Oval Office, which was very elegant. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the room...only at the doorway looking in (an official Museum photographer was assigned to take each guest's picture sitting behind the presidential desk...for a fee, hence, we couldn't take our own):I enjoyed seeing this State Dinner table setting of the Clintons' White House china collection: Many more pictures I could post of our visit here, but this gives you an idea of some of the things we saw while at the Museum.

Have you been to this library in Little Rock? If you go, allow time to leisurely visit all the displays, tour the gift shop, watch the movie shown about the Clintons, and grab a bite to eat at 42!

I enjoyed our visit here and was glad we put it on the itinerary!

~Deb

Arkansas ~ There and Back Again! ~ Part 5, Final Highlights

Comments

[Tammy]

Looks like a great place to visit! We went to a presidential museum, and it is interesting to me how there are some things very similar (the Oval Office, the cabinet room).

[Tammy C]

Bridge is interesting.Nice picture of you there.Interesting to visit any Presidential library-i need to visit one.

Thanks for sharing your vacation pictures.

[ANA]

DEAR DEB: SIGO LEYENDO SOBRE SU VISITA A ARKANSAS Y QUEDE IMPACTADA POR LA HISTORIA DE: LOS 9 DE LITTLE ROCK. QUE TRISTE SABER DEL ODIO RACIAL, EL NEGARLE LA OPORTUNIDAD DE ESTUDIAR A PERSONAS DE COLOR, ME PARECE UN ACTO DE COBARDIA Y ODIO TOTAL, LAMENTABLEMENTE ESTO SIGUE HOY EN DIA, EN CUALQUIER PARTE DEL MUNDO VEMOS ESTA CLASE DE HECHOS, ODIO HACIA LOS DE AFUERA, RACISMO, INTOLERANCIA, DISCRIMINACIONES, POR ESO HAY TANTA VIOLENCIA, TANTA MALDAD EN ESTE MUNDO, ¿QUE ME DICE USTED SOBRE LO QUE PLANTEA TRUMP? ¿ACASO NO ALIMENTA MAS EL ODIO, MAS EL RACISMO HACIA LOS INMIGRANTES CON ESTA CLASE DE DISCURSO QUE EL USA EN SU CAMPAÑA? ES UN MAL EJEMPLO PARA EL MUNDO, EL MISMO FOMENTA LA VIOLENCIA Y EL ODIO HACIA LOS QUE NO SON DE SU PAIS, QUE LAMENTABLE, PERO TAMBIEN TRUMP TENDRA QUE COMPARECER DELANTE DE DIOS EN SU MOMENTO, Y RENDIRA CUENTAS TAMBIEN AL IGUAL QUE TODOS NOSOTROS.EN PROVERBIOS 22,VERSICULO 8 DICE: EL QUE SIEMBRA MALDAD, COSECHARA TEMPESTADES, EL SEÑOR LO DESTRUIRA CON EL CETRO DE SU FURIA, ALGUIEN TENDRIA QUE LEERLE ESTE VERSICULO PARA SU BIEN. ¿ME GUSTARIA SABER QUE PASO DESPUES CON LOS 9 DE LITTLE ROCK? ¿SABE USTED EL RESTO DE LA HISTORIA? ME DESPIDO HERMANA EN CRISTO,COMPARTO UN VERSICULO CON USTED: PROVERBIOS 17,VERSICULO 6. GOD BLESS YOUR LIFE DEB.

Translation:
READING STILL ON YOUR VISIT TO ARKANSAS AND IMPACTED BY THE HISTORY OF THE LITTLE ROCK 9. WHAT SAD TO KNOW OF RACIAL HATRED, THE DENY THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY TO PEOPLE OF COLOR, I think an act of cowardice AND TOTAL HATE, UNFORTUNATELY THIS CONTINUES TODAY IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD WE SEE THIS KIND OF EVENTS, HATE TO THOSE OF OUTSIDE, racism, bigotry, discrimination, violence WHY IS THERE SO MUCH, MUCH EVIL IN THIS WORLD. WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT WHAT RAISED TRUMP? Do NOT FEED MORE HATE, MORE IMMIGRANTS TO RACISM WITH THIS KIND OF SPEECH THAT IS IN YOUR USA CAMPAIGN? IT IS A BAD EXAMPLE FOR THE WORLD, THE SAME PROMOTE VIOLENCE AND HATE TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT YOUR COUNTRY, THAT SORRY, BUT ALSO TRUMP WILL HAVE TO APPEAR BEFORE GOD IN HIS TIME, and be accountable ALSO LIKE ALL OF US. Proverbs 22:8 says that he that soweth iniquity will reap tempests, THE LORD WILL DESTROY WITH HIS FURY AND SCEPTER, someone would have read this verse to his good. Would I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AFTER WITH THE LITTLE ROCK 9? DO YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY? I leave you, sister in Christ, and SHARE A VERSE with you: Proverbs 17, verse 6.

[Holly]

Does it make me sound shallow if I admit I LOVE seeing China? And libraries, I LOVE libraries. :) Time with sistsers is also a good thing. :)

[Bev]

Hello Deb,

I have just caught up reading about your time away. Absolutely loved all the photo's you shared with us on your trip with your Sister. Hope you have managed to make those cookies.
I do wonder how someone can let lots of people through their home, must be a few cameras put about. The views from the garden and home are stunning.
Happy days.
Bev.