Pathways to the Presidency: A Guide to the Lives, Homes, and Museums of the U.S. Presidents

An illustrated guidebook to historic sites honoring the lives and legacies of past presidents

For serious historians and casual tourists alike, Pathways to the Presidency is an ideal travel guide to touring presidential homes and museums. Gerald and Patricia Gutek invite American history enthusiasts to journey through the private lives of our presidents―from George Washington to George W. Bush―by visiting the family homes of our former chief executives as well as the libraries and museums honoring their presidencies. Aided by the Guteks' extensive research and concise biographies of each of their subjects, readers of this handy guidebook can deepen their knowledge of these central figures in American history.

Presidential birthplaces, boyhood homes, and adult residences have been preserved, restored, or re-created by a local, state, and national historical agencies. Among the sites described in the Guteks' guide are Jefferson's Virginia plantations; the only home ever owned by Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois; the Truman home in Independence, Missouri; and the first home of Clinton in Hope, Arkansas. Beyond residential buildings, the guide also highlights all of the presidential libraries and museums, such as Kennedy's on the Boston waterfront, Carter's in downtown Atlanta, and Reagan's in Simi Valley.

The section on each president begins with a biographical sketch followed by site descriptions of their homes and libraries that are open to the public. The information needed to locate and tour each of these sites, as well as important details on admissions, operations, and contacts, is also provided. Pathways to the Presidency offers a comprehensive introduction to historical preservation and tourism connected to America's highest office and an invitation to learn more about the U.S. presidents as distinct individuals with lives rooted in the larger American experience.

Gerald Gutek is a professor emeritus of education at Loyola University Chicago. He earned his Ph.D. in education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Patricia Gutek is a former English teacher turned travel writer and editor. She earned her B.A. in English education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her M.A. in English at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago. She and her husband have written six other travel guides.