Everyone has a bucket list, and ours includes visiting every Presidential Library. We checked off another one in October by visiting the new Theodore Roosevelt Library in Medora, North Dakota. With our visit to North Dakota, we also checked off visiting a state we’d never been to—North Dakota!
The TR Library opened with a lot of fanfare on July 4th, helping our country celebrate its 250th anniversary, with even President Trump stopping by for the grand opening. It’s a fantastic library built to blend into the Badlands landscape that surrounds it. It even has a walkable roof we climbed, where we enjoyed expansive views and 140,000 native plants.
But inside is even more impressive, with a wide array of interactive and AI-generated exhibits that were amazing! After checking in, visitors can use an interactive wristband system called Trailblazer that takes their photo and uses it to make the exhibits feel personal.
The galleries blend history, artifacts, multimedia shows, and a simulated TR who answers any questions you ask him! Visitors could go to a podium, tap their Trailblazer bracelet, and ask TR anything. Instantly, he would come up with answers addressing you personally!
TR came to life and answered questions from anyone wearing their Trailblazer bracelet at one of the many interactive displays.
Lowell and I have read several books about TR, but one we especially enjoyed is “River of Doubt,” about his harrowing and doomed adventure to map an uncharted river in the Amazon. One of the best experiences at the library was a recreation of this trip when TR nearly died from a leg wound and narrowly made it back to civilization.
We entered a room and were immersed in multimedia projections of the sights and sounds of the dense jungle and deadly rapids TR and his entourage endured for 61 days. It brought the perilous expedition to life, as if you were in one of the dugout canoes.
Outside, the library is surrounded by elevated walkways that meander through the stunning Badlands landscape. No expense was spared on the library inside and out, with a reported price tag of $450 million! A few locals told us they spent $60 million on the concrete alone.
It features two wings: one for public library exhibitions and the other for archives and special events, with a breezeway in between offering great views of the Badlands.
The fantastic breezeway in between the two wings of the library!
One interesting display was of the 1912 assassination attempt on his life, including the metal glasses case and folded manuscript that stopped the bullet from killing him, his shirt with the bullet hole, and an X-ray of his chest showing the lodged bullet.
The galleries were in chronological order of TR’s life that included interactive multimedia displays.
One display included plenty of information about the infamous Rough Riders, and another featured one of TR’s shotguns that he used on trips to Africa and the Amazon.
Getting to Medora wasn’t difficult, but we spent the first night in Jamestown, South Dakota, and made it to Medora the next day in about 3 1/2 hours on Interstate 94. Medora is a small town but has plenty of lodging and restaurants, and it’s the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our best meal was at the Rough Rider Hotel Theodore’s Restaurant, where we enjoyed a perfectly prepared ribeye steak.
We stopped at the Painted Canyon Overlook on the way to Medora, with a visitor’s center, viewing platforms, and hiking trails.
We hit the off-season, but Medora is known for its Medora Musical, which features a 2,900-seat open-air amphitheater that is situated right below the library. The musicals run June-September, offering a wide range of live shows and entertainment.
As golfers, we discovered the nearby, aptly named Bully Pulpit Golf Course. It’s nestled down in the valley of the Little Missouri River. The day we played was picture-perfect, and we enjoyed the fall foliage of the turning golden Ash trees. The 18-hole course was challenging, and on the back nine it featured a few elevated tees with drop-offs of over 100 ft and 360-degree views of the area. From one of the elevated tee boxes, we could even see the library a few miles away.
With this visit, I got my Presidential Library Passport stamped for the 8th time. There are 16 official libraries, and we hope to hit them all! I highly recommend visiting the Theodore Roosevelt Library if you have a chance; it’s definitely the best we’ve seen so far, right up there with John F. Kennedy’s in Boston and Ronald Reagan’s in Simi Valley.
