George Bush Presidential Library and Museum - College Station, Texas Museum

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located on a ninety-acre site on the West Campus of Texas A&M University at George Bush Drive West in College Station, Texas. It is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the preservation, research, and exhibition of official records, personal papers and memorabilia of former U.S President George H. W. Bush. Opening hours are 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 5pm on Sunday, and the library and museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

The library and museum opened to the public in November 1997 and contains 43 million pages of documents, two million photographs, thousands of video and sound recordings, and much more about the life and career of the former president. There are more than 100,000 artifacts including a White House dog house, solid gold palm trees and the Kuwaiti Door located in the Gulf War exhibit. The collections also include over 3,000 of the gifts George Bush received from foreign heads of state when he was president and vice president between 1981 and 1993.

In the main exhibit at the museum are items such as a film from 1925 of a one year old George H. W. Bush taken in Kennebunkport, Maine. There are many documents that highlight Bush's service at the CIA and United Nations, and records and correspondence from his tenure as the 41st President of the United States of America. Elsewhere in the gallery visitors will see a TBM Avenger aircraft, a 1947 Studebaker, ordinance from Operation Desert Storm, a segment of the Berlin Wall as well as replicas of President Bush's Camp David Office, Oval Office and White House Press Room.

A number of educational programs for students are run by the museum focusing mainly on the White House, the presidency, federal and local government, and United States history. The Exploring History Summer Program is designed for children aged 7 to 11 and provides activities and information on American History, science, math, drama, literary, craft and artwork. Local students are also invited annually to seminars presented by experts in science and history, as well as authors and motivational speakers.

The interactive museum offers opportunities for students to participate in dynamic decision-making sessions, mirroring the issues faced by President Bush leading up to and during the first Gulf War. The research room at the library, opened in January 20, 1998, is a useful source of information for students and adults alike. This is open from 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, but is closed during federal holidays.

Tours are organized throughout the year for students and last approximately one hour. All tours, programs, and summer programs must be booked in advance with reservations made on a first come first served basis. The museum recommends making reservations at least two months prior to the required date of the visit, noting that the busiest months of the year are usually March, April and May.