Tens of Thousands Have Already Visited the Obama Presidential Center

Charlotte Winstead sat outside the Obama Presidential Center with a smile on her face. She and a group of her closest friends had flown hundreds of miles to make her birthday wish come true.

“Ever since the Center opened on Juneteenth, and I watched the President on TV talking about it, I have wanted to visit,” Winstead said. “And I can’t wait to tour the museum and the grounds.”

Like the dozens of others gathered on the John Lewis Plaza that Saturday morning, Winstead waited patiently. Some lined up to take a photo in front of the statue of President Obama and the former First Lady. Others walked into the Obama Presidential Center Branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Winstead wore a crown and maintained a queen’s posture, smiling and waving to others as the Plaza filled up. Staff ushered museum goers with tickets into the main building while visitors without one of the highly-sought after tickets toured the floors available to the public, the manicured grounds, and the playground.

Keily Martin and her family talked animatedly about the grounds and their plans to return for a picnic.

Martin admitted, “We saw two couples with picnic baskets lounging on the grass and said, ‘That’s us the next time.’”

The Obama Presidential Center opened on Juneteenth to rave reviews after 11 years of development and construction. 

On opening day, Obama stated, “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens.”

Tickets to tour the museum have sold out faster than front rock seats at a rock concert. Reportedly the museum tours are booked

Teenage members of the NAACP’s program, ACT-SO, moved excitedly into the museum. They were in Chicago for the civil rights organization’s annual convention.

Adelyn Jones and her friends had snapped pictures as they waited and shared them with family friends.

Jones said, “I can’t wait for my grandmother to see me here. She is a big fan of President and Mrs. Obama.”

Outside the gift shop, Amy Cash clutched two bags filled with books, a few t-shirts, and a coffee mug.

“The coffee mug is mine,” Cash explained. “My mornings just got better. Regardless of what the news is, I’ll have my mug to remind me we are still Americans–and a democracy.”

Near the Fannie Lou Hamer Walkway, Winstead and her friends posed for one more picture. She still wore the plastic crown her loved ones had given her. She recalled Obama’s remarks from the museum’s opening–”no kings” in America, but she had to confess: She’d felt like royalty at a presidential center dedicated to preserving and encouraging democracy.