Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Grand Opening

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Podcast Episode Overview

Tennis-ball-sized hail, 100-degree heat, and a weather warning that caused us to miss the glamping trip we’d been looking forward to for weeks. We (almost) risked it all to make the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

In this episode, we’re sharing everything we experienced at the brand-new library in Medora, North Dakota. This is a bit different than our usual content, but if you love Teddy Roosevelt as much as we do, and you’ve been keeping up with our Theodore Roosevelt National Park episodes, you’re in for a treat!

In this episode, we cover:

Why we headed to Medora, North Dakota for the Library’s July 4th weekend grand opening
The wild weather (including 60 mph winds and tennis-ball-sized hail) that forced an evacuation of our campground
A first look inside the library, including how the building itself was designed to blend into the Badlands
The Man in the Arena exhibit room, where Nick Offerman voices Teddy Roosevelt himself
The Elkhorn Ranch room and the story of the cabin where Teddy Roosevelt went to heal after devastating loss
The AI Teddy Roosevelt you can actually talk to, plus the AI photo booth that inserts your whole family into his story
The 1,776-drone show that closed out the celebration

Your task for today: Head over to the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page and tell us which Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library exhibit you’d want to experience first — the Man in the Arena room, the Elkhorn Ranch cabin, or a chat with AI Teddy himself!

Planning your own Theodore Roosevelt National Park adventure?

Episode 141: Our favorite scenic drive in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and more: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/best-scenic-drives-in-the-national-parks/
Episode 149: Exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park: Best Tips + Activities: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/exploring-theodore-roosevelt-national-park-best-tips-activities/
Episode 150: 5 Fascinating Fun Facts About Theodore Roosevelt National Park: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/5-fascinating-fun-facts-about-theodore-roosevelt-national-park/
8 Things You Can’t Miss on Your First Visit to Theodore Roosevelt: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/8-things-cant-miss-first-visit-theodore-roosevelt-national-park/
Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/
National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/
Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/

Our Visit to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Grand Opening

We had no plans to visit North Dakota this year, much less take a trip around the Fourth of July. Our family has been traveling so much, and honestly, we were looking forward to some rest.

But when you get invited to the grand opening of a library honoring one of the most legendary figures in national park history, you don’t say no!

That’s how we ended up in Medora, ND for the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. In this episode, we talk about all things Teddy, what makes this library so remarkable, and why Theodore Roosevelt National Park is worth seeing on your way there.

Our Trip to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Grand Opening

Medora is the gateway town to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and nearly everything is named after him, too — hotels, gift shops, and now, a library.

So when we were invited out for the library’s grand opening on July 4th, timed to the 250th Independence Day, we couldn’t say no.

We’ve already done a few America’s 250th celebrations this year, but having one that also celebrated someone who is probably our favorite historical figure topped our list. The chance to be there for the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, in the town that has shaped so much of his story, was worth the trip.

The Weather Did Not Cooperate

We were set to camp at a glamping site set up specifically for the event, arriving one day after a large group of other guests. The night before we got there, severe storms rolled through Medora, with 60 mph winds and hail the size of tennis balls.

The campground had to evacuate, and organizers scrambled to find hotel rooms for everyone in an already sold-out town. We ended up missing the glamping experience entirely, which was disappointing, but we were relieved we weren’t there for the worst of it!

When we arrived the next day, parts of town were still flooded from the storm.

That wasn’t the end of the weather drama, either. The first night’s drone show over the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library was canceled because of high winds, right as we were sitting there watching a dark, cloud-covered sky roll in.

By the final day of the celebration, the town flipped to the opposite extreme, with temperatures near 100 degrees that pushed the outdoor Medora festivities to shut down early.

INSIDER TIP:
Extreme heat may not be top of mind when planning a trip to North Dakota, but if you’re coming to Medora in the summer, we recommend packing for it. Don’t forget that North Dakota’s summer storms can bring damaging wind and hail with very little warning, and the same week can just as easily swing into triple-digit heat.

Suffice to say, it pays to be prepared for both!

Touring the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

Once we finally got inside the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library itself, we forgot all about the weather. The building is designed to blend into the Badlands, with a grass-covered roof and a shape that tucks into the hillside rather than standing out against it. Inside, tall ceilings and layered walls echo the coloring of the Badlands themselves.

Every guest gets a wristband at the entrance, which is used throughout the library to scan into interactive exhibits, collect a running set of animals room by room, and track your progress.

Our kids treated it like a scavenger hunt, and more than once we ended up backtracking to an earlier room because they were determined to find every last animal before we moved on to the next one.

INSIDER TIP:
Budget more time than you’d expect for a self-guided walk-through. The wristband scavenger hunt genuinely slows kids down in the best way, but it means a “quick visit” isn’t realistic here.

The Exhibit Rooms We Loved Most

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library has exhibit rooms built around specific chapters of his life.

The Man in the Arena Room

The Man in the Arena room centers on Roosevelt’s famous “Man in the Arena” quote, displayed in backlit 3D letters on the wall. A rotating group of well-known figures, including a former president, a late-night host, and a celebrity chef, take turns reading the quote aloud as the words light up.

Nick Offerman, who voices Teddy Roosevelt throughout much of the library, reads other portions elsewhere in the exhibit.

The Elkhorn Ranch Room

The Elkhorn Ranch room walks you through one of the hardest periods of Roosevelt’s life. You pass through a dark room displaying the journal entry he wrote the day his wife and mother died within hours of each other, then step into a re-creation of his Elkhorn Ranch cabin, where he went to heal.

An interactive book lets you flip through the seasons of the view from his cabin window, and beyond the cabin, a recreated front porch puts you among ranchers gathered around a fire.

Other Rooms We Loved

Other rooms recreate his expedition down the Amazon’s River of Doubt, using an immersive, all-around video experience while you sit in a canoe.

Another room recreates his time with the Rough Riders, with an immersive battlefield video and troop movements mapped out around you.

And perhaps most memorable…an AI version of Roosevelt, trained on his own speeches, books, and journals, sits at a desk and answers visitors’ questions directly.

There’s also a photo booth experience where your wristband triggers an AI-generated image of your family inserted into a costumed scene from a specific era of his life, which gets emailed to you afterward, along with a short personal letter “written” in his voice.

The Grand Opening Ceremony and Drone Show

The grand opening ceremony itself included a flag ceremony delivered by the Rough Riders, a Roosevelt reenactment of the “Daring Greatly” speech, and an Air Force flyover. Fun fact: One of Roosevelt’s direct descendants was also in attendance!

The celebration closed with a drone show made up of 1,776 individual drones, spread across three nights, with each night’s formations narrating a different chapter of his life, and drone formations of a bison, a sequoia tree, and Devils Tower.

It doesn’t get much more Teddy Roosevelt than that.

Our Take on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

We’re adding the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library to our recommendations for anyone visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

On its own, the national park tells you about the scenery and some of the history. Paired with the library, the whole story comes together more clearly, giving you a newfound appreciation for Theodore Roosevelt and his incredible life.

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