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Herbert Hoover National Historic SiteWooden-topped pupils' desks furnish the inside of a one-room schoolhouse.
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Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Things To Do
 

Do you have... 

 
Wooden rail fence on the edge of the tallgrass prairie.
NPS PHOTO
A wooden rail fence marks the edge of the 81-acre restored native tallgrass prairie.

A full day?

Start at the Visitor Center to get your map and plan your day. See a 12-minute film and exhibits on Herbert Hoover's childhood. Take a self-guided walk or join a ranger for a guided tour of four historic buildings: the Birthplace Cottage, the Blacksmith Shop, the Schoolhouse, and the Friends Meetinghouse.

Make sure to spend at least an hour and a half at the Presidential Library and Museum. to learn more about Herbert Hoover's distinguished life and career. The Presidential Library and Museum also offers changing exhibits on other historical topics.

Visit the Gravesite of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover, then take a walk through the restored 81-acre Tallgrass Prairie.

 
Two marble slabs mark the gravesites of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover.
NPS photo
Two marble slabs mark the gravesites of Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry Hoover.

A half-day?

Start at the Visitor Center. See the 12-minute film. Take a self-guided walk through the historic grounds to the Presidential Library and Museum. Spend a a couple of hours at the Library and Museum or visit the Gravesite before taking a walk through the Tallgrass Prairie.

 
Books and slates on the students' desks in the one-room schoolhouse.
NPS PHOTO
Books and slates on the students' desks in the historic one-room schoolhouse, built in 1853.

A couple of hours?

See the film and plan your visit at the Visitor Center (15 minutes). Take a self-guided tour of the grounds and historic buildings (45 minutes). Visit the Presidential Library and Museum (45 minutes) Stop at the Gravesite on your way out (15 minutes).

 
A small, white two-room cottage with a white picket fence and a flower bed.
NPS photo
Herbert Hoover Birthplace Cottage is a small two-room house that stands on the same corner as when it was built in 1871.

One hour or less?

See the 12-minute film and plan your visit at the Visitor Center, then take a self-guided tour of the grounds and historic buildings.

Then come back again when you have more time to visit. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is much more than a quick stop off Interstate 80!

Wooden picnic shelter.
Picnic shelters
Descriptions, rules, and reservation forms
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Girl with a junior ranger hat speaks with a park ranger.
Be a Junior Ranger
Activities for kids in the park or at home.
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Yellow coneflowers in the lush green prairie grass.  

Did You Know?
General Land Office surveyors who first came to Iowa commented that the territory was fit only for waterfowl. Eighty-five percent of Iowa used to be soggy tallgrass prairie.
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Last Updated: October 07, 2008 at 17:52 EST