Art and Artifacts On Display at The Hall of Presidents

The Hall of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom opened with the park back in 1971. Once of the classic Disney attractions it takes center stage in Liberty Square with a 25 minute film and show featuring Audio-Animatronic figures of all the past and present U.S. Presidents. Being somewhat of a history geek, I enjoying stopping to watch the show, especially on a hot day. My favorite part however is by far the pre-show area, which is home to a collection of art and artifacts celebrating the American Presidents.


The Hall of Presidents


After entering the elegant reception room, guests will find portraits of the Presidents and Landscapes of the American countryside, several meticulously created reproductions of dresses worn by fashionable American First Ladies, and many delightful artifacts from United States Presidents over the years. There is a Microscope owned by John Quincy Adams, one of Woodrow Wilson's Golf Clubs, a sports trophy from Gerald Ford, Boots that belonged to George W. Bush, and a Powder Horn used by avid hunter and Rough Rider, Theodore Roosevelt.


Case with George W. Bush's Boots


America's Third President, Thomas Jefferson, was a keen paleontologist by hobby and kept a collection of fossils in the East Room of the White House. The Fossilized Mastodon Tooth on loan to the Hall of Presidents Collection was given to Thomas Jefferson by William Clark, who with his partner Meriweather Lewis explored the American West.


Even More Presidential Artifcats on Display


My favorite artifact on display has got to be George Washington's beer mug. The thought of standing there next to a mug that was part of the daily dish set that belonged to our First President is transporting to me. I can fully imagine myself sitting down with him at lunch and sharing a hard cider out of one of those mugs.

The Hall of Presidents is a great place to spend some time discovering the history of the United States, and maybe even learning a little bit about our Presidents and the contributions that they have left us with.





The exhibits on display do change from time to time as items on loan to the collection are called back to their owners, but they are always replaced with artifacts that are just as patriotic and quirky as the American Presidents themselves. Do you have a favorite artifact in the Hall of Presidents? Leave a comment below and let me know what yours is!