Want to Vacation Like America’s Most Powerful Men?
The places the presidents loved
The American Presidency is one of the world’s hardest and most isolating jobs. There have only been 45 men to hold the job throughout our history, and only a fellow former president can truly empathize with the daily churn of the political stresses of Washington D.C. Therefore, it is no surprise that many of these men sought a setting of solace outside of the White House.
The White House contains six floors, 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, a tennis court, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green. It is a virtual palace for our elected leader. What could make them want to leave such a wonderful building? Despite these wonderful amenities, many presidents escape their pressure-packed gilded cage to enjoy their vacation homes.
Camp David
Initially build as a Depression-era retreat for Federal workers, President Roosevelt had it converted to an executive vacation home. Located in the Maryland mountains it has been a location for diplomacy, including the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. The president’s cabin includes several bedrooms, a swimming pool, hot tub, patio, and golf hole. Overall, the grounds include a bowling alley, movie theater, restaurant, game room, library, skeet shooting, tennis courts, basketball court, and pool table. Located on spacious grounds, it is a vacation home that many presidents have shared and is the most likely place for presidents to escape for relaxation.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, known as FDR, enjoyed visiting Warm Springs Georgia where he gained relief from his symptoms of polio. He established the Warm Springs Foundation there which was the world’s first hospital dedicated solely to the treatment of polio patients. He enjoyed staying in a six-room, one-story cottage on the property.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed visiting his home, Sagamore Hill, in Long Island. It was the only home that he ever owned and featured 23 rooms and even a porcelain bathtub which was considered a luxury at the time. Roosevelt hosted delegates from Russia and Japan at the home when he negotiated the end of the Russo-Japanese War.
Harry Truman
After Harry Truman had been president for about a year and a half it was recommended that he undergo a warm-weather vacation to rest his body and mind. Key West was selected as the perfect place where a submarine base commander’s home was inaugurated as a home away from home for the president. Throughout his term, he continued to return to the base during the winter months and even hammered out the Key West Agreement which organized the eventual distribution of assets in the eventual Department of Defense.
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy had an oceanfront family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, which was the frequent summer White House of President Kennedy. The compound was a center of power as at varying times it would be inhabited by a former ambassador, president, attorney general, and senator. The Kennedys were famous for their love of seafaring activities during their time at the compound and frequently joined for worship at the local Catholic church.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was a frequent guest at the Soldier’s Home which was a place of refuge for disabled and retired soldiers. This was a particularly apropos place for the commander and chief to stay during the Civil War and it allowed him an easy commute to working in the White House. The tradition of presidents staying at the home began with James Buchanan and continued on until the administration of Chester A. Arthur. Lincoln worked on important business while he was at the home as he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation from within its confines.
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower had a dream summer home for many golf fans. Eisenhower loved vacationing at the Augusta National Golf Club and was a frequent player on their courses. The cabin was paid for by the members and it has a basement bunker for the Secret Service. Today there is still a pond that was built at his suggestion, but regrettably, the pine tree which vexed his golf game succumbed to an ice storm.
Lyndon Baines Johnson
President Johnson was a Texan through and through and he loved his cattle ranch. Known as the Texas White House, Johnson remarked, “All the world is welcome here.” Johnson would frequently host world leaders, government officials, and reporters for meetings in lawn chairs under the oaks at his ranch where he spent over 20% of his term in office. President George W. Bush also loved visiting and exercising at his Texas ranch.
Conclusion
On the surface being president can seem like a wonderful deal. You get to direct the US government, travel the world, interact with fascinating and powerful people all the while living in a spectacular home, and get paid to do it. The job, however, is not all that it is cracked up to be. You are on duty 24/7, someone is always plotting to use you, take advantage of you, or influence you. For many who miss a more private lifestyle, there is not a moment of freedom or privacy. While it may seem unbelievable that the presidents would leave such a luxurious home as the White House for a rustic mountain camp or to relax in a Texas ranch, oftentimes what they crave more than anything is a few minutes of peace where they are reminded who they once were before they were called Mr. President.
Sources
