William J. Clinton Library and Museum
4.5(1.9K)google
4.1(207)yelp
HistoryEducationalHistoric Building
Overview
The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library of Bill Clinton, who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. It is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and includes the Clinton Presidential Library, the offices of the Clinton Foundation, and the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. It is the thirteenth presidential library to have been completed in the United States, the eleventh to be operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, and the third to comply with the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
Practical Info
Mon9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tue9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thu9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fri9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun1:00 – 5:00 PM
Suggested Duration2-4 hours
Best TimeSuperb year-round. The most strategic visiting window is 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM on a weekday to bypass morning school groups. This allows a quiet experience strolling through the full-scale exact replica of the Clinton White House Oval Office before heading to the glass cantilevered hallways to catch the afternoon sun sparkling over the Arkansas River.
Getting TherePerfectly situated within the Presidential Park at 1200 President Clinton Ave in downtown Little Rock. Drive off I-30 taking Exit 141A, and follow the direct city billboards straight to the museum's vast, free gated customer parking lot. Alternatively, hop onto the Rock Region METRO historic replica electric Streetcar line straight to the Presidential Ave platform.
Travel Tips
- Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, this facility enforces federal building counter-terrorism screening. All bags exceeding 12 x 12 x 12 inches are barred at metal detectors; lookups check no physical storage lockers on site.
- To maintain safe fire-code occupancy within the replica Oval Office wing, ordering half-hour timed tickets via the digital portal is required. Peak holiday walk-ups face immediate entry suspension, stranding un-ticketed clients on the open concrete plaza.
Photo Tips
Photo Rules
- Exhibits include copyrighted executive assets and state gift textiles sensitive to intense light. Setting up floor monopods, stabilizers, or running camera flash is a federal rule infraction prompting immediate security escorted eviction from the campus.
Reviews
Positive
- The cantilevered steel architectural structure bridging over the river park is stunning, making it a grand modern urban landmark.
- Features an exceptional, authentic 1:1 replica of the White House Oval Office and Cabinet Room, meticulously detailed and Gilded Age accurate.
- The archive is vast, systematically documenting 1990s global diplomacy and economic history with premium multi-language interactive media guides.
- Boasts a pristine free dedicated parking lot, flawless ADA wheelchair lifts throughout, and highly polished, courteous professional hospitality staff.
Heads up
- Unlike completely free historical sites, it charges a premium adult admission fee, and professional camera tripods are strictly banned inside.
- The biographical historical exhibits are heavily curated to focus on policy successes, glossing over major Clinton-era political scandals quite briefly.
- The onsite restaurant suffers severe kitchen delays during lunch rushes, leading to very slow meal service and frantic, rushed waiters.
- The extensive textual timelines and policy archive cases look dry and boring for young toddlers, lacking engaging, tactile hands-on children's toys.