At the Frederick Douglass National Site in Washington, D.C., you can walk the halls of the famed abolitionist, author and orator’s home, known as Cedar Hill. Come along on this Nerd Trip to see where and how Douglass lived, plus hear the name of the guest who caused three girls on our tour to squeal with delight.

Take a walk with Nerd Trips through London’s Chelsea neighborhood to see the homes of some famous literary figures, including Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain and George Eliot.

Out of respect, I know we probably shouldn’t refer of our presidents as “cute,” but look at this crate filled with Woodrow Wilsons in the gift shop at the Wilson Birthplace and Presidential Museum in Staunton, Virginia. (Only $11.95!) See what else we saw in this “Part 2” of our Nerd Trip.

The gift shop is just down the block from the presidential museum, which I visited after first touring the birthplace of our 28th president (see previous post).
At the museum, a bust of President Wilson greets you on arrival (much more stately than the doll).

He’s the man who followed Honest Abe, and let’s be honest, Andrew Johnson is one unpopular president. One book I have describes Johnson as a “hard-drinking, racist, self-made man from Tennessee who was snatched from obscurity by Abraham Lincoln only to become the first president in American history to be impeached.” Ouch.
However, after touring his boyhood home you may gain some respect for our 17th president – this guy went through a lot!

Just down the road from Lincoln’s boyhood home, we made a pit stop in Santa Claus, Indiana, “America’s Christmas Hometown.” Even though we visited on a brutally hot August day, it’s always Christmas in Santa Claus. The strip mall is called Kringle Place, home to Holiday Foods and the Santa Claus Museum. There’s Santa’s Candy Castle, and, across the street, you’ll find Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort. There was even a car wash covered in holiday decorations.

When planning a Lincoln trip, my first thoughts would be Illinois or Kentucky. But at a family reunion in Jasper, Indiana, a cousin changed all that when he asked, “Did you know that Lincoln grew up near here?” That launched my mom and me on a Bonus Nerd Trip to Lincoln’s Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana!

Now it’s time to hit the road as we start the driving tour of the LBJ ranch, a place that served as a driving force in the life of our 36th president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, shaping how he viewed the world. The Visitor’s Center offers a car audio tour CD featuring information, soundbites and music, which really adds to the experience.