We found a way to make the War of 1812 celebration a little nerdy with an excursion to the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, home of flag maker Mary Pickersgill, whose mother was a flag-making “rival” of Betsy Ross when both lived in Philadelphia.

As we celebrate the birthday of President John Quincy Adams, here are some random and not-so-random facts about our sixth president.

“For the first time ever at a presidential library, you can sit behind the most powerful desk in the world,” declares the brochure from the George Bush Library and Museum. By traveling to College Station, Texas, you can sit in the “Seat of Power” in an Oval Office replica!

At Papa Bush’s (as my mom calls him) museum, you can get a souvenir photo for just over $10, I think. Or you can pay a small fee ($5 the day we visited) to have your camera “commissioned” to the museum for personal photos. We were all over that!

At the George H.W. Bush library and museum, you’ll encounter a plane, a limousine, a spy satellite, a boat, an Oval Office re-creation, presidential pets, a piece of the Berlin wall and video clips from Saturday Night Live and David Letterman, all while learning about the man who became our 41st president. Papa Bush (as my mom calls him) certainly seems to have a sense of fun!

“Can you tell me where Dolley Madison’s dogs are buried?” asked the very direct woman at the Montpelier visitors’ desk. This is one of the strangest questions I have ever heard on a Nerd Trip, and it is part of why I enjoy them – you meet some kooky characters along the way. Who would know that Dolley Madison’s dogs are buried at Montpelier?

We concluded the Ultimate Nerd Trip at Montpelier, home of our fourth president James Madison. Montpelier is located in Orange, Virginia, about 30 minutes from Charlottesville. Compared to the flowery gardens of Monticello, Montpelier did look a little plain, but we enjoyed the visit and learned a lot!

Happy Birthday to President John Fitzgerald Kennedy! Our 35th president was born May 29, 1917. Here some facts about JFK.