Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home

Dixon, United States

3.8

Closed now

9 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 815-288-5176
Website:
www.reaganhome.org
Address:
810 S Hennepin Ave, Dixon, IL, 61021
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Today

Today 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Dixon) 17:48 Tuesday, 1 July 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Tour the boyhood Home of our 40th President, Ronald Wilson Reagan. Enjoy a pictoral history of Reagan’s life in our Visitors Center, browse our gift shop and enjoy a short DVD before your tour begins. Once you are in the Boyhood Home one of our knowledgable volunteers will guide you through the rooms where Ronald Reagan spent his childhood years. Enjoy the stories of Reagan’s life in Dixon, IL as you visit each room in the home, walking in the same footsteps that Ronald Reagan did as a child and also as President when he visited the home in 1984. Don’t forget to pay Bessy, the Home’s Ford Model T a visit as well. Reminiscent of a car similar to one the Reagan’s might have had, this ol’ girl has been restored as well.

The Reagan Home welcomes individuals and families on a daily basis from April 1 — Oct. 31. Groups are encouraged to plan a trip to the Reagan Home as well. Please book your group tour at least two weeks in advance.

History

Established in 1984.

The family of Ronald Reagan lived in this home from 1920 – 1923 before moving to another residence in Dixon, IL. Because this address was the one that President Reagan focused on in his memoirs as «home» it is the one the community focused on when choosing a former residence to restore. After a complete restoration in 1984 the home now stands as it did when the Reagan family lived here all those years ago. The home is furnished in period furniture and décor.

Meet the Manager

Brandi L.

Manager

Brandi is the Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home. With the help of a supportive Board of Directors, small but mighting staff and top notch team of volunteers she strives to give each guest a personal and unique experience when they visit the Home.

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9 reviews of Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Ingleside, IL
The volunteers here are great. My husband, a 16 year US sailor, and our family were moving from Chicago to San Diego. I was super excited to find this spot on our way, then disappointed to find it didn’t open for a few weeks. On an off chance, I emailed to ask if they may be willing to allow us just a quick peak. I didn’t think I would get a response. I was beyond thrilled when I got an «absolutely.» We got the full tour. We truly enjoyed the guides knowledge of Reagan, his family, and the time period during which he grew up. Having had such awesome consideration in letting us come during an off-​season time made it that much sweeter. Reagan was one of my husbands favorite presidents and this stop on our trip meant the world to him.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I haven’t been in the house but we saw it from the outside. When my teenage son took a few pictures of it he called me from the car & said mom I swear to God I thought I saw a face appearing from one of the windows. I went out & looked but I didn’t see anything, but the house did kind of gave me the creeps, probably because it’s so old. I wonder if it could be haunted, because I’ve heard Reagan haunts the white house, so I’m wondering if maybe he haunts his childhood home as well.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Best front desk service ever. Bought a postcard, she forgot to charge me for postage, she said, «I’ll take it home and mail it.» AND SHE DID! My dad got his postcard a few days later.
We came upon this attraction by accident. I was so hungry on our cross-​country road trip, I was shouting at Lovey that if he didn’t take the next exit off the I-​88 I would probably strangle him and leave his corpse at the next Hampton Inn.
When we got off to find a Taco Bell, what we found was the wonderful Reagan Boyhood Home.
It’s very interesting, that Reagan spent a very small amount of his childhood in this house he pinpointed as his home, because it was the only actual freestanding house his family could afford (he grew up in apartments in small town Illinois, apparently). It’s a really wonderful Montgomery Ward prefab house from the early 20th century or late 19th century, with all the original hardware and woodwork. A lot of fun to see.
CAVEAT, but also BONUS: the ladies who run the tour totally hate each other and are always politely arguing with each other and competing with each other. It’s like seeing small-​town politics alive and in action in real time. This is what happens to the Junior League in their 60s and 70s in Dixon, Illinois!!! It’s FABULOUS. This combative behavior in a public forum makes some people nervous, but I LOVE IT.
Seriously, don’t miss this place. We went a year ago and we are still talking about it.
Place rating: 4
Indianapolis, IN
Howdy there, Mr. Reagan’s Boyhood Home. You are about as American as they come standing there all two stories of you with white paint, a wrap around porch and Victory Garden blossoming in the back yard. Thanks to a new intentional mission to pull over when a «brown sign» (roadside attraction markers) catches my eye, I have visited two presidential homes in the last month on whim.
Only 5 minutes off the highway, you can easily visit this home and the visitors center within an hour’s time. The visitor’s center is filled with memorabilia from the President’s time as a cowboy celebrity, an old rolling video, and a mini gift shop. And, if you’re into agriculture or technology, the site in which John Deere Company started is just up the road. Two brown signs in one shebang, eh?
Place rating: 3
Northbrook, IL
If you find yourself in Dixon, IL, you might as well hit this spot and get your bedtime for bonzo fix. Located in a nice residential neighborhood, this historical house is an inexpensive and quick visit. Bonus — located just off the main drag and not too far from the highway.
$ 5 adult, kids 12 and under free. There is a lot provided for parking, public restrooms and a gift shop in house next door where you purchase the tickets.
Like the sign says, Dutch only lived here for three years as a boy so not sure if that totally qualifies as his boyhood home, but it is a cute home, small and tight, and maintained nicely. Apparently Ron did tour it, gave it his blessing and swore that tax dollars will never support it. You can process this tour in fifteen, twenty minutes top.
Place rating: 2
Arlington Heights, IL
This would have been a cool experience had I been able to go inside. It was not wheelchair accessible.
There is a $ 5 fee which is weird because Lincoln’s home is free.
Also Reagan only lived here for a few years not for the vast majority of his childhood.
Place rating: 4
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Driving through Dixon… we decided to drive by this house and just check it out from the outside.
I checked in on Unilocal and Foursquare… and an offer popped up on Foursquare for the first person to check in daily. The offer was for a 50 flavor set of Presidential Jelly Beans. At first I didnt want to go inside, but decided to go into the visitors building, and there was an older woman working who wasnt sure what the offer was. She went and let another woman know, and she went to get my jelly beans. Its a HUGE box, and one of the coolest things! I was so glad I went inside and decided to ask about it.
We did not do the tour, but took some pictures outside, and it was really neat even for not going inside.
Place rating: 4
Effingham, IL
Being a history buff and a fan of Reagan I really enjoyed this visit.
At the visitor center, they have several rooms dedicated to the life time of the President with simple, quotes and facts, most of which is well known to anyone who is even a slight fan of Reagan. Nonetheless it is nice to walk thru. The gift shop is nice and they have a real good book selection there as well. The girl who was at the visitor center was very pleasant and knowledgeable.
I found the walk thru of the boyhood home of Reagan was very interesting and the tour guide spewed out a good number of interesting facts of the personal lives of the Reagan family. The home itself is modest and you clearly get the picture that Reagan came from a very humble background.
As one other Unilocal poster commented, the home is very small, so you will not need a lot of time to get thru the home. We did our visit well under an hour. She also points out, rightfully so, that if your in a wheel chair or have difficulty climbing stairs, you will not be able to make it upstairs. But, the tour is inexpensive and you can make it to the first floor. So, if your a fan of Reagan and in the area, you should still stop in.
Place rating: 3
Dixon, IL
I went here when I was in 6th grade as a field trip for my middle school; it was pretty lame for a 6th grader. I did learn a lot about Reagan though.
The house is really small, and I recently learned that this Reagan home is that it is not a national historical mark because it does NOT have every area as wheelchair accessible. So don’t come if you are in a wheelchair; you can go to the first floor, but you’ll miss his oh-​so-​exciting bedroom upstairs.
The famous penny under the tile is in this home.
One thing that made me very upset is that the road right in front of the house (Hennipen; also the start of the Dixon, IL, Reagan Run 5K race) is literally the WORST road in Dixon. When driving on it, at 10 mph, I literally thought we were going to blow out a tire… It was scary. The City of Dixon reaaaaaly needs to get on that!