First Look & Benefactor Tours
First Look: Before the World Arrives
Before the doors open to the public on July 4, you're invited in first. Early Access windows give Founding Benefactors a two-hour window over the dates of July 1st, 2nd & 3rd to explore the Library at your own pace — the galleries, the campus, the Badlands backdrop. Timed entry keeps the experience leisurely.
In order to secure your spot, please select your preferred time on your Special Events page. Spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and advance RSVP is required.
Themed Tours
Want to go deeper? Sign up for one of four small-group guided tours offered July 1–3, each led by a member of the Library team. Whether you're drawn to T.R. himself, the Badlands ecosystem, or how the building came together, there's a tour built for the way you like to explore. Tours are limited in capacity and require advance reservation.
Behind the Arena Tour
This overview tour introduces guests to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library—its purpose, core themes, and vision—through key spaces that illuminate both Roosevelt’s legacy and the institution taking shape around it. Guests will enjoy select behind‑the‑scenes perspectives that reveal how the Library functions, convenes, and brings ideas to life beyond what’s typically seen.
Landscape of a Legacy Tour
This focused tour explores the Badlands as a living ecosystem, from native plants and prairie ecology to the working landscape of the ranching era. Guests discover how deep, sustained engagement with this place shapes decisions and ideas today—from land stewardship and native plant initiatives to the ways the landscape continues to inform work at the site.
Form, Function, and Future Tour
This behind-the-scenes tour explores how architecture, conservation, and stewardship come together at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Guests discover how design choices, environmental systems, and conservation-minded strategies shape the building itself—from its relationship to the landscape to the practical innovations that support its long-term mission.
The Man Behind the Myth Tour
This in-depth tour offers a focused exploration of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, ideas, and enduring influence, framed through the Library’s exhibitions, collections, and interpretive vision. Designed for audiences seeking depth over overview, it invites thoughtful engagement with the objects, stories, and historical perspectives that illuminate the complexities behind the legend.