Follow in the footsteps of greats in the Great Lakes

As America welcomes their first mixed race president visitors can follow in the footsteps of some other famous presidents who started their path to ‘greatness’ in the Great Lakes.

Springfield, Illinois is a presidential Mecca. Home to the State Capitol where Barack Obama served as Senator and the Old State Capitol where he announced his candidacy for president. One of the best known Presidents, Abraham Lincoln met his wife, practised law, served in the House of Representative, was elected president and came home to his final resting place in Illinois. In his honour visitors can explore the award winning Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield or rub the nose of his bronze bust for luck at the Lincoln Tomb.

In Chicago tourists can take the Presidents Walking Tour and visit the University of Chicago Law School where Obama taught law. Top it off by visiting Grant Park where he gave his infamous victory speech “This is Our Moment of Time!”

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president and one of the nation’s favourites. Born and raised in Dixon, Illinois visit his boyhood home to appreciate his small town beginnings. People were always at the front of Reagan’s mind and this has been commemorated with a sculpture for his efforts towards world peace and freedom at the Wings of Peace & Freedom Park.

For a different take on all things presidential, a trip to the Hall of Presidents & First Ladies in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is a must.

In the Hall of First Ladies visitors can tour the exhibit of The Smithsonian Collection of First Ladies Inaugural gowns authentically reproduced. The museum also features the nostalgic Eisenhowers at Gettysburg exhibit, highlighting the years spent by the Eisenhower family on their farm just outside of Gettysburg.

Grand Rapids, Michigan is home to the President Ford Museum. The permanent exhibits are the core of the Museum's program that allows visitors to interact with history.

Museum staff organise and host special events, everything from a 1940s fashion show to activities for school children. The Museum also hosts naturalization ceremonies for new citizens and opens the grounds to the community festivities and fireworks on the fourth of July. Along with this the museum houses Ford burial sites for visitors to pay their respects.

The state of Ohio is referred to as the "Mother of Presidents" because eight of its native sons - more than any other state - have served as U.S. President. Ohio also lays claim to the first presidential library in the nation - the Rutherford B. Hayes Library/Museum in Fremont that opened in 1916. This memorial to the 19th President served as a model for later presidential libraries, in particular the FDR Library.

Visitors to the Centre can tour the Hayes Home and Hayes Museum, utilise the vast resources of the Hayes Library, visit the President's burial site, see the original gates from the White House, and walk through 25-acres of President Hayes' beloved "Spiegel Grove" estate.

For further information on the Great Lakes of North America log on to greatlakesnorthamerica.co.uk.