Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

Although it doesn't look very presidential, this tiny cottage in West Branch, Iowa, was the home of the 31st president of the United States. You can really get a feel for what it was like growing up in a late 19th-century farming community here. In the age of the internet, this national historic site offers a chance to recreate Herbert Hoover's childhood.

The son of a blacksmith, Hoover left West Branch to live with relatives in Oregon after he was orphaned at age 9. The small cottage contains some original Hoover family heirlooms, including the president's baby cradle. Nearby is a blacksmith shop similar to the one his father owned. There's also a Quaker Friends Meetinghouse that pretty much the same as when Hoover's mother attended services there.

Following his presidency, the Hoover family bought the cottage and preserved it. In addition to the cottage, you can view Hoover's gravesite and his presidential library. Explore this rustic farm area to relive some of the principles of hard work and honesty that shaped Hoover's presidency.

This humble site has much of the same aura as it did in the 1870s and 1880s when Hoover lived there. Fall foliage and harvest events make the trip even better.