Barack and Michelle Obama greet first visitors to Presidential Center in Chicago, now open to public

After a star-studded, high profile opening ceremony, the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is now open to the public Friday.

The eight-story museum sits on a 19-acre campus that includes a new branch of the Chicago Public Library, an events and programming center called the Forum, a brand new playground, parks, gardens, a 58,800 square foot Great Lawn, and a athletic facility called Home Court featuring a NBA regulation basketball court.

There was a steady line of people waiting to get pictures with statues of the Obamas, go inside the library or the Forum, waiting to get into the museum. But people said they didn't mind the wait because it's a monumental day.

Barack and Michelle Obama surprised the first visitors to the museum by greeting them in person, much to their delight. They also held a reading for children in the center's library branch.

The first people in line were a group of young boys and their farther. Bronzeville resident Denise Hughes was left in awe.

"Barack and Michelle, they did their thing over here," she said. "This is nice. This is very nice. I hope it stays like this."

In the John Lewis Plaza and infectious beat had a lot of people moving their feet. Just a few feet away, there was a long line for the statue of the Obamas. 

Tony Beard and his wife Tisa flew in from Nashville Thursday just to come to the Obama Presidential Center. 

"We want to get a picture with the Obamas so we can actually take this back and share with our own son that, hey, we were here and making history," Tony said. 

And the significance of the historical day of the opening — Juneteenth — was apparent to all.

"It's amazing, because to see that this was the day and we recognize the saves were free, but to be around this many people — not just our color but all colors — and enjoy this in the citty of Chicago Illinois," Beard said.

Visitors enjoyed the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden and the Great Lawn. Anthony Lacy, who traveled from Texas, brought his two granddaughters to the playground. 

"I want them to experience it because this is something I saw, I witnessed him being president and they just read about it and stuff," he said. "So I wanted them to come out and see some of the stuff that he did."

Inside the museum, visitors will see and hear the 44th president's words just about everywhere. A four-story digital display features important speeches and milestones.

Guests can sit at the president's desk in a full-size replica of the Oval Office, and there's also an exhibit on former first lady Michelle Obama's wardrobe.

During their speeches at Thursday's grand opening extravaganza, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett and President Barack Obama emphasized that the museum and the center as a whole are not monuments to a man or a presidency, but to the American people and the work everyone has done to defend and advance American democracy.

"You're going to have fun, you're going to learn, you are going to see yourself in the stories that we tell," Jarrett told the crowd.

"If you come for a day and you don't have time to see everything, I would urge you to skip the clips of my speeches — you have heard them all before — in favor of the stories of those ordinary citizens who helped make that change happen," Obama said.

An interactive "We the People" exhibit lets visitors add their name to the screen, with each dot representing one person in a larger image. And at the very top of the towering museum is the Sky Room, with sweeping views of the city framed by words from Obama's "You Are America" speech on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches.

A Girls Scouts troop from Nashville got an early scoop on the center during a recent visit.

"I feel like, we all took it all in when we came in," said 17-year-old Nora Ensley.

"They can do some incredible, amazing, things. It can start as early as now. And I think that museum kind of brings that forward," said troop leader Phylicia Moye.

And while visitors can find the newest branch of the Chicago Public Library on the campus, what the Obama Presidential Center does not have is a traditional presidential library. The Barack Obama Presidential Library is the first all-digital presidential library available online through the National Archives' Digital Research Room and National Archives Catalog; digital artifacts can be accessed through the National Archives' Digital Artifact Collection. The digital presidential library is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. 

Tickets to the museum are sold out through the end of November, and the next batch of tickets has not yet been released. Only the museum requires timed tickets for entry; the rest of the campus, including the Forum, Home Court, public library branch and grounds are free and open to the public.