Prosperity is palpable at the Obama Presidential Center

As I reflect on my first visit to the newly opened Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side, I keep coming back to the opening line of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” That’s how it feels stepping into the OPC.

Outside its bounds, in the real world, chaos, division and unease define many aspects of the moment. But at the OPC, peace, unity and hope swirl throughout the 19.3-acre campus. An overwhelming sense of prosperity offers a beacon of hope for what we can be and a look back at what we once were through archives from Barack Obama's presidency, commissioned artwork, innovative programming and more.

Here, visitors gleefully snap selfies outside the towering Museum building; kids run blissfully through the sprawling grounds; and restaurant staff stop by your table to make conversation about nothing in particular even though it’s a counter-service spot.

RECOMMENDED: Inside the Obama Presidential Center: Celebs, presidents & opening weekend photos

Juxtaposing current reality with the utopian-like community that’s alive at this place that feels worlds away from the South Side was jarring, but that's what makes it so special. Since its opening on June 19, sky-high demand has wiped out two rounds of tickets through January 2027. You can still visit much of the campus for free, but if you want a ticket to the Museum, set your alarm because availability is updated on the second Wednesday of every month at 10am CT.

The OPC is, first and foremost, a place for community. It feels less like a shrine to the Obamas and political institutions and more like an open house built on the foundations that are necessary for a fruitful future.

The expansive Jackson Park campus, imagined by New York’s Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Chicago-based Interactive Design Architects, comprises the 225-foot-tall granite-clad Museum tower, Forum, Plaza, Chicago Public Library branch, athletic facility and acres of gardens and public green spaces.

One of the first stops most visitors make is on the Plaza, where many people line up to wait for their turn to take a photo next to a nearly seven-foot-tall sculpture of Barack and Michelle Obama. People are also happy to wait in line to eat at Tafari’s Kitchen, the casual on-site restaurant, which is open to the public and named after the Obamas’ late personal chef, where plates like Obama Family Chili and Tafari's Famous Ribs offer a taste of the recipes that have shaped the Obama family.

It’s here where I overhear a man tell the pair next to him that he drove three hours from Indianapolis to squeeze in a visit to the OPC while in town for a conference. This proved to be a common theme: strangers from across the country connecting over the “why” and “how” of their visits.

Inside the museum, an interactive activation created to illustrate the common threads between people did what it was designed to do right in front of my eyes. A visitor assisted someone with the activity, which asks questions like “Who inspired you?” and “How did that person shape you?” Instead of a simple question-and-answer interaction, the pair walked through the activation together, uncovering in real-time that they have more in common than they expected.

It’s possible to spend upwards of two hours perusing the museum’s eight floors. Highlights include Nigerian artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s intricate portrait, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, memorabilia from the 2008 and 2012 elections, and a note handwritten by Barack Obama on a legal pad that details his domestic agenda.

At the museum’s peak, the grand Sky Room offers sweeping 360-degree views, half of which are visible between the five-foot-tall letters from a 2015 Barack Obama speech that adorn the building’s facade. Up here, after a journey through the history of America from its inception to now, optimism runs high and hope is boundless. 

These days, life can feel like that iconic Dickens quote. But after my visit to the OPC and a thorough reminder of the progress we’ve made since the country’s founding, the possibility of diffusing division and creating a world that is not the worst but hopefully the best seems within reach once again.

The Obama Presidential Center is located at 6001 S. Stony Island Ave. The Museum is open Monday from 1-8pm, and Tuesday through Sunday from 10am-5pm. The campus is open daily from 6am-9pm. For tickets and more information, click here.