CLERMONT, Fla. — When people think about U.S. Presidents and American History, most tend to think about Washington D.C. 

But the Presidents Hall of Fame in Clermont can also teach you that history, just a little differently.

What You Need To Know

  • Presidents Hall of Fame in Clermont showcases American History by highlighting all former and current presidents

  • The Presidents Hall of Fame was originally a wax museum, but quickly expanded to presidential memorabilia, artifacts and replicas, including one of the White House

  • The museum hopes to teach people about the men behind the presidential terms, including the late Jimmy Carter

  • Presidents Hall of Fame is most known for their detailed replica of the White House

“It’s a walk-through history. There are not many wax museums around anymore,” said Presidents Hall of Fame Curator Tommy Candido.

Candido has been the curator there for 13 years and says they opened in 1964. The Presidents Hall of Fame was originally a wax museum, but quickly expanded to presidential memorabilia, artifacts and replicas, including one of the White House.

“The replica of the White House. It’s a 1:12 scale model of the White House itself and it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest doll house,” Candido said.

The museum also gives folks the chance to celebrate presidents like the late Jimmy Carter.

“Well, number one, he was the longest living president,” explained Candido. “I mean, he lived to 100. Ironically, he was the first president to be born in a hospital.”

The exhibits also allow people to see Carter’s likeness, and even how he and other presidents set up their Oval Offices.

They also showcase personal letters he has written to the museum, as well as memorabilia to highlight his upbringing.

“He was basically just a peanut farmer. He wasn’t very well known at all,” Candido shared. “He became governor at one point in Georgia, but at that time, nobody was really paying attention to Georgia either.”

The museum hopes to showcase leaders, who can sometimes seem out of reach, in a different light.

“Well, a lot of people seem to you know hate on whatever political party, but yeah, I think Jimmy Carter was really a philanthropist,” Presidents Hall of Fame regular Benjamin Tria said. “Like he did a lot of house building, was involved with the church and yeah, it’s just nice to see some of them, at least are real people.”

The Presidents Hall of Fame is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 p.m.-4 p.m.

To learn more about the museum, visit their Facebook page.