Harry Truman's "Little White House"
Though it was visited by other presidents, including Taft, Eisenhower, and Kennedy, the Little White House in Key West, Florida is best remembered as President Truman's winter getaway. Originally constructed in 1890 as first officer's quarters on a naval base, the house is now a public museum following the closure of the base in 1974. In 1946, after a taxing year and a half in office, Truman retreated to the house under doctor's orders. He would return 10 more times, eschewing the harsh winters in Washington for the warm Florida sun. Logs of his presidential visits record Truman and his party swimming, deep-sea fishing and "relaxing and lounging about the house." After the horrors of World War II, dropping the atomic bomb and rebuilding Europe and Japan, the time off was much needed.