'Can't wait to see you': Barack Obama announces opening date for Presidential Center

Former President Barack Obama announced the Obama Presidential Center will be open to the public from June 19 onwards. He took to X to share the news as tickets to the Museum went on sale online on Wednesday. The former president said that he and former First Lady Michelle Obama couldn't wait to welcome the public to the iconic landmark, which will include a reading room and a two-acre playground, among other things. 

"Michelle and I can't wait for you to visit the Obama Presidential Center! Starting on June 19, the Center will be open to the public, and you'll be able to check out the Museum along with public spaces like a new branch of the Chicago Public Library with a reading room, a two-acre playground, a fruit and vegetable garden, and more," the former president wrote in his post, along with pictures from the center. 

As the tickets went on sale, the non-profit, Obama Foundation, expected high demand, especially for the summer months, according to ABC7 News. General admission tickets to the museum for Illinois residents cost $26 for visitors aged 12 and older and $15 for children between 3 and 11. For non-Illinois residents, the tickets are priced at $30 and $23. Visitors can purchase up to nine tickets online, and every Tuesday, the museum will be free to visit for Illinois residents. An invitation-only, pre-opening ceremony will be held on June 18. The Presidential Center is located at 6001 S. Stony Island Ave.

Michael Strautmanis with the Obama Foundation told the news outlet that weekend and summer dates are expected to sell out quickly. "Websites look good. We've got some long waits, so you have to be patient. But if you're patient, you're gonna get in, and you're gonna get a ticket," he said.

The Obama Presidential Center includes exhibits across four floors, including a full-size replica of President Obama's Oval Office and panoramic views of Chicago via the Sky Room. While tickets are required to visit the museum, the center's large campus in Jackson Park, which includes a playground, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, gardens, walking trails, and art installations, is free and open to the public. 

When the project commenced, Obama said it would be a place where young people could find their voices. "On the South Side of Chicago—just steps from where I began my own journey as a young organizer—we're building something big. Not just in scale, but in spirit," Obama said last year. He pitched the Center as a place where people from every corner of the world could gather and exchange ideas. However, some residents of Chicago have reportedly complained that the project has caused their rent to go up. The Daily Mail last year reported a resident claiming rent for a two-bedroom apartment went up from $800 to $1,800 within months after the construction of the project began.