If you are a history buff who is fascinated with the presidency and want to visit the birthplace or residence of a past president, there are some attractive choices to consider. Presidential tourism is as old as George Washington, and it doesn't matter which party the president belongs to or whether he was revered or reviled.

Once he is gone, our curiosity is aroused. We wonder, where was he born? Where did he vacation? Where did he die? We offer several favorite presidential history spots, chosen because of their charm and the stories behind them.

Jackson's pride and joy

The nation's seventh president, Andrew Jackson, died in his bed of tuberculosis and dropsy just outside of Nashville, Tenn., in 1845. He was buried in the garden on his plantation, the Hermitage. Cared for through the centuries by a devoted preservation society, the Hermitage has been open as a museum since 1889 and is now restored to a grand incarnation of 1820s elegance.

It is filled with rich mahogany beds and desks and, unbelievably, with its original flowered wallpaper still on the bedroom walls. Jackson and his wife, Rachel, enjoyed a happy union and lively relatives.

Rachel died there when she was 61, just two weeks after Jackson won the presidency in 1828. Jackson blamed her death on John Quincy Adams, accusing his opponent of spreading vicious rumors during the campaign that Rachel was a bigamist. (The charges were true! She actually had married Jackson without legally divorcing her first husband back in 1791.)

The wonderful parts of the Hermitage are the gardens, re-created to look as they did in the Jacksons' time; the pair's elegant grave markers; and the big, wide, main hallways, where tour guides say the family slept on mats on steamy summer nights. They would throw open the doors in front and in back, and a cool breeze would blow through the house, past the tall ceilings and into every room.

The Hermitage is open year-round. The entry fee is $16. For more information call (615)889-2941 or visit www.thehermitage.com.

Lincoln's cabin

No, it isn't in Illinois. Abe Lincoln was born in the little town of Hodgenville, Ky., in a 16-foot-by-18-foot cabin that was snug for a family of four but well-constructed by able hands.

It was built by carpenter Thomas Lincoln for himself, wife Nancy, daughter Sarah and their infant son, Abe, born Feb. 12, 1809. The cabin sat by a lovely spring on a frontier plot of 348 acres that Thomas paid $200 for and later lost in a land dispute when Abe was 2 years old.

The family moved to nearby Knob Creek Farm, where they lived in another cabin -- now called Lincoln's Boyhood Home -- until Abe was 7. The reason we get to visit Lincoln childhood homes is that in 1905, famous folks like Mark Twain, magazine publisher Robert Collier and William Jennings Bryan spearheaded an effort to raise $350,000 to raise a memorial to protect the birthplace cabin.

In 1912, a grand yet out-of-place marble and granite building was erected on the woodsy site over the top of the revered birth cabin. In the 1930s, the nearby boyhood home was turned into a tourist destination.

The indoor birthplace cabin is hard to photograph because of its grim, gray marble surroundings. But the outdoor boyhood home with its crooked log fence is the iconic image from Lincoln storybooks.

February marks the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, so if you go now, you can say you were there for Abe's bicentennial moment. Entry to the birthplace and boyhood home is free, and both sites are open year-round. For more info, call (270)358-3137 or visit www.nps.gov/abli.

Madison's Montpelier

When the "father of the Constitution" and architect of the Bill of Rights wasn't forging the framework of a nation, defining our democracy and our society, Madison was at his beloved home, Montpelier, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Orange, Va.

This was his boyhood home and the home where he brought the vivacious Dolley after their marriage. He died in the study, surrounded by the books he loved. Montpelier was in the Madison family for more than 120 years until Dolley sold the property in 1844.

The Madison mansion has undergone a massive, state-of-the-art restoration, which began in earnest in 2004. The work returns the 1820s masion to how it appeared in Madison's time. After the Madisons, the home changed hands several times until William duPont purchased it in 1901 and more than doubled its size. Through extensive research, early fabric and even red flocked wallpaper was found from Madison's era, and 37 of the 52 original Madison-era doors were found in the house.

There is a visitors' center where tourists can learn more about the detective work that lead to the accurate restoration of Montpelier, as well as the restoration process itself. There are historic buildings, including the temple where Madison contemplated the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, exhibits, archaelogical sites, gardens, a freedman's cabin and farm, slave cemetery and museum shop.

Montpelier is just two hours from Washington, 1 1/2 hours from Richmond, 45 minutes from Fredericksburg, and 30 minutes from Charlottesville. It is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is $14 for adults and $7 for children and allows visitors to take a self-guided tour. For more information, call (540) 672-2728, ext.100.

Harry's hideaway

This is where President Harry Truman vacationed and President Bill Clinton recuperated after heart surgery. But you may have never heard of it: The Harry S Truman Little White House in Key West.

Now owned by the state of Florida, it is open for tours when government officials aren't visiting. But to this day, it is still available as a getaway for the beleaguered occupants of the Oval Office.

The white, airy home was built in 1890 for the commander of the Key West naval station and used in World War II by military brass. It then became the official Winter White House for Truman, the nation's 33rd president, from 1946 to 1952. He visited 11 times. Later, the hideaway was used by Eisenhower and Kennedy for policy meetings.

Decommissioned and abandoned from 1974 to 1987, it was then turned over to the state of Florida and restored. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Clinton have used the house as a getaway after they left office. In March, the home will finally be completely back to its 1940s-era glory of Truman's stays. It's fun for presidential history fans to take a tour.

The entry fee is $15. It's open year-round, except when government honchos are visiting. For more information call 305-294-9911 or visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com.

Courier staff contributed to this story.