Don't Back Down

My parents were in town for the holiday and we decided to go visit The Billy Graham Library. For anyone who doesn't know, the library isn't really a library in the classic sense - it's more like a presidential library, that acts as a memorial. For Ruth Graham (Billy's wife), it really is a memorial - her grave is actually on the grounds, in a prayer garden.

There is a bookstore at the end of the tour, which actually gives a vague unsettling feeling. It's almost like a tourist trap, where you end up in the gift shop once you're done. I understand and all - there isn't an admission fee, and it's really nicely done, but still - you're just dumped there, which just sort of stinks.

The grounds are actually quite nice. The place is easy to get to, the staff was all very nice, and the price is certainly right. Those of you who remember all the hubbub about the building of the place may recall Bessie the Cow, who Franklin Graham wanted to have meeting people as they came in despite Billy Graham's thoughts that it might cheapen the place. Bessie is there. And she really isn't all that bad.

When you enter the cavernous building you are instructed to go to the information desk. Do so, because that's where you get your tickets for the show. I'm not quite sure why you need tickets, since it's free, but hey, that's what you do. It's a little odd since you go to the middle of the great room to get tickets, then off to the side to see Bessie. But again, that's the way it's set up.

Then you have to wait an indeterminate amount of time to actually hear Bessie tell you about little Billy Frank and how he would preach to a stump if he could. It's not a bad story - the only bad part is that you have to wait, and people aren't really sure how to get you from the information desk to the start of the tour. You have a time on your ticket, but Bessie isn't really in the circuit, so be aware of that.

Once you get in line for the show, you get a brief introduction to a few people to pass the time, then you get a movie in a small room, and then you pass into the tour proper. There you meet young Billy Graham in his canvas tent revival that went on for weeks, and how his star rapidly rose. It's a nice production. From there you move on to a room where you learn about Ruth Graham, and then into a media room where you find out about Billy's involvement with radio and television, and the association's production of movies.

Scattered through are rooms with miscellaneous information on what Billy Graham has done individually, as well as what the association has done, and there are even cards that the kids can pick up that will help keep them interested in goings-on (for a while). Be warned, however, that it doesn't work all that well. There are only so many time that they care about counting bible verses on the wall. It would have been better if they had to do more finding of what the verse was about, rather than strict counting. Maybe our kids had just aged out or something.

The tour isn't overly long, but it was just getting to the point where our kids were getting really restless when it came to a close, and we exited through the gift shop/bookstore. There is also a small cafeteria area, but rather than what could be a nice experience isn't. The food seems okay, but it's fairly well mass-produced, and the Graham Brothers Dairy is just a few pre-chosen sandwiches and such, where they could have milkshakes and a soda fountain or something. It could have been better. I understand it's not a true entertainment destination, but there's no reason that it can't be that too.

Also on the grounds is the restored Graham family home, which looks a whole lot nicer than I would have thought it would have. I don't know what I would have expected, but that just wasn't it. The upstairs isn't open, and only a couple of rooms downstairs have been restored. Probably worth a look, but not overly impressive. Maybe we were just worn out by then.

All-in-all, definitely worth the price. Have you been? What did you think?