Eight Days in November Change What's Up the Hill at the Reagan Library

Friday, November 6, is the last day of the only Reagan Library ticket period with published prices. Starting Saturday, the museum at 40 Presidential Drive takes on three new things in eight days. When they're done, it will be running a world premiere, its biggest Veterans Day morning and a holiday display together through the New Year.

1. Saturday, November 7. Diana: Love Life Legacy opens as a world premiere and runs through May 31, 2027.
2. Wednesday, November 11. The library's Veterans Day commemoration, with a flyover at 10:30 a.m. if the weather permits and the program at 11 a.m.
3. Saturday, November 14. An American Christmas opens with 26 decorated trees and stays up through January 3, 2027.

For anyone in Simi Valley who thinks of the library as the hometown museum, the order of those three dates matters more than any one of them.

Friday is the last day of the posted price

The library's online ticketing now asks visitors to pick a period before anything else. The first runs from September 14 through November 6, 2026, and is labeled "Regular Museum Admission." The second runs from November 7, 2026, through May 31, 2027, and is labeled "Diana: Love Life Legacy Exhibition + Regular Museum Admission."

The library's visitor information page lists prices only for the first period, under the heading "Tickets for September 14 - November 6." Those rates are $16 for adults, $13 for seniors 62 and older and for college students, $9 for ages 11 to 17, and $6 for ages 3 to 10. Children 2 and under, Foundation members and U.S. active-duty military get in free. The Diana-period price hasn't been posted. If you want to see the permanent galleries or Air Force One at a known price before the new exhibition arrives, Friday is the last day to do it.

The Foundation's pages describe the new period in two ways. The An American Christmas page says admission covers both the Diana and Christmas exhibitions. The Foundation's Plan Your Visit page says members and their guests get in free but special temporary exhibitions carry a separate fee. Members planning a Diana visit should ask the front desk what they'll owe before they go.

Two other rates still apply. The Foundation gives veterans with valid military ID, and college students with valid college ID, $3 off when they buy tickets in person. Family members and guests pay full price. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

What opens Saturday is built for crowds

Diana: Love Life Legacy has more than 700 artifacts. The Foundation lists the "Travolta" dress, on loan from Historic Royal Palaces, along with the "Black Sheep" sweater, the "Caring" dress, the "Final Goodbye" gown described as the last one Diana tried on, her wedding slippers, Lady Dior accessories, jewelry and handwritten letters.

One item ties the show to this building in particular. The Simi Valley version pairs Diana's pieces with objects from President and Mrs. Reagan's own archives, including the invitation to the 1985 White House State Dinner. The exhibition was produced by Exhibits Development Group with The Princess & The Platypus Foundation, using pieces from The Princess Diana Museum collection. The Ventura County Star reported the world-premiere date on September 1.

The Foundation says it expects large crowds and recommends buying tickets in advance. The online checkout includes a "Day & Time" step, so plan to pick a date when you buy. Parking is free and first-come, first-served. When the visitor lot fills, cars park along Presidential Drive and a free shuttle runs up to the entrance. No separate parking plan has been posted for opening weekend.

Wednesday at 11, in two places

Four days after Diana opens, Veterans Day brings a different crowd. This year November 11 falls on a Wednesday, and two Simi Valley ceremonies start at the same hour.

The library's Veterans Day Commemoration begins with the 10:30 a.m. flyover, weather permitting, and the program starts at 11 a.m. The grounds also host a Civil War encampment and a military vehicle display. According to the Conejo Valley Guide's listing, the program includes an honor guard, live music and a keynote by retired Marine officer and sniper Amatangelo "AJ" Pasciuti. After the program, Pasciuti will sign his book, Dark Horse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life. A documentary, Atomic Echoes, screens at 1 p.m.

The outdoor events and the program are free, and the Foundation recommends reserving a spot for the program. For this one day, veterans with valid ID get into the museum free. On other days they get the $3 in-person discount. Active-duty service members are always free. That means a veteran's first visit to the Diana exhibition can be free on November 11, the busiest morning of the week.

Across town, the Rancho Simi Recreation & Park District and partner organizations hold their own ceremony at 11 a.m. at Rancho Tapo Community Park & Veterans Plaza, 3700 Avenida Simi. It includes music, speeches and recognition of the veterans who attend. Since both programs start at 11, plan on one. For the library's flyover, arrive before 10:30.

The trees arrive in a building that's already busy

When An American Christmas opens on November 14, the Diana exhibition will have been open for a week. One admission covers both. This year the Foundation presents the display as the close of America's 250th celebration. Its 26 trees trace American life decade by decade from 1770 to 2020 and beyond. The display also includes a Gold Star Family Memorial Tree, which families can add a loved one to by asking at the front desk; a "Totally '80s: From Reagan to Rubik's" tree; and a set of handcrafted menorahs given to President Reagan while he was in office.

Santa doesn't arrive until after Thanksgiving, when the library is closed. His visits are grouped mostly on weekends at first, then run daily the week before Christmas.

Those dates show the calm stretch. Between November 15 and Thanksgiving, both exhibitions are up, Veterans Day is over and Santa hasn't arrived. After Diana's opening weekend, that's the time with the fewest events on the library's calendar.

The December dates to plan around

Most of the library's holiday calendar happens on top of regular admission. A few dates work differently.

The dinner adds a $15 charge per highchair, and reservations close Monday, December 7, at 10 a.m. Lunch reservations close Thursday, December 10, at 10 a.m. The New Year's Eve price goes up on December 1, so the lower price lasts through November.

The December 5 closure lands on the same Saturday as the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center's Winter Art Marketplace, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with local artists and makers, food, holiday music and free admission. The Cultural Arts Center is also staging A Christmas Carol – On Air! from November 28 through December 20. Down at Simi Valley Town Center, Photos with Santa start November 14, the same day the library's trees go up, and run through December 24 by reservation. Pet Photos with Santa take place on November 23 and 30 and December 7 from 3 to 7 p.m.

For a quiet visit, the posted calendar points to two windows: Friday, November 6, at the old price, or a weekday between November 16 and Thanksgiving, when both new exhibitions are up and no special events are scheduled.

If a museum day this season brings up a bigger question about a Simi Valley home, whether it's timing, an estate or a move across the Conejo Valley, The Dingman Group is glad to help with the same care you'd give to planning around a busy holiday calendar. A free home valuation is an easy, no-pressure place to start.