20 N. Coalter St., Staunton, Va. woodrowwilson.org.

This Greek Revival manse, the birthplace of the 28th president, was provided to the Wilson family by the Presbyterian Church, where Woodrow Wilson’s father, the Rev. Joseph Ruggles Wilson, was a minister.

The church leased three slaves for the household. Later, after Wilson was elected president, he visited Staunton in 1912 and celebrated his 56th birthday in the house. According to a regional newspaper, Frank Ware, a son of one of the enslaved, introduced himself to Wilson and recounted wheeling him around in a wheelbarrow as a boy.

The library houses the papers of Wilson’s doctor, Cary Travers Grayson, who administered to the president after his debilitating stroke. The papers prove that for the last 18 months of Wilson’s presidency, his wife, Edith, and Grayson kept the severity of his condition hidden.

In residence: Wilson, who was born Dec. 28, 1856, lived only a year in this house before his family moved to Augusta, Ga., where his father accepted a position as a pastor.

Admission: Adults $14; seniors and military $12; students $7; and children ages 6 to 12 $5.

Tour length: 35 minutes, conducted at 10 and 11 a.m. and 12:15, 1:30, 2:45 and 4 p.m.

Tour highlights: The 4,000-square-foot house has 12 fireplaces. Furniture that belonged to the family includes Wilson's crib, a rocking chair and a drop leaf table that has been with the house since it was occupied by its first minister, the Rev. Benjamin Mosby Smith.

Surprising facts: Wilson is the only president to have held a doctorate. And although Wilson admired cars (his 1919 Pierce-Arrow is a museum highlight), he did not drive.

What to know before you go: Among the best Wilson biographies cited are A. Scott Berg's readable "Wilson" and "Woodrow Wilson: A Biography," by John Milton Cooper Jr. Also, check out "PBS American Experience: Woodrow Wilson" at pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson.

Also worth visiting: Staunton, located a few miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, is home to the American Shakespeare Center. Stroll its charming downtown, Beverly Street, which features more than 100 shops, galleries and restaurants. On your way home, it's worth a short drive out of your way to stop at Luray Caverns.

Gift shop:There are the requisite books, for children and adults, and coffee cups, but the museum also features Virginia-made food, including peanut brittle, zucchini relish, hickory syrup, butter mints and more.

— Christine Ledbetter