In this series of video clips, Historian Lawrence L. Knutson talks about presidential vacations and retreats. He offers anecdotes for presidents including Abraham Lincoln, Grover Cleveland, Lyndon B. Johnson, and William J. Clinton. Remarks are taken from his book Escaping the Gilded Cage: An Illustrated History of Presidential Vacations and Retreats.

Knutson is a journalist who retired in 2003 after a 37-year career with the Associated Press, where he covered Congress, the State Department, presidential campaigns, and presidents ranging from Lyndon B. Johnson to George W. Bush. He is currently working on an illustrated history of presidential vacations and retreats for the White House Historical Association.