Franklin D. Roosevelt was born at Springwood in Hyde Park, New York, in 1882. He returned here more than 200 times during his presidency and considered the Hudson Valley estate his spiritual center. Today, you can walk through the rooms where FDR grew up, entertained world leaders, and escaped the pressures of leading the country through the Great Depression and most of World War II.

The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site is also home to the nation’s first presidential library, FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt’s burial site, and more than 1,000 acres of gardens, trails, and preserved landscape.

It’s easy to combine a visit to FDR’s home with two other historic sites for a full day or a weekend in Hyde Park. Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is only about a mile away, and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site at Val-Kill is about three miles away. I’m combined all three, plus 3 more for a road trip to see 6 National Park Service sites in a day.

Touring Springwood, FDR’s Lifelong Home

You can only see the inside of Springwood on a guided tour. I arrived a little after 10:30 a.m. and got a spot on the 11 a.m. tour. Before heading to the stables where tours begin, I stopped at the Rose Garden to see the burial site of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

While waiting for the tour, I also went through the FDR, Disability, and Access exhibit. Roosevelt contracted polio in 1921, leaving him paralyzed below the waist. His struggle to regain his independence and return to politics is an important part of understanding the man who would become America’s 32nd and longest-serving president.

The stables are worth a look too. You can see stalls for Roosevelt family horses with names including Patches, Lady Luck, and, appropriately, New Deal.

Inside Springwood

My ranger, Elizabeth, introduced us to the house and its history on the first floor, where we could wander through the rooms as she talked.

There’s a lot to take in. The dining room table could seat 20. The music room was where FDR’s mother, Sara, entertained smaller groups of family and friends. Books are everywhere. FDR began collecting stamps as a child, moved on to birds and books, and eventually amassed a personal library of more than 22,000 volumes.

One of my favorite rooms was the family room. It’s large but surprisingly cozy, with books lining the walls, multiple sitting areas, two fireplaces, a desk near a window, and one of FDR’s wheelchairs. You can also see one of the ramps he used to move through the house.

Upstairs is self-guided, which I loved because you can explore the bedrooms at your own pace. The Pink Room hosted an impressive list of dignitaries, including King George VI and Winston Churchill. There’s FDR’s Birth Room and his boyhood room, complete with the Harvard Crimson above the closet door.

There’s also another guest room. Walk down the hall and you can see Sara’s and Eleanor’s Rooms. Save FDR’s bedroom for last. you can see the chair his beloved Scottish terrier Fala used as a bed, along with the dog’s collar and leash. A telephone beside FDR’s bed had a direct line to the White House.

The house remains much as it was when Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. When it opened to the public the following year, about 5,000 people toured it on the first day. You exit the house out on the South Lawn. Take a moment to enjoy the view.

Don’t Skip the FDR Presidential Library and Museum

Give yourself time after the roughly hour-long house tour for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Admission is separate, but I think it’s an essential part of a visit.

During my visit, the special exhibition “Declaring the Revolution” included one of fewer than 50 known surviving copies of an 1823 printing of the Declaration of Independence.

The museum walks you chronologically through FDR’s public life, his battle with polio, the New Deal, four presidential elections, fireside chats, World War II, and his death in 1945.

One of the most fascinating spaces is his presidential study, preserved almost exactly as he left it during his final visit on March 28, 1945. You can also see the Oval Office desk FDR used throughout his presidency. At that desk he signed landmark legislation and the declarations of war against Japan and Germany.

Another favorite is his 1936 Ford Phaeton. The car was specially modified so FDR could drive using hand controls despite his disability. His passion for the sea is represented by part of his collection of more than 400 ship models.

The library preserves approximately 35,000 objects and more than 17 million pages of documents, including thousands of letters written to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Walk the Grounds and Hudson River Estate

Don’t rush out after seeing the house and museum. FDR loved the sweeping Hudson Valley landscape surrounding Springwood and took steps to preserve it for future generations.

Today, the estate encompasses more than 1,000 acres of gardens, trails, woods, and historic landscape. Ironically, some of the trees FDR planted as part of his forestry experiments eventually obscured portions of the Hudson River views he cherished.

There’s also an on-site café, making it an easy spot to grab a coffee and pastry before exploring or stop for lunch during a longer visit.

Know Before You Go

The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site is open daily, but Springwood can only be visited on a guided tour. Tours are about an hour and take you through 15 rooms on two floors. House tours are $15, with the first tour at 9:30 a.m. and the last at 4 p.m. Admission to the Presidential Library and Museum is a separate $15 for adults.

I’d allow at least two to three hours for your visit to Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site. An hour covers the Springwood tour, but you’ll want at least another hour for the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, plus additional time for the Rose Garden, grounds, trails, and perhaps that coffee break.

If you’re combining a visit to Hyde Park with time in New York City, check out my post on visiting the 12 NPS sites in New York Harbor.