Stone Cottage and swimming pool at Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

PARK AT A GLANCE

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York, preserves Eleanor’s Val-Kill estate. Franklin Roosevelt originally purchased the property in 1911, and the Roosevelt family and friends used it for picnicking and other recreational activities. In 1925, Eleanor and her friends Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman decided to build a small house so they could stay longer, with the result being the Stone Cottage.

The three women, along with another friend, Caroline O’Day, also decided to create Val-Kill Industries, a craft furniture business that would teach new skills to local people who worked in the agricultural industry, for these people had no work during the winter. Before the Stone Cottage was even completed, they began construction on a factory, a building that eventually became Eleanor’s personal residence, Val-Kill Cottage. As Val-Kill Industries grew, new sections were added to the building, with additions coming in 1928, 1929, and 1932. As a result, it is a hodgepodge of add-ons, and the overall structure has very little esthetic appeal. And being quite large—34 rooms—it goes way beyond the definition of cottage, though that is how the building is still described.

Southeast-facing side of Val-Kill Cottage, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

Val-Kill Industries closed in 1936 due to declining sales during the Great Depression. A year later, Eleanor exchanged her share in the Stone Cottage, where Cook and Dickerman were living, for the Val-Kill Industries factory building. She added another wing (the last) and converted it into a guest house for White House visitors and family and friends, as well as for herself whenever she was able to visit Hyde Park. After Franklin’s death in 1945, Val-Kill Cottage became Eleanor’s primary residence and remained so until her death in 1962.

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site was created in 1977 after a successful grassroots campaign to save Val-Kill from real estate developers who planned to tear everything down and build condominiums. The park opened to the public in 1984. The Stone Cottage now serves as the visitor center where guests can pick up a park brochure, peruse exhibits about Eleanor and Val-Kill Industries, and sign up for a free tour of the Val-Kill Cottage. A film about Eleanor plays on a loop in another building on the property, the Playhouse. There are also two hiking trails and plenty of beautiful scenery along the banks of Fall Kill, a creek that runs through the park.

OPERATING HOURS

The grounds of Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site are open year-round, though hours vary per season. From April through August hours are 7 AM to 8 PM, but during the fall and winter the closing hour is either 6 PM or 7 PM (the grounds always open at 7 AM). It is a crazy schedule, so be sure to check the National Park Service’s Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the exact times.

Val-Kill Cottage, the Stone Cottage Visitor Center, and the Playhouse movie theater are only open seasonally, typically from Memorial Day weekend through the end of December. When open, hours are from 9:30 AM to 4 PM. Current facility hours are also given on the Operating Hours and Seasons web page.

Grounds of Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

FEES

There is no fee to visit Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Tours of Val-Kill Cottage are also free, but spots on the tours are limited. Be sure to get a ticket at the Stone Cottage Visitor Center as soon as you arrive.

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Stone Cottage Visitor Center
allow 1 hour (including watching the park film)

Val-Kill Cottage Tour
allow 1 hour

Hiking Trails
allow up to 2 hours

Park Grounds
allow 30 minutes

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