Grounds of Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

The grounds of Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site are open year-round starting at 7 AM. Closing times vary per season, but from April through August the park is open until 8 PM, and at other times of the year it is open until at least 6 PM. The only exception is that all grounds and facilities are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. See the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the current schedule.

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site is 181-acres in size, but only a small part of it is of interest to most tourists. There are hiking trails to the south and west of the buildings that make up the Val-Kill historical area, but other than that, the park is comprised of forest and wetlands. Only the grounds immediately surrounding the historical area have any features that tourists might want to see.

Within the historical area itself, which includes the Stone Cottage Visitor Center and Val-Kill Cottage, are two gardens, the cutting garden and a rose garden. The cutting garden was established in 1937 and is located next to the Playhouse (which itself is next to Val-Kill Cottage), and the rose garden is in the field to the east of the buildings. When at the cutting garden, the large building in the background is the Roosevelt’s stable and garage.

Cutting garden at Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

There are also some man-made structures of note. There has been a swimming pool at the southeast side of the Stone Cottage since 1927. The original was spring fed, but when Franklin Roosevelt became president, his doctors convinced him that any pool he swam in should have a filtration system, so the spring-fed pool was replaced with the current filtered-water pool in 1935. However, what stands today is a little deceiving. When Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site was created in 1977 and opened to the public in 1984, having an easily accessible swimming pool for somebody to fall into and drown was not a good idea, so the pool was covered and remained so all the way until 2017. Today’s pool actually has a false bottom, so it is only a foot or so deep. This may keep people from drowning, but pity the person who attempts to dive in.

Swimming pool at the Stone Cottage, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

To the east of the historical area in a large field that borders Val-Kill Pond is a tennis court constructed in 1950, and a little farther is an outdoor fireplace / grill and the Doll House, a children’s playhouse.

Tennis court at Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

The fireplace was built in 1933 and used often for cook-outs and picnics. The Doll House, which was originally called the Swan Cottage, was commissioned in 1935 by Sara Roosevelt, Franklin’s mother, and located at Springwood, the Roosevelt’s estate on the Hudson River. It was for her grandchildren. After Franklin died in 1945, Eleanor had the house moved to Val-Kill where it became known as the Doll House. (Note that in the photo below, the back of the house is shown.)

Outdoor grill and children’s Doll House on the grounds of Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

The natural area of the Val-Kill grounds includes Fall Kill, the creek that flows through the property, and Val-Kill Pond, which was created when the Roosevelts dammed Fall Kill. Today it is largely filled in with vegetation, but it was a wide-open pond in Eleanor’s day.

Val-Kill Pond, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

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