Hyde Park NY New York
Frequently Asked Questions
On the east bank of the Hudson, below the great estates. The sites lie a few minutes' drive from one another: a shuttle or excursion is needed, as nothing is truly within walking distance.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home: he was born here, grew up here and is buried here, in the estate's rose garden. The house is toured with a guide and retains its original furnishings.
Springwood and the FDR Presidential Library form the core of the visit. With extra time, add the Val-Kill cottage or the Vanderbilt Mansion, but not both.
The first presidential library in the United States, a short walk from Springwood. It holds the archives of the longest presidency in American history and presents the Great Depression and the Second World War from the White House's vantage point.
Eleanor Roosevelt's cottage, set apart from the grand estates. Modest and personal, it offers a moving counterpoint to the neighbouring opulence and tells the life of a woman who mattered as much as her husband.
The house Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt built above the Hudson, the summit of American Gilded Age display. The contrast with the plainer Roosevelt home is the real interest of the visit.
One of the continent's leading cooking schools, based at Hyde Park on the Hudson. Its teaching restaurants, run by students, are open to the public by reservation.
No, not from site to site. Distances are measured in driving minutes and there is no central village: this call is done by shuttle or organised excursion.
May to October. Autumn is spectacular in the Hudson Valley, with colour across the estates and the river; the gardens are at their best in June.
Moderately. The historic houses demand attention and are toured in guided groups; the large estates, on the other hand, offer wide lawns and Hudson views where everyone can breathe.
