Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Val-Kill)
Meet the small Hudson Valley retreat where independence, craft, and public service intersected.
Artwork inspired by Grandma Moses
Val-Kill was Eleanor Roosevelt's retreat and later her primary home: modest buildings rather than Springwood's grand house. Val-Kill Industries began here as a crafts enterprise supporting local work. The cottage rooms make her independence tangible; grounds and pond suggest a place for conversation and respite. Begin at Stone Cottage Visitor Center to understand the buildings.
Interior tours of Val-Kill Cottage are free but limited and first-come. They usually run Wednesday through Sunday in summer and fall; the cottage closes in winter and early spring even when grounds remain accessible. Ask for a tour slot before walking away from the center. Narrow rooms and stepped exits limit mobility access, so read the NPS access description before relying on an interior route.
- Interior
- Seasonal guided tour
- Ticket
- Free, first-come
- Historic work
- Val-Kill Industries
Quick guide
- Ask for a tour slot
- Free cottage tours are limited and assigned at Stone Cottage, not reserved online for individuals.
- Distinguish the homes
- Val-Kill is Eleanor's modest retreat; Springwood is FDR's family house across Hyde Park.
Know before you go
- Start at Stone Cottage
- Use the visitor center to locate Eleanor's home and interpret the enterprise.
- Read the scale
- The intimate rooms tell a different story from a presidential mansion.
- Walk by the pond
- Notice the retreat-like setting that supported thought and conversation.
- Plan for winter
- The grounds and cottage do not share the same access calendar.
Good to know
Do not drive to the Home of FDR expecting to find Val-Kill. It is a distinct National Park Service property with its own entrance and seasonal interior tours.
Notice these
- Val-Kill Cottage
- Crafts-enterprise history
- Pond and grounds