“Val-Kill is where I used to find myself and grow. At Val-Kill I emerged as an individual.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
I’m writing this post 2 years after visiting Val-Kill, the cottage known as Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. It’s fun to go back and read journal entries about the visit. It was such a different time. The visit served as an escape from New York City. And without anyone around, I was able to explore and read the plaques around the grounds (the house was closed) at my leisure.
Eleanor Roosevelt is intriguing to me. I’ve always heard stories of her involvement in her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, presidency.
It was when I was at Val-Kill that I started to read about the huge impact she had and the ripple effects of her advocacy that continue to impact us all today.
I won’t do justice to telling these stories, so I encourage you to check out the history and story section of the NPS website or check out any of the books about her. I loved Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “No Ordinary Time.” But her strength and innovation are inspiring.
Your visit to the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site will start with a short walk from the parking lot to the home. The walk is beautiful looking at the home across the pond. The Park Rangers will greet you at the Visitor Center. And you can tour the home. I also encourage you to walk around the grounds. They have plaques throughout that tell stories and show pictures from when Mrs. Roosevelt was in residence.
If you’ve got the time and energy, I also recommend that you hike the Top Cottage Trail. I would say it’s a moderate hike, but only because I recall a lot of tree roots to navigate, and it’s a good incline. Top Cottage is where President Roosevelt would hold meetings with political leaders from around the world.
Missy’s Honest Take
Who this site is perfect for: Anyone who thinks they already know Eleanor Roosevelt’s story. You don’t — not really. This is the site that fills in everything history class skipped. It’s especially powerful for women at any point of transition or reinvention; her story of emerging as her own person, separate from FDR’s presidency, resonates differently depending on where you are in your own life.
Don’t skip the Top Cottage Trail: It’s a moderate hike — tree roots and a real incline — but Top Cottage at the top is where FDR held meetings with world leaders. Standing there, you understand something about the man that the official history doesn’t quite capture. Worth every step.
The thing nobody tells you: Val-Kill is only about 2 miles from the FDR Home National Historic Site. Do both in one visit — they’re completely different experiences and each one deepens the other. The combination is one of the best half-days in the Hudson Valley.
Basics
Location: Haviland, New York
Parking: They have a parking lot on the main driveway with plenty of parking
Bathrooms: I’m unsure. I visited during Covid and nothing was open. I’ve looked on the website and can’t tell for sure.
What to wear: I’d just dress according to the weather. You are going to stroll around the grounds, so you’ll want comfortable and stable shoes for that, however, it’s not an intense walk. If you choose to hike any of the trails, have more supportive footwear.
What to pack: You may want to have a picnic on the grounds. But you won’t need much for this visit.
Pet regulations: Dogs are welcome…as you would expect at the home of a dog lover like Mrs. Roosevelt. Check out the Bark Ranger program.
Best time to visit: Late spring through early fall when the grounds are lush and the walk from the parking lot to the cottage is at its most beautiful. Fall foliage here is quietly stunning — the Hudson Valley turns in October and the grounds of Val-Kill feel like a private garden. Avoid summer holiday weekends if you want the rangers to yourself.
How long to plan for: Two to three hours minimum if you do the house tour, walk the grounds, and read the plaques. Add another hour if you hike the Top Cottage Trail. It’s a half-day that feels like more — in the best way.
One More Thing – Catch Yourself Smiling moment
Eleanor Roosevelt called Val-Kill the place where she found herself. She built it as a refuge — her own space, separate from Springwood and Hyde Park and the weight of being Franklin Roosevelt’s wife. She came here to think, to rest, to be herself.
I walked the grounds without anyone else around, reading plaques in the quiet, and I kept thinking about that. The idea that a woman who changed the world still needed a place to go where she could just be. That the finding of yourself isn’t a one-time event — it’s a practice, and it requires a space.
What’s your Val-Kill? I think about that question more than I expect to.