Cell Phone Tours

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s ties to the land and the community where they lived helped to shape the work they undertook to better society and the world. Visit the garden to discover the work we are doing to restore this important historic feature of Roosevelt family life on the estate.

While the Roosevelts had a plenty of space for an expansive garden, the small space garden exhibit demonstrates different systems for gardening with whatever space you have available. The designs displayed here address the common challenges faced when gardening and provide sensible solutions for the home grower. With as little space as it takes to set down your groceries, you could be growing fresh veggies.

Roosevelt Farm Lane is part of the historic road network that connected the Roosevelt Home, Val-Kill, Top Cottage, the Home Farm, and FDR’s tree plantations. From the 19th century through 1945, the flat, fertile lands along the Albany Post Road and Violet Avenue were used for growing crops, while the rugged,rocky and wet interior was only suitable for growing trees. FDR planted over 21 acres of trees were planted between 1912 and 1944.

This trail takes you to the highest point on the Hyde Park Trails. When you reach the summit, you will have made the same climb that kings and queens and a host of foreign leaders made during some of the most critical days of the 20th century. Top Cottage, FDR’s humble hilltop getaway hosted pivotal meetings that shaped world history. It also provided guests with a dramatic vantage point from which to view the natural beauty of the Hudson River Valley, FDR’s cherished home.

Get to know Eleanor Roosevelt—wife, mother, and grandmother; Hyde Park neighbor, activist, and diplomat—as you hike the paths she walked daily for recreation and quiet contemplation. See the historic buildings that hosted family gatherings as well as powerful dialog among national leaders. Explore the woodland trails that inspired many of Eleanor’s famous My Day columns.

It all began here—on the banks of the Hudson River. For centuries, the river sustained the livelihood of Native Americans, European explorers and landowners, African American slaves, and the scions of American industry. These trails traverse time, taking you on a journey from the first waterfront settlements through the Gilded Age of the early twentieth century.

Welcome to Hyde Park’s backyard! The Winnakee Nature Preserve is a community treasure, with over 100 acres of pristine woodland providing habitats for a surprising array of wildlife. Explore the woods where FDR developed his interest in forestry. Hear the stories of the Hyde Park volunteers who worked to preserve this land, and who continue to restore and maintain the woodland trails for your recreation and enjoyment.

With a presence in Hyde Park dating back to the mid-1800s, generations of Hacketts earned a name as some of the region’s leading philanthropists. The Hackett Trail takes you on a historic path through farm and forest, on land that was donated by the family for the express purpose of recreation and youth activities. The trail also takes you to the site of an important archeological discovery: a once-thriving African-American community that prospered in the 1700s.

Visit this gem of a garden. Secretly tucked behind the surrounding stone wall and privacy hedge, a walk through the gate will delight the senses in a profusion of pastel colors and the sweet spice of summer blooms. The Walled Garden at Bellefield is an often overlooked "must see" feature just a short walk from the Henry A. Wallace Visitor & Education Center at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.