Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Val-Kill)
Val-Kill
The only national historic site in the United States dedicated to a First Lady, where Eleanor Roosevelt lived and carried out her human rights work.
Val-Kill was the country retreat that Eleanor Roosevelt built for herself, and it is the only national historic site in the United States dedicated to a First Lady. She settled here after her husband’s death, hosting visitors including Kennedy and Khrushchev, and led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Tours cover the stone cottage and her simple living room, and the surroundings include a pond and woodland trails. It is about 3 km from the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the same National Park pass covers both.
Opening hours
Thu–Mon 9:00 am–5:00 pm (shorter in winter)
Nearby sights
- Home of FDR National Historic Site & Presidential Library
- Culinary Institute of America
- Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
- Walkway Over the Hudson
- Locust Grove Estate
- Staatsburgh State Historic Site
- Innisfree Garden
- Rhinebeck