Roosevelt Cottage

Top choice in Down East


The highlight of a trip to Campobello Island is a visit to the 34-room 'cottage' where Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt spent many fine summers. Free guided tours depart every 45 minutes or so, and provide a fascinating insight into the Roosevelts' days on this serene island.

The house has been little altered since 1920, with original wallpaper, furnishings, artwork and other memorabilia – such as the giant megaphone Eleanor hollered into when she wanted to gather the children from outside; the piano where the family would gather over songs in the evening (which happened sometime after the 5pm martini hour, a ritual to which Franklin was rather devoted); or the impressive 'President' stove, which was a cheeky gift to FDR from his mother.


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