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New York

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

December 10, 2025 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

New York

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1940

211 acres

Website: nps.gov/vama

Overview

The Gilded Age is the term referring to the period from the Civil War to the end of the century, a time of growth in industry and immigration. Gilding is the process of putting a thin layer of gold on an object to improve its appearance and was used as a slight to the nouveau riche families that built lavish mansions and threw extravagant parties. Shipping and railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt’s grandson Frederick purchased this 600-acre Hyde Park estate in 1895. He and his wife Louise had the mansion there torn down and it took nearly four years to complete their 54-room mansion ornamented in beaux arts style. It was the first in the area to have electricity, which was supplied by its own hydroelectric plant. It was inhabited by the family only in the spring and fall with as many as 60 staff needed to run the place. When Louise’s niece could not sell the property during the Great Depression, her neighbor President Franklin D. Roosevelt suggested she donate it to the National Park Service.

Highlights

Mansion, Pavilion, Formal Gardens, Hyde Park Trail

Must-Do Activity

The only way inside the mansion is on a one-hour guided tour that does not take reservations. They can be purchased at the visitor center inside The Pavilion, a guest house built in 66 days in 1895. The grounds are free to explore, where you can walk on the carriage roads, picnic at the overlook, and peruse the Italian gardens. The mansion was designed by the leading architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, known for their emphasis on high classicism. It features a large living room, grand staircase, and semicircular portico overlooking the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains. The house cost $660,000 at the time, while the interior furnishings pushed the total cost to $2.3-million (equivalent to about $90-million today) since many of the decorations were purchased in Europe.

Best Trail

Vanderbilt Service Road Trail loops through this 211-acre site and Bard Rock Road Trail splits off to a point on the Hudson River. Hyde Park Trail follows the river south to connect with the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site.

Photographic Opportunity

The landscape design (and a ginkgo tree) on the property dates back to the 1700s, while its current look was restored to its 1930s appearance.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://nps.gov/vama/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$15 per person for the mansion tour or use the annual America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

Parking and access roads are paved from the Albany Post Road (Highway 9).

Camping

Mills-Norrie State Park is located 3.5 miles north on Highway 9 and has a campground offering running water and hot showers.

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (New York)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah

Explore More – Who were the authors who coined the term “Gilded Age” in their 1873 book?

New York

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

June 14, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

New York

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1944

645 acres

Website: nps.gov/hofr

Overview

In 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was born at Springwood, his family’s estate on the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York. In 1905, FDR married his distant cousin Eleanor and moved into the mansion with his mother. FDR contracted polio in 1921 and was paralyzed from the waist down, so some changes were made to Springwood to make it more wheelchair accessible. After FDR became President, noteworthy visitors to the house included England’s King George VI and Winston Churchill. FDR was buried on the property in 1945 and Eleanor in 1962, in the rose garden alongside Fala, their famous Scottish terrier. Exactly one year after his death, the mansion opened to the public.

Highlights

Springwood, FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Top Cottage, Hyde Park Trail

Must-Do Activity

Start your visit at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center where you can purchase tickets for the tour inside the mansion (reservations recommended), the 22-minute film A Rendezvous With History, the Presidential Library and Museum (not managed by the National Park Service), and Top Cottage, which is located behind the nearby Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Tours meet inside the visitor center then walk a quarter-mile to the mansion. Top Cottage was built in 1938 and is only accessible on a guided tour in the summer, which a park ranger discouraged us from going on saying it was mostly a seminar-style discussion of world politics (Top Cottage tours were closed through at least 2022).

Best Trail

Hyde Park Trail connects Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site with Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site following the Hudson River. The trail then heads two miles east towards Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and Top Cottage.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Freedom From Fear is a sculpture of a man and woman made from a section of the Berlin Wall, installed here in 1994 with a companion piece at the Winston Churchill Memorial in Fulton, Missouri. Both were created by Edwina Sandys, Churchill’s granddaughter.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/hofr/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$10 per person for mansion tour or free with America the Beautiful pass; $10 per person for Top Cottage tour with $5 off for America the Beautiful pass; separate entry fee for FDR Presidential Library and Museum

Road Conditions

All roads are paved with ample parking.

Camping

Mills-Norrie State Park has 45 campsites about five miles north of Hyde Park on Highway 9.

Related Sites

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (District of Columbia)

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (New York)

Floor inside the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center

Explore More – In what year was there an assassination attempt on FDR?

Michigan

Keweenaw National Historical Park

October 21, 2021 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

The Keweenaw Peninsula juts north into Lake Superior from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and is home to the richest copper ore (97% pure) on the planet. American Indian artifacts made from this region’s copper have been found at several other National Park Service (NPS) sites, such as Georgia’s Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and Ohio’s Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. In the 1840s, immigrants representing 38 ethnic groups flooded this area to work as miners. More recently, the NPS led a project to recreate historic buildings and archaeological sites within the digital world of Minecraft (click here for an article).

Highlights

Adventure Mine Tours, Quincy Mine, Delaware Copper Mine, downtown Calumet, Laurinium Mansion

Must-Do Activity

The NPS does not have much of a presence in this park, but rather relies on its partners to preserve the heritage sites. We highly recommend the Miner’s Tour guided by the Adventure Mining Company in Greenland, Michigan. In addition to getting a great history lesson, we rappelled down an 80-foot deep mine shaft and walked across a swinging bridge without handrails. They also offer a less intense tour for all ages.

Best Trail

We walked the streets of Calumet, Michigan while doing our laundry across the street from the historic Calumet Theatre. The NPS visitor center was closed, but we still got to see the Copper Country Firefighters History Museum and the Keweenaw Heritage Center inside St. Anne’s Church. We also recommend a stop at the quirky vintage consignment store in the three-story Vertin Building built in 1885.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Quincy Mine is the most tourist-friendly part of Keweenaw National Historical Park offering a museum, tram ride, and underground mine tours.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/kewe/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

No NPS fees, but each heritage site charges its own admission with one of the cheapest being the $1 donation per person requested at the Copper Range Historical Museum in South Range, Michigan.

Road Conditions

Most roads are paved, with the exception of the short gravel road to the Adventure Mining Company.

Camping

Fort Wilkins and McLain State Parks both have campgrounds and dispersed campsites can be found in parts of Ottawa National Forest. Backpacking is popular in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

Effigy Mounds National Monument (Iowa)