The Little White House was a presidential retreat for the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt first came to the Warm Springs area of Georgia in 1924 to seek relief from polio. Swimming in the springs seemed to help his malady. He became intrigued with the area and decided to build a vacation cottage here.
Constructed in 1932 at a cost of approximately $8,700 on the north slope of Pine Mountain, the simple clapboard, six-room home where FDR came to relax became known as the Little White House. The estate also came to include a guest house, servant’s quarters, and sentry posts. All buildings remain pretty much as they were in the 1940s.
It was here, at the Little White House, while having his portrait painted, that FDR suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945 and died. No brush stroke was added to the painting after his death. The portrait is on display here at a 12,000 square foot museum that also houses Roosevelt’s 1938 Ford convertible with hand controls, a 1930s kitchen with his fireside chats playing, and more.
The hydrotherapy pools where FDR swam are just a short distance (about 1 mile) from the museum. The entry fee for the museum entitles you to admission to the pools complex. Although the waters have been drained to avoid damage to the structures, you can still touch warm water bubbling up from a basin. There is a small museum that tells about the springs and the town’s history, as well as Roosevelt’s involvement and founding of the adjacent Roosevelt-Warm Springs Institute.
The Little White House is open 9am to 4:45pm every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is $7.00 for adults (19 to 61), $4.00 for children (6 to18), $6.00 for seniors (62+), and children (under 5) enter free of charge.
Phone: 706/655-5870
Address: 401 Little White House Rd., Warm Springs, GA, 31830.
www.fdr-littlewhitehouse.org or www.gastateparks.org
Something to keep in mind if you use canes, crutches, or a wheelchair - the primary buildings are wheelchair accessible, however, the secondary buildings (servant’s quarters, etc.) have entry steps.
There is a picnic area across from the parking lot. Also near the hydro-therapy pools is another roadside park/picnic area with tables. It has wheelchair access.