FDR Little White House
401 Little White House Rd, Warm Springs, GA
Warm Springs, GA
The plain little cottage in the Georgia pines where a president came to ease his polio in the warm springs, and where he died with an unfinished portrait on the easel.
The Little White House in Warm Springs is the modest cottage where President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came again and again to ease the effects of the polio that had paralyzed his legs. Drawn by the naturally warm mineral springs, which he found soothing, he first visited in the 1920s and later built this simple six-room house in the pines, using it as a retreat throughout his presidency.
It was here, on April 12, 1945, that Roosevelt died suddenly while sitting for a portrait, in the closing weeks of World War II. The cottage has been preserved much as he left it, and an adjoining museum tells the story of his years in Warm Springs, his fight against polio, and his bond with the town, making it one of the most moving presidential sites in the country.
What Guests Love
- The modest, deeply personal cottage, left much as it was in 1945
- The story of Roosevelt's polio and his search for healing in the springs
- The Unfinished Portrait, being painted the day he died
- The museum's collection of gifts, cars, and personal belongings
Worth Knowing
- The site is a state historic site and keeps set open hours
- The cottage is small; the adjoining museum holds the larger collection
- The grounds include walking paths through the pines
- The historic warm springs pools are preserved nearby to visit
Details
Warm Springs, GA
Learn about FDR Little White House
Roosevelt and the warm springs
Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio in 1921, losing the use of his legs. A few years later he heard of the warm mineral springs in this corner of Georgia, which stay at a constant soothing temperature, and found that swimming and exercising in the buoyant, warm water gave him relief and a measure of strength.
He returned so often that he bought the springs and founded a treatment center for others living with polio, pouring his own resources into what became a pioneering rehabilitation institute. His long association with the town and its people, many of them ordinary Georgians, shaped him deeply, and Warm Springs became a place he loved and returned to for the rest of his life.
The cottage and the day he died
Roosevelt built the small six-room cottage in 1932, the year he was first elected president, and used it as a private retreat away from Washington. Deliberately modest, it stands in contrast to the grandeur usually associated with the presidency, a reflection of the plainer life he sought here among the pines.
On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt was sitting in the cottage while an artist painted his portrait when he suffered a fatal stroke. The portrait was left unfinished, and it survives today as one of the most poignant objects at the site. The cottage has been kept largely as it was that day, giving visitors a powerful sense of the moment history turned.
The museum and the grounds
Adjoining the cottage, a museum gathers the story of Roosevelt's time in Warm Springs and his presidency. Its collection includes gifts sent to him from around the world, personal belongings, and vehicles specially adapted so that he could drive despite his paralysis, along with the famous Unfinished Portrait.
The grounds spread through the pine woods with walking paths, and the historic warm springs pools are preserved nearby, where visitors can see the waters that first drew Roosevelt to this place. Together the cottage, museum, and springs tell a rounded story of the man behind the presidency.
The town and the region
Warm Springs itself is a small town that grew up around the springs and Roosevelt's presence, and its downtown preserves a mid-century feel with shops and cafes. The president's decades-long connection to the community remains a source of local pride.
The site sits in the pleasant hill country of west Georgia, near Callaway Gardens and F.D. Roosevelt State Park, the state's largest, which was itself shaped by Depression-era work programs Roosevelt championed. Together they make the area a rewarding blend of history and natural beauty.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Warm Springs
Warm Springs
About 1 mile, a 3 minute drive
A small town that grew up around the healing springs and Roosevelt's retreat, with a walkable historic downtown.
F.D. Roosevelt State Park
About 8 miles, a 15 minute drive
Georgia's largest state park, with mountain overlooks, trails, and a stone pool built during the Depression era.
Callaway Gardens
About 14 miles, a 25 minute drive
A vast resort garden of azaleas, a butterfly conservatory, lakes, and woodland trails in the west Georgia hills.
Pine Mountain
About 12 miles, a 20 minute drive
A small town at the gateway to Callaway Gardens, with shops and cafes along a walkable main street.