Theodore Roosevelt's House at Oyster Bay




"I wonder if you will ever know how I love Sagamore Hill," remarked Theodore Roosevelt to his wife on January 5th, 1919. And love it he did. Sagamore Hill was Roosevelt's home from 1886 until he died on January 6th, 1919. It was his prime vacation spot as president and was often called the "Summer White House." It was also a main focus of the nation's attention during the time he served as president. After his presidency ended, it was "simply the home of a rather amazing fellow." Today, the Sagamore Hill house is still furnished just as it was when he was still living.

Stats: (taken from www.nps.gov/sahi/)
Visitation
100,000 annually.
Highest monthly visitation is in August.
Highest daily visitation is weekend afternoons, March through November.

Location
Long Island, New York, 45 miles east of New York City. Detailed directions and transportation options from New York City and Long Island are provided on our web page:"How to Get There" (www.nps.gov/sahi/direct.htm).

Address
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
20 Sagamore Hill Road
Oyster Bay, New York 11771-1807

Telephone
(516) 922-4447 This line offers 24-hour recorded information.
(516) 922-4788 Park Offices, 9 AM to 4:30 PM (Eastern Time).

Operating Hours
The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk.
The the site is closed: Thanksgiving, December 25 and January 1.
The Visitor Center/Bookstore is open daily year round from 9 AM to 4:30 PM.
The Theodore Roosevelt Museum at the Old Orchard House is open daily year round from 9 AM to 4:45 PM.

Fall Hours:
The Theodore Roosevelt home is open daily for tours through November 28, 1999, from 9:30 AM to 4 PM.

Winter Hours:
The Theodore Roosevelt home will be open five days per week, closing for tours only on Mondays and Tuesdays from November 29, 1999 until May 2000. The Monday-Tuesday closing allows park staff the opportunity to conduct annual historic preservation projects in the Roosevelt home.

See the "Planning Ahead For an Enjoyable Visit" section below.

Climate
Summers are generally hot and humid. The Theodore Roosevelt home is not air-conditioned. The third floor of the house is subject to closure when the heat becomes uncomfortable to visitors. Winters are generally cold and damp with variable precipitation and snow. Recommend layers of clothing, especially in spring and fall, and good walking shoes.

Check the current weather:
National Weather Service forecast NYC/Long Island metro area.
www.Intellicast.com for New York's LaGuardia Airport (30 miles west).
www.Weather.com for Farmingdale, New York (10 miles to southeast).

Transportation
Directions
Sagamore Hill is off Cove Neck Road, 3 miles east of Oyster Bay, New York. Public transportation is not immediately available to the site, but taxis connect with rail service. Detailed directions and transportation options from New York City and Long Island are provided on our web page: "How to Get There" (www.nps.gov/sahi/direct.htm).

Sagamore Hill is about one city block wide and three city blocks long. Walking is the primary means of transportation.

Entrance Fees
No fee is required to enter the grounds, park a vehicle, walk around the house, visit the Visitor Center/ Bookstore or the Old Orchard Museum. Admission to the Theodore Roosevelt home is by guided tour only. Tours cost $5 for those age 17 and older. Children age 16 and under are free. Federal Recreation Fee passports (Golden Age, Golden Access, Golden Eagle), are honored and sold at the visitor center.

Facilities and Opportunities
Visitor Center / Bookstore
Tickets for the guided tours of the Theodore Roosevelt home are sold here. Restrooms, water fountain, soft drink machines and a small picnic area is located behind the visitor center under the shade of maple trees. The bookstore carries over 300 book titles, gifts and educational items about Roosevelt's life and times. (516) 922-4788 ext.33. Click here to go to the bookstore home page. (www.nps.gov/sahi/enp/enphome.htm)

Exhibits
The Old Orchard Museum is a Georgian-styled home built by President Roosevelt's eldest son, General Ted Roosevelt, Jr. in 1938. Now the park's museum, Old Orchard has exhibits and films on President Roosevelt's political career, his family life at Sagamore Hill and the lives of his six children.

Theodore Roosevelt Home Constructed in 1884-1885, Theodore Roosevelt envisioned a large, sturdy, rambling three story, Queen Anne-style home. Placed on a hilltop, the house had wide porches to catch the breezes and views of Long Island Sound and Oyster Bay.

Programs & Activities
Guided tours of the Theodore Roosevelt home conducted every 30 minutes from 9:30 AM to 4 PM daily. Free 45 minute grounds walks are typically offered on weekend afternoons. A tentative schedule of special events is provided on our web page: "Happenings," or call (516) 922-4788 for more information.

Trails, Roadways
Paved pedestrian paths lead from a central parking lot to the Old Orchard Museum, Visitor Center/Bookstore and along the grounds of the Roosevelt's home. A moderately steep and minimally improved loop trail follows along the old carriage road to the old family tennis court. Cycling is limited to the entrance road and parking lot.

Lodging and Camping Facilities
None are present at the site. Lodging is available in East Norwich (4 miles southwest at State Routes 106 and 25A), Syosset/Woodbury (6 miles south along State Route 25-Jericho Turnpike) or Cold Spring Harbor (5 miles east along State Route 25A). Check http://www.island-metro.com/lodging in eastern Nassau or western Suffolk Counties for additional information. Camping facilities are open seasonally and very limited in the immediate area.

Food, Supplies
Local restaurants and grocery stores are located in and around the Oyster Bay Village business district, 3 miles / 10 minutes west of the park. Other than soft drink machines, there is no food service available at the site.

Accessibility
Access to all facilities from the parking lot is by asphalt paved sidewalks. A wheelchair is available for loan (a photo ID held as deposit) at the visitor center.

Parking for the Roosevelt home is available within 100 yards. Only the first floor of the Theodore Roosevelt home is accessible. Park staff erects a portable ramp at the front porch as needed. Please inform park staff of special needs as you obtain tour tickets of the Roosevelt home.

Parking at Old Orchard is within 150 yards or closer parking or drop-off at the door is available, ask visitor center staff. The Old Orchard Museum has a set of three low steps that require assistance or ground level entry is by a rear door.

The visitor center/bookstore and restrooms are accessible by ramps at the back of the building.

Group Tour Information
Reservations are required for groups of 12 to 60 people to tour the Theodore Roosevelt home. Advance arrangements are required at least two weeks to one year prior to the planned visit. Availability of group tours is very limited during periods of high visitation.

Educational groups are typically scheduled for the morning at 10 AM and often booked many months in advance. Very few school group tour slots for the winter/spring school term remain available.

Commercial tour groups are scheduled on a space available basis in the afternoons at 2 PM and 10 AM in the summer season. Reservations are canceled for groups failing to arrive at their appointed time. Call the group reservations coordinator at (516) 922-4788 for more information.

Planning Ahead For an Enjoyable Visit Plan for your visit to last about two hours. The best times to tour the Theodore Roosevelt home:


The busiest times at Sagamore Hill:


How tours of the Theodore Roosevelt home work:

Admission to the Theodore Roosevelt home is by guided tour only. Self-guided tours are not available.

Tickets for guided tours are offered on a first-come-first serve basis at the Visitor Center only on the day of the tour.

Tours are offered every 30 minutes and last about 45 minutes.

Each tour is limited to 14 people. During the course of a busy day, only 200-250 people can tour the Roosevelt home.

No advance reservations accepted, but the savvy traveler can pick up tickets early in the morning for a later tour to allow shopping or sightseeing on Long Island (Example: pick up tour tickets at 9 AM for a 4 PM tour).

Tours often sell out by early afternoon (1-2 PM) during busiest times noted above , so pick up tour tickets at the Visitor Center when you first arrive at the site. When tickets are still available on busy days in the afternoon, there is typically a wait of 1.5 to 2 hours to tour the home. You can take this time to visit the museum at Old Orchard, stroll the grounds or visit Theodore Roosevelt's grave at Youngs Memorial Cemetery, 1.5 miles away.

Neighboring Attractions
The Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau has information on many Long Island attractions. Call 1-800-441-4601. Fire Island National Seashore is a nearby national park area on the south shore of Long Island. Links to other nearby national park areas are found on our extended homepage.

Additional Information Call or write the phone numbers and address listed above or electronic mail us at Sagamore Hill Information (sahi_information@nps.gov).

If you are experiencing any difficulties with this page, have something you would like to see on this page, or just want to drop a question or comment, please e-mail me at
smkelso@mindspring.com
Thank you!!

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