The Hotel Warm Springs (est. 1907) seen from Broad St. To the left is the ice cream and soda shop President Franklin Roosevelt would often visit. 

The official website for the Hotel Warm Springs.

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One of President Franklin Roosevelt's favorite stops in Warm Springs was the Tuscawilla Soda Shop located at the Hotel Warm Springs, here he could pop-in just like any regular citizen and enjoy ice cream and a soda. Built in 1907, the Hotel Warm Springs retains the same charm it did when FDR was president. During his presidency, the Hotel hosted such luminous celebrities such as Bette Davis and heads-of-state from Spain, Mexico, the Philippines. Throughout the Hotel Warm Springs visitors can find furniture from Val-Kill Industries, the furniture factory Eleanor Roosevelt operated for 10 years in Hyde Park, New York. The Hotel is also located next to the historic Warm Springs Train Station, now serving as the Visitors' Center, where the Roosevelts and their guests would arrive from Washington or New York.

Hotel Warm Springs

This driving tour includes three stops in Roosevelt's beloved Warm Springs where he owned two homes and made numerous visits during the 1920s and throughout his Presidency. The tour concludes at the state park that was constructed during the Great Depression and named in his honor. 

Originally known as the Georgia Hall, the white, colonial structure was built in 1932 by architect Henry Toombs and Franklin D. Roosevelt to serve as the first rehabilitation center for polio patients in the United States. During his 12 year tenure as president, FDR would frequently attend the annual Founders' Day Dinner at Thanksgiving in the dining hall of the Georgia Hall. Besides the administrative building and infirmary, across the street is also a chapel built by Toombs. In the courtyard of the main administrative building, the "Polio Hall of Fame" can be found, paying tribute to key figures in the fight against polio such as FDR and Dr. Jonas Salk. The facility is now known as the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation and continues to treat patients from across the country. 

Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation

Franklin D. Roosevelt first set foot in Warm Springs, Georgia in October 1924. It was three years after he had been stricken with polio at the age of 39 and he had heard about the natural spring waters of the area containing healing powers for paraplegics. From 1924 until his death in 1945, FDR believed that the waters did in fact help his muscles, but it was the town and the people that captured FDR's heart and mind.In 1932, shortly before he was elected president and while he was Governor of New York, FDR built the simple cottage known as the "Little White House." Throughout his presidency, FDR would return to the Little White House and Warm Springs to escape the rigors of Washington. Many New Deal programs were conceived in Warm Springs as FDR was witness to the plight of the farmers and the poverty that had devastated the South. Because of the New Deal, new schools were built in the region, electrical power was established, roads were paved, and many other innovations were installed.FDR also loved to retreat to the nearby Dowdell's Knob, with its beautiful overlook of Georgia. Here he would host picnics, grill hot dogs, and eventually contemplated the fate of the world during World War II. The war exhausted FDR and took a heavy toll on his health. On April 12, 1945, he was sitting for a portrait with Madame Elizabeth Shoumatoff and suddenly collapsed from a massive cerebral hemorrhage. He died less than two hours later in his bedroom at the Little White House.Visitors are able to view the "Unfinished Portrait" in the museum at the Little White House, which also features his 1938 Ford convertible with hand controls, some of his Fireside Chats, gifts from the people of Warm Springs, and many other historical items. Before his death, famed journalist Walter Cronkite narrated a short video featuring historic footage of FDR swimming in the pools in Warm Springs and from his funeral in April 1945. In addition to the main house, visitors can also tour the servants' quarters and guest house, where visiting heads-of-state would often stay. As one of the most visited historic sites in the state of Georgia, the Little White House offers a unique glimpse into the life of the 32nd president, who grew-up on an aristocratic estate in New York, but who found inspiration and solace in this small Georgia town.

The Little White House was the second home built by New York Governor and future President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the quaint town of Warm Springs. FDR first came to Warm Springs in 1924 hoping to find a cure for the infantile paralysis (polio) that had paralyzed him from the waist down in 1921. Swimming in the 78-degree, buoyant spring waters brought Roosevelt no miracle cure, but it did bring improvement to his muscles. FDR was elected president in 1932, the same year this house was completed. Roosevelt kept the house during his four terms in office and used this as both a personal and a presidential retreat. It was at the Little White House that FDR died on April 12, 1945. Since 1948 the home has served as a state historic site and museum dedicated to the life of Roosevelt and his life in Georgia. 

Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site

Located just 80 miles southwest of Atlanta, the F.D. Roosevelt State Park is the largest state park in Georgia, covering close to 10,000 acres. The park consists of more than 40 miles of scenic trails, with the most notable trail being the Pine Mountain Trail, which totals 23 miles. Hikers become immersed in the nature that surrounds, such as the Georgia pines and hardwoods, as well as the flowing creeks and waterfalls. The park is named after President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who first ventured to the small town of Warm Springs, Georgia in 1924. It was his hope that the natural spring waters in the area would restore the use of his legs, which he lost after contracting infantile paralysis in 1921. FDR would soon establish the first rehabilitation center for polio patients in the country and built his home, the Little White House, in 1932, the same year he was elected president. Just above an area called King's Gap in the F.D. Roosevelt State Park is Dowdell's Knob. Situated at an elevation of 1,395 feet, the Knob was FDR's favorite spot because of the priceless views it offers. Here was where the president, sometimes accompanied by Eleanor Roosevelt, would host picnics for some of his closest friends and Warm Springs neighbors. Just two days before his death in 1945 at the Little White House, and with the end of World War II in sight, the president sat alone atop Dowdell's Knob for two hours. It is said that, in the 1800s, a local farmer named Lewis J. Dowdell would bring the enslaved people that worked on his farm up to the Knob for open church services. Eventually, Dowdell's Knob became a local landmark made even more famous by FDR. Atop the Knob, visitors can still see the bar-b-que the former president would use to grill hotdogs, and even have their picture made with a statue of FDR that was dedicated by the state in 2007. The statue, depicting FDR sitting on his removable car seat with his leg braces visible, was conceived by an Atlanta sculptor named Martin Dawe. Members of the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many facilities within the park during the Great Depression, including a Liberty Bell shaped swimming pool, stone cabins, and arched bridges on Highways 190 and 354. Also located on the property is a lake that is open to fishermen, as well as canoeing and various spots to picnic located on and off the hiking trails.  The Roosevelt Lodge located at this state park was also built by the CCC. The central office and lodge offers information and registers overnight guests. Most of the cottages are either located at the top of the mountain or down near the lake shore. In addition to the cottages, there are numerous campsites and campgrounds. Nearby attractions include the town of Warm Springs and FDR's Little White House, Callaway Gardens, and Columbus, Georgia. Although the park is a popular destination throughout the year, it has been voted one of the top state parks to visit during fall foliage. Visitors can also find various panels and historic markers that explains the history of one of Georgia's most visited sites, and the importance of the president that initiated its creation.

The F.D. Roosevelt State Park, named after the nation's 32nd president, covers more than 9,000 acres and is the largest state park in Georgia. In addition to offering a wealth of outdoor activities and more than 40 miles of scenic trails, including the Pine Mountain Trail, visitors may also see structures such as cottages and the Liberty Bell swimming pool that were built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Tourists also take the opportunity to visit the historic Dowdell's Knob, the overlook where President Franklin Roosevelt used to host picnics and sit and contemplate some of the issues facing him as president. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Warm Spring Georgia

Hotel Warm Springs

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