Roosevelt Campobello International Park
The U.S. and Canada maintain a joint national park here, celebrating the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who summered here with his family in the early 1900s. Like other affluent Americans, the Roosevelt family made an annual trek to the prosperous colony at Campobello Island. The island lured folks from the sultry cities with a promise of cool air and a salubrious effect on the circulatory system. (“The extensive forests of balsamic firs seem to affect the atmosphere of this region, causing a quiet of the nervous system and inviting sleep,” read an 1890 real-estate brochure.) The future U.S. president came to this island every summer between 1883—the year after he was born—and 1921, when he was suddenly stricken with polio. Franklin and his siblings spent those summers exploring the coves and sailing around the bay, and he always recalled his time here fondly. (It was his “beloved island,” he said, coining a phrase that gets no rest in local promotional brochures.)
You can view a brief film at the visitor center and take a self-guided tour of the elaborate mansion, which is covered in cranberry-colored shingles, to learn about Roosevelt and his early life. For a “cottage” this huge, it is surprisingly comfortable and intimate. The park is truly an international park, run by a commission with representatives from both the U.S. and Canada, making it like none other in the world.
Leave some time to explore farther afield in the 2,800-acre park, which offers scenic coastline and 8.5 miles of walking trails. Maps and walk suggestions are available at the visitor center.
The U.S. and Canada maintain a joint national park here, celebrating the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who summered here with his family in the early 1900s. Like other affluent Americans, the Roosevelt family made an annual trek to the prosperous colony at Campobello Island. The island lured folks from the sultry cities with a promise of cool air and a salubrious effect on the circulatory system. (“The extensive forests of balsamic firs seem to affect the atmosphere of this region, causing a quiet of the nervous system and inviting sleep,” read an 1890 real-estate brochure.) The future U.S. president came to this island every summer between 1883—the year after he was born—and 1921, when he was suddenly stricken with polio. Franklin and his siblings spent those summers exploring the coves and sailing around the bay, and he always recalled his time here fondly. (It was his “beloved island,” he said, coining a phrase that gets no rest in local promotional brochures.)
You can view a brief film at the visitor center and take a self-guided tour of the elaborate mansion, which is covered in cranberry-colored shingles, to learn about Roosevelt and his early life. For a “cottage” this huge, it is surprisingly comfortable and intimate. The park is truly an international park, run by a commission with representatives from both the U.S. and Canada, making it like none other in the world.
Leave some time to explore farther afield in the 2,800-acre park, which offers scenic coastline and 8.5 miles of walking trails. Maps and walk suggestions are available at the visitor center.
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