Roose­velt Campobello International Park | National Treasures

Roosevelt Campobello International Park is a treasure beloved by two countries.

Not even a polio diagnosis during the summer of 1921 could keep Franklin Delano Roosevelt from returning to Campobello Island, his family’s beloved summer vacation home of 56 years. Today, 2,800 acres of this remote nine-mile island in New Brunswick, accessed by the toll-free FDR Memorial Bridge from Lubec, Maine, have been preserved as Roose­velt Campobello International Park, a memorial to our 32nd president and a symbol of peace between the United States and Canada. It’s the only national park in the world owned and administered by two countries. Visitors may tour Roosevelt’s 34-room, 1897 Dutch Colonial cottage, where authentic furnishings, tableware, and artifacts such as a model sailboat, playing cards, and toys strewn across the playroom, are on view, while guides shed light on the lives of the Roosevelts. And the park isn’t just about FDR. When you arrive, reserve seats for “Tea with Eleanor” at the Visitors’ Center; then sit down to tea and cookies, free of charge, while learning about the accomplishments of one of America’s most extraordinary first ladies. Outside the mansion, with eight miles of walking trails, manicured gardens, and waves breaking on the cliffs, it’s easy to feel the pull that this landscape exerted on the Roosevelts. If the tide is right (at 28 feet, the island’s six-hour range is one of the largest in the world), you may even spot a humpback whale or a pod of seals swimming in the bay below. Don’t forget your passport, as you’ll need it to gain access to the island. 877-851-6663; fdr.net