A Visit to Warm Springs, Georgia

Last Friday, Joel (aka Pa) and I (aka Nonna) decided to take Zane, age 9 and Elias, age 6 on a little field trip. Where could we take them for a little getaway, learn something, have some quiet "grandparent" fun, but also escape the hoards of shoppers all over Newnan? After a little thought, we came up with the idea of a visit to the Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia. From Sharpsburg, it was a lovely 35 mile drive to Warm Springs. We made one quick stop at the Georgia Fish Hatchery in Warm Springs where there is a public aquarium and visitor’s area. Species such as striped bass, sturgeon, robust redhorse and paddlefish, which are vital to the fishery resources of the Southeastern United States and the Atlantic Coast are raised here and stocked in cooperation with the various state game and fish resources.

Next, we located the Little White House, built by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 while he was governor of New York, and before he became president. He had been stricken by polio in 1921 and hoped to find a cure or at least some treatment in the warm 88 degree buoyant springs of the area. The Little White House is beautifully maintained and the park rangers are very knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. They suggested that the boys participate in the scavenger hunt. Great idea! It added a fun dimension to the day. The new building built in 2004 houses loads of memorabilia from the 1930's and 1940's, including FDR’s 1938 Ford convertible with custom hand controls. A fascinating movie narrated by Walter Cronkite brings the era to life. The boys had recently visited Pearl Harbor and they had heard parts of the famous speech by FDR announcing the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war on Japan. It was great to see them connect the two places with a particular historical event.

The humble house that is the Little White House is very close to the way it was when FDR died after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while posing for a portrait on April 12, 1945. One very touching detail was the penciled notation on the kitchen wall where the cook, Daisy Bonner, lovingly noted she had cooked his first meal at the Little White House and also the last. A guest cabin and another for servants is in front of the house. We found the grounds very well maintained. There is also a walkway with all 50 state flags and a major stone found in each state. But don’t guess how many flags there are if you do the scavenger hunt. Count them or you will give the wrong answer!

We loved our visit to the Little White House. It gave us a quiet chance to linger over all the little details and talk about life in the 1930's and 1940's. It also provided a great history lesson! The boys gave it an enthusiastic "thumbs up"!! One interesting note, the park rangers told us that by visiting our local library, we could have gotten free passes to the site. Too late for us, buy why not check it out!

Kathy Reets - Owner