Swim in FDR’s Little White House pool

(Updated for 2010) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was stricken with polio as a young man.

He spent time away from Washington, DC in Warm Springs, Georgia, seeking pain relief and perhaps some measure of recovery in the area’s spring waters.

The house where he stayed became known as Roosevelt’s Little White House, and he died there of a cerebral hemorrhage in April 1945.

Today it’s a Georgia State Park and open to visitors, with New Deal-era memorabilia and the surroundings as he left them, including features like his famous Fireside Chats recorded and played over a 1930s radio.

Late this summer, park visitors can participate in a unusual treat.

The pool where he swam is normally kept empty for preservation, but for three days it will be filled with naturally warm spring water, and for an extra fee, you can jump into FDR’s swimming pool.

The details for A Dip Into the Past, from the park Web site:

Saturday, Sept 4, 2010 to Monday, September 6, 2010  10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
1.5 hour swim sessions beginning at 10:00 a.m. Ages 6 and older.
Reservations suggested – space limited to 80 per session.
$20 adults; $12.50 ages 6 to 17. Family package $75.

[Phone] 706-655-5870.

There are other unique events, like the annual tribute to his Scotty dog Fala (all Scottish Terriers are welcome to attend, on a leash) and a Warm Springs Thanksgiving, featuring music by descendants of band members who used to play for Roosevelt. (2010 update – couldn’t find these any more on the Park website. There is a Fala Day 2010 through a local Scottish terrier organization. Don’t know about Thanksgiving.)

Still, the chance to swim in that pool sounds really special.

Any of my readers who live near there willing to dive in and send us a report?