Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace national historic site

28 East 20th S., in Flatiron District, (212) 260-1616. Tu-Sat. Free. Guided tours only; at 10 & 11am & 1, 2, 3, & 4 pm; maximum 18/tour. No reservations. No pets.

Plan to arrive 30 minutes before your intended tour of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace national historic site's 4-story, narrow Dutch brownstone townhouse, so that you can spend time perusing the displays on the ground floor--among them a sweet teddy bear exhibit and another of antique political cartoons--and view a short film on the life of Theodore Roosevelt. The 40-minute ranger-led tour will take you through the five recreated period rooms (the house was completely recreated in the 1920s) on two floors of this house where Roosevelt lived until he was 15 (the fourth floor is now used as offices). Rooms are dark and cool, which is especially nice on a warm NYC summer day. About 60% of the furnishings are original to the house, but most of the interior is recreated from descriptions. Though the house has large rooms and high ceilings, it is modest in size. The public entry now was originally the servants’ quarters. It is interesting to know that this house is the same era as the Merchant’s House Museum.