Inside the Kennedy Family’s Historic Camelot Estate: How Stunning Hyannis Port Compound Became Their Ultimate Escape

The Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, MA, holds almost as much lore as infamous political dynasty itself.

This home was purchased in 1928 by family patriarch, diplomat, and businessman Joseph P. Kennedy for his wife, Rose, and their nine children, including President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Over the years, the residence has become closely intertwined with the family’s storied history.

It was at the Cape Cod retreat that JFK planned his presidential campaign in the summer of 1960, and it was there that his wife, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, fled after he was assassinated in 1963 at the age of 46.

Hyannis Port would be where Jackie crafted the image of Kennedy’s presidency as “Camelot” in the wake of his death, taking inspiration from the late politician’s favorite Broadway musical and telling the media in her first official interview after his passing: “Don’t let it be forgot, that for one brief, shining moment there was Camelot.”

The home had been the site of many happy vacations for JFK and Jackie—and it went on to serve as a much-needed retreat for other family members over the years, becoming the site of an annual Fourth of July reunion for many of their descendants.

Each year, dozens of extended Kennedy family members—from RFK’s daughter Kerry and her children with ex-husband Andrew Cuomo to Maria Shriver‘s daughter Katherine Schwarzenegger and her actor husband, Chris Pratt— gather at the property to celebrate the holiday.

Traditionally, images from Kennedy family gatherings were shared with the media, offering a glimpse inside the dynasty’s lavish lifestyle. Today, those same glimpses are posted on social media—particularly, images from those famed July Fourth celebrations.

As Labor Day approaches and the end of summer nears, take a look inside the fascinating history of this historic, picture-perfect home.

A storied American home

The Kennedys might never have come to Hyannis Port if it hadn’t been for one pastime Joseph and Rose loved: golf. In 1926, and already a millionaire, Joseph went in search of a home near a golf club.

He explored a membership at the Cohasset Country Club, on the South Shore and close to Boston. However, he was iced out, reportedly as a result of his Irish Catholic faith.

Instead, the couple found Hyannisport Club on Cape Cod—then run by an Irish Catholic—and the Kennedys were welcomed. They proceeded to rent Malcolm Cottage, as it was then known and, in 1928, purchased the property for $25,000, according to the website for the JFK Museum in Hyannis.

The 3-acre property on a dead-end street directly faces Nantucket Sound.

While the Kennedy family spent time at other homes in New York, Maryland, and Florida, Hyannis Port is where they would create a multigenerational compound. Joe Kennedy expanded the main house, dubbed the Big House, to reportedly include 21 rooms, 12 bedrooms, a steam room, and a 50-person theater in the basement.

The grounds offer a tennis court and pool, and other recreation options including golfing at the local club and sailing on the sound. Touch football, played on the grassy lawn, was also a favorite.

JFK bought a home behind his father’s Big House in 1956. It became known as the President’s House. Robert F. Kennedy and his wife, Ethel, bought another adjacent home; and those three properties made up the compound, which now spans 6 acres of waterfront property.

Fourth of July gatherings

In growing numbers, the Kennedy clan still gathers at the family compound for its traditional Fourth of July celebration.

This year was no exception. Kerry Kennedy shared on Instagram a video of dozens and dozens of family members assembled for their annual portrait, including some very familiar faces, such as Shriver, Pratt, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—the son of Robert Kennedy, who served as the Attorney General under President Kennedy.

RFK Jr., who recently suspended his long-shot campaign for president as an independent, caused rifts among family members who didn’t support his run. He has gone viral for odd stories involving dead animals, including a baby bear in Central Park and another wild tale dredged up from 2012 about beheading a whale and attaching it to the roof of the family car, as told by his daughter, Kick Kennedy. (She has been rumored to be dating Ben Affleck, but his rep denies this.)

Camelot

It was in the main house that JFK apparently decided to run for president, and the home subsequently served as his campaign headquarters.

The morning after the election, it was his young daughter, Caroline, who woke him up in their Hyannis Port home to announce, “Good morning, Mr. President.”

During JFK’s presidency, the compound became the “seaside White House.” He once said of his Cape Cod home, “I always come back to the Cape and walk on the beach when I have a tough decision to make.”

The place became iconic when images emerged of Jack and Jackie spending time there with their children during the White House years.

A place for comfort after traumatic loss

It’s also a place where family members have retreated to grieve tremendous loss over the years, from the deaths of Joe Kennedy Jr., the eldest son, in World War II, to JFK’s assassination in 1963 to RFK’s assassination in 1968, after he won the California presidential primary.

Another tragedy, decades later, took JFK’s son, JFK Jr., who died in a plane crash with wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in 1999.

In 2019, another tragedy struck: a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, died of a suspected overdose at the Kennedy family compound. Her death occurred in the home of her grandmother, Ethel Kennedy, who was 91 at the time.

The compound was designated a U.S. National Landmark in 1972—not surprising for a property that embodies so much American history.

Snag your own compound

While the Kennedy compound isn’t likely to hit the market any time soon, there are some nearby gems available, and hey, some of your neighbors might even be Kennedys. Take a look.

This glorious seaside estate is available as is for $7,999,999. The landmark property from 1920 features 10 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, and 5,500 square feet across a main house and guesthouse. Located on the Hyannis Port Harbor with water views, the estate features a built-in bar, dining room, breakfast room, covered front porch, and three fireplaces. The property includes a basement for storage, three garage bays, and lots of guest parking in the circular driveway.

Here’s one for about half the price in Barnstable, MA, that comes with a lighthouse! Listed for $3,750,000, the waterfront home offers three bedrooms and 3.5 baths across 2,300 square feet. Designed to capture the feeling of living on a grand yacht, the property has a primary suite, wet bar, wraparound deck, and water views. The lighthouse even has a bedroom, bath, and wet bar.

For those with champagne taste on a beer budget (OK, imported beer), this charmer for $899,900 might be just the ticket: The Hyannis beach house offers three bedrooms and two bathrooms in a roomy 1,800 square feet. It’s a quintessential Cape Cod-style abode and features marsh views from the living room, which is nicely outfitted with a gas fireplace. Other outside access includes a dining room with sliding doors to large, private deck and a second-floor deck off of the bedroom.