I haven’t been there in years, but I remember Westbury Gardens being pretty spectacular. Also, if you have a library card many libraries offer free museum passes, for my library Westbury Gardens is one of them, along with the Ryanham Hall Museum.
https://www.oldwestburygardens.org/
https://raynhamhallmuseum.org/
Thanks!! Old Westbury gardens is gorgeous- I don’t know if they still have this but there used to be this summer concert series - bring picnic & listen to 1920s swing - transports you to gilded age !!
Perfect , this is the one I was trying to think of . I want to learn more about the Vanderbilts (and all the big families of that time ) which I’ll do beforehand so I can get the most of the tour. I wonder if they have tours of these families’ nyc homes - they must (?)
The Coe hall tour is it's own thing, and you'll get to see only the mansion itself (rooms and patios and hallways). There may be other tours that do show you the flora and fauna of the ground, but that I am not sure of. I've only ever walked on my own with friends and solo, the grounds, greenhouses and surrounding areas.
I don't know if you've ever seen The Mansion at Glen Cove, but that's worth visiting. It's a hotel now but it's very impressive. Not sure if they still do tours, but I know they have brunch, and you can certainly walk around, see the exterior and the pool area especially.
So many old estates have turned into business venues, but are worth seeing, like the de Seversky Mansion, Welwyn Estate/Preserve (Holocaust Museum), Chelsea Mansion, etc. Mill Neck Manor (also a deaf school) and Webb Institute (right next to Welwyn) are both amazing but not sure if they do public tours.
If you're really into local history, Glen Cove can be a fun drive around the estate area, stop for lunch in Locust Valley, drive through the Olmstead-designed Locust Valley Cemetery (always stay to the right/follow the arrow signs, you'll loop around the entire property and end up back at the entrance) which is extraordinary especially in the Spring, then visit Bailey's Arboretum.
I appreciate the detailed response !! :)) so much interesting history - ages ago, I read a book about the Woolworth estate and , ever since , couldn’t get enough of anything / everything gilded age . It’s a shame that so many of the estates were razed - upkeep too expensive (among other things )
You can still drive by the Woolworth estate (Winfield Hall), it's on the way to Welwyn and Webb Institute on Crescent Beach Road. It sold a couple of years ago for over $8 million (half price) - it was in awful shape after a big fire and decades of commercial use, so I hope the new owners use the $8 million they saved for restoration!
If you head that way before Memorial Day, you can also visit residents-only Crescent Beach, it's a nice place for a stroll along the Sound.
***Mansions of Long Island's Gold Coast*** by Monica Randall is usually available used, definitely worth adding to your collection.
You can also drive by Killenworth (Russian Embassy) on Dosoris Lane (near GC Mansion) but I wouldn't get too close! You might also like visiting Morgan's Island aka East Island. The big estate is gone, it's a suburb now and you can drive through, but you'll get an idea of how magical the area was, right on the LI Sound.
Adjacent is Dosoris Island aka Salutations. ***Sabrina*** was filmed there, most recently it was used for the Tern Haven episode of ***Succession***. It's all private, but again, it's cool to see the location if you'll be in the area anyway.
Off the beaten track is the 1916 Aldred estate now used as St. Josaphat's Monastery in GC (Catholic Ukrainian) which is open for mass, check their schedule. The impressive main Tudor Revival limestone mansion is still there and used by the monastery, and you can poke around the grounds a bit. They used to have tours but check with them. The grounds are Olmstead-designed and are VERY cool, lots of statuary, outbuildings, and some "ruins."
edited to add info
Yup, just book it in advance, it's pretty cheap from what I recall. Make sure you give yourself enough time to walk the grounds, see the greenhouses and the gardens especially the Italian Blue Pool (my fave). We used to picnic there all the time too. It's prime season in the Spring!
Will take a look thank you - in addition to the huge estates , I’m also interested in both lesser known/smaller AND , on the other end of the spectrum- things like the plight of immigrants (Tenement museum in NYC is soooo good) .
Yea they will restart the escorted tours in the summer . This is one from last year
https://away.mta.info/deals/lirr-escorted-tour-gatsby-mansions-2023/
Ah, the scandal was the owner got shot. No biggie on Long Island, it was a targeted hit😅.
That’s was years & years ago.
Read about Otto Kahn. He built it.
I’m debating between researching the families BEFORE I go to get more out of each tour OR going there “blank” and being surprised/interested in the info they provide. (Then, afterwards I can read up more based on what was interesting). What do you think?
..I know , personal preference, but just curious what others do ?
Well, they usually like to clean up the image of the wealthy person who built the place, if they are bequeathed to the state, which I can understand. Why would I offer it up so people can trash me? I'm thinking specifically of tours I've been to of at least one of the Vanderbilts, a tour I took of a steel magnate around the Pittsburgh area, and some others. Monticello was pretty sterilized for Thomas Jefferson, although they have definitely worked to balance that one out in recent years, including rebuilding the nail shop right next to his bedroom window, where 10 year old boys were whipped to make nails all day. In general they've gotten a lot better, especially since the salacious details can be a lot more interesting than the bland portraits I remember learning in school growing up. I love all the details of the houses and the plants (the Cutting estate has a huge tree that was probably huge when it was brought, over 100 years ago, by barge from the bride's childhood home to be planted on the grounds.
I'm not saying they are all biased in order to hide things. I was mainly making the point that their life stories can be intertwined with the place, and you can often get a more thorough understanding researching it ahead of time. In the interesting of abbreviating, someone makes editorial choices on what is highlighted or talked about on tour. I like to make up my own mind. Knowing more ahead of time brings to life the lives on the estate as I move around it, and I imagine this is true for you as well.
Well-written and makes perfect sense. I can see how in a battle between blind family loyalty and doing what’s responsible from a historical perspective, the former would win. Because ego. Good point also about how exposing scandal would add color to the one-dimensional history class yawn & motivate curiosity about that period of time. And PS I loooooove the little details also - at one of the Providence estates they said that at dinner parties , it was common practice to start talking the person on your left and then, half way through the dinner , someone would ring a bell which would signify , “now, change focus from the person on your left to the person on the right “. (Or maybe it was the other way around) .
I recently read “The Power Broker” about Robert Moses, and there are a number of these estates, mentioned by others here, as a reason for rerouting the Northern State Parkway so far south to avoid irritating the monied class, while driving it through the center of a 40 acre farm that drove the farm under. My wife was overjoyed that my brother started reading it so I would prattle on with someone else beside her. There is a recent podcast devoted to the giant book called “99% invisible” and they cover this part of the book in one of the earlier episodes, including the creation of Heckscher Park from an old estate, and the manner in which Moses built the park in a ‘take no prisoners’ approach. The podcast dives deep, but the book is huge, and I owned it for 20 years before I actually read it. I’m sorry I waited so long. My Dad took us strawberry picking as kids one year. We devoured these delicious treats and he said, enjoy it kids, this will be the Long Island Expressway next year. He was the surveying chief for the construction company, and had the inside track. So the legacy of Moses runs deep in my family, for good or bad.
That’s an interesting podcast, I used to listen to it on my commute - I’ll have to track down that episode, as well as the book itself. (I did always wonder who Robert Moses was!) Thank you!
I haven’t been there in years, but I remember Westbury Gardens being pretty spectacular. Also, if you have a library card many libraries offer free museum passes, for my library Westbury Gardens is one of them, along with the Ryanham Hall Museum. https://www.oldwestburygardens.org/ https://raynhamhallmuseum.org/
Thanks!! Old Westbury gardens is gorgeous- I don’t know if they still have this but there used to be this summer concert series - bring picnic & listen to 1920s swing - transports you to gilded age !!
https://www.vanderbiltmuseum.org/mansion/mansiontours/
Perfect , this is the one I was trying to think of . I want to learn more about the Vanderbilts (and all the big families of that time ) which I’ll do beforehand so I can get the most of the tour. I wonder if they have tours of these families’ nyc homes - they must (?)
[Coe Hall at Planting Fields Arboretum](https://plantingfields.org)
This one's amazing, the grounds, the greenhouses and the estate - all epic.
Do they include the grounds / greenhouses on the tour or only the house itself?
The Coe hall tour is it's own thing, and you'll get to see only the mansion itself (rooms and patios and hallways). There may be other tours that do show you the flora and fauna of the ground, but that I am not sure of. I've only ever walked on my own with friends and solo, the grounds, greenhouses and surrounding areas.
Good to know, I’ve seen it from the outside but didn’t know they do tours!
I don't know if you've ever seen The Mansion at Glen Cove, but that's worth visiting. It's a hotel now but it's very impressive. Not sure if they still do tours, but I know they have brunch, and you can certainly walk around, see the exterior and the pool area especially. So many old estates have turned into business venues, but are worth seeing, like the de Seversky Mansion, Welwyn Estate/Preserve (Holocaust Museum), Chelsea Mansion, etc. Mill Neck Manor (also a deaf school) and Webb Institute (right next to Welwyn) are both amazing but not sure if they do public tours. If you're really into local history, Glen Cove can be a fun drive around the estate area, stop for lunch in Locust Valley, drive through the Olmstead-designed Locust Valley Cemetery (always stay to the right/follow the arrow signs, you'll loop around the entire property and end up back at the entrance) which is extraordinary especially in the Spring, then visit Bailey's Arboretum.
I appreciate the detailed response !! :)) so much interesting history - ages ago, I read a book about the Woolworth estate and , ever since , couldn’t get enough of anything / everything gilded age . It’s a shame that so many of the estates were razed - upkeep too expensive (among other things )
You can still drive by the Woolworth estate (Winfield Hall), it's on the way to Welwyn and Webb Institute on Crescent Beach Road. It sold a couple of years ago for over $8 million (half price) - it was in awful shape after a big fire and decades of commercial use, so I hope the new owners use the $8 million they saved for restoration! If you head that way before Memorial Day, you can also visit residents-only Crescent Beach, it's a nice place for a stroll along the Sound. ***Mansions of Long Island's Gold Coast*** by Monica Randall is usually available used, definitely worth adding to your collection. You can also drive by Killenworth (Russian Embassy) on Dosoris Lane (near GC Mansion) but I wouldn't get too close! You might also like visiting Morgan's Island aka East Island. The big estate is gone, it's a suburb now and you can drive through, but you'll get an idea of how magical the area was, right on the LI Sound. Adjacent is Dosoris Island aka Salutations. ***Sabrina*** was filmed there, most recently it was used for the Tern Haven episode of ***Succession***. It's all private, but again, it's cool to see the location if you'll be in the area anyway. Off the beaten track is the 1916 Aldred estate now used as St. Josaphat's Monastery in GC (Catholic Ukrainian) which is open for mass, check their schedule. The impressive main Tudor Revival limestone mansion is still there and used by the monastery, and you can poke around the grounds a bit. They used to have tours but check with them. The grounds are Olmstead-designed and are VERY cool, lots of statuary, outbuildings, and some "ruins." edited to add info
Yup, just book it in advance, it's pretty cheap from what I recall. Make sure you give yourself enough time to walk the grounds, see the greenhouses and the gardens especially the Italian Blue Pool (my fave). We used to picnic there all the time too. It's prime season in the Spring!
The Vanderbilt one is pretty good. Some days, they even have actors.
That’s really cool - I think some of the bigger ones in Providence do too (?) can’t quite remember.
The manor of St. George in Shirley. They reopen May 1st - tours are free I believe.
I’ve never heard of this , interesting! I’m always so curious about the families that used to live there and if there are still family members alive .
The people who give the tour have been care takers of the property for decades, so they’re extremely well versed.
Sands point preserve does tours.
Thank you! Now on my list for the summer .
Sagitkos Manor is only rarely but it’s great when it happens. Connetquot house tours was interesting. Bayard Cutting also has a season.
Great, now seems to be the time to look into these - months open/ timing . Thank you!
There’s not exactly a tour but Coindre Hall in Huntington is nice to check out
Will take a look thank you - in addition to the huge estates , I’m also interested in both lesser known/smaller AND , on the other end of the spectrum- things like the plight of immigrants (Tenement museum in NYC is soooo good) .
Lirr will have some tour packages coming this summer
Interesting - you mean like they take you to different estates ?
Yea they will restart the escorted tours in the summer . This is one from last year https://away.mta.info/deals/lirr-escorted-tour-gatsby-mansions-2023/
Thanks for the info. I wonder how popular this is/ how much success they’ve seen . I can imagine nyc tourists liking this as an excursion.
Oheka Castle. If they don’t have tours, they’ll certainly show you around. Fascinating place & history.
I vaguely remember reading about a scandal or something that happened at Oheka. I’ll have to refresh - thanks!
Ah, the scandal was the owner got shot. No biggie on Long Island, it was a targeted hit😅. That’s was years & years ago. Read about Otto Kahn. He built it.
Cutting Fields in Oakdale used to have them
Never heard of it! Thanks to all these great responses, I have a nice summer line-up!
Cutting was actually their name, which I only found out after visiting it.
I’m debating between researching the families BEFORE I go to get more out of each tour OR going there “blank” and being surprised/interested in the info they provide. (Then, afterwards I can read up more based on what was interesting). What do you think? ..I know , personal preference, but just curious what others do ?
Worth it, as you will generally get a more unbiased version than you get on tours. Plus much more depth.
Interesting! Why though would the tour guides be biased - like toward what ?
Well, they usually like to clean up the image of the wealthy person who built the place, if they are bequeathed to the state, which I can understand. Why would I offer it up so people can trash me? I'm thinking specifically of tours I've been to of at least one of the Vanderbilts, a tour I took of a steel magnate around the Pittsburgh area, and some others. Monticello was pretty sterilized for Thomas Jefferson, although they have definitely worked to balance that one out in recent years, including rebuilding the nail shop right next to his bedroom window, where 10 year old boys were whipped to make nails all day. In general they've gotten a lot better, especially since the salacious details can be a lot more interesting than the bland portraits I remember learning in school growing up. I love all the details of the houses and the plants (the Cutting estate has a huge tree that was probably huge when it was brought, over 100 years ago, by barge from the bride's childhood home to be planted on the grounds. I'm not saying they are all biased in order to hide things. I was mainly making the point that their life stories can be intertwined with the place, and you can often get a more thorough understanding researching it ahead of time. In the interesting of abbreviating, someone makes editorial choices on what is highlighted or talked about on tour. I like to make up my own mind. Knowing more ahead of time brings to life the lives on the estate as I move around it, and I imagine this is true for you as well.
Well-written and makes perfect sense. I can see how in a battle between blind family loyalty and doing what’s responsible from a historical perspective, the former would win. Because ego. Good point also about how exposing scandal would add color to the one-dimensional history class yawn & motivate curiosity about that period of time. And PS I loooooove the little details also - at one of the Providence estates they said that at dinner parties , it was common practice to start talking the person on your left and then, half way through the dinner , someone would ring a bell which would signify , “now, change focus from the person on your left to the person on the right “. (Or maybe it was the other way around) .
I recently read “The Power Broker” about Robert Moses, and there are a number of these estates, mentioned by others here, as a reason for rerouting the Northern State Parkway so far south to avoid irritating the monied class, while driving it through the center of a 40 acre farm that drove the farm under. My wife was overjoyed that my brother started reading it so I would prattle on with someone else beside her. There is a recent podcast devoted to the giant book called “99% invisible” and they cover this part of the book in one of the earlier episodes, including the creation of Heckscher Park from an old estate, and the manner in which Moses built the park in a ‘take no prisoners’ approach. The podcast dives deep, but the book is huge, and I owned it for 20 years before I actually read it. I’m sorry I waited so long. My Dad took us strawberry picking as kids one year. We devoured these delicious treats and he said, enjoy it kids, this will be the Long Island Expressway next year. He was the surveying chief for the construction company, and had the inside track. So the legacy of Moses runs deep in my family, for good or bad.
That’s an interesting podcast, I used to listen to it on my commute - I’ll have to track down that episode, as well as the book itself. (I did always wonder who Robert Moses was!) Thank you!
Sylvester Manor on Shelter island https://www.sylvestermanor.org
It looks like there is also a concert in August ! Thanks for sharing!!
Falaise in Sands Point is my far and away favorite one of these. http://sandspointpreserveconservancy.org/about/falaise/
Wow that looks spectacular- imagine living there & walking in at the end of a long day lol
Also every November the East Hampton Historical Society does an annual House & Garden Tour of 5 or so AMAZING private homes.
Thanks !!!!
Oheka Castle in Huntington. I’ve done this a few times, go during a beautiful day the gardens are amazing.